On The Late Qing Government's Response To Major Emergencies

Emergencies used to take place in late Qing Dynasty. The government had not met such strong foes before, facing unexpected changes in the situation. Apart from the usual epidemics, civil commotions, foreign aggressions, the emergencies included church incidents. Tianjin Incident was typical because of its complicated causes and sudden outbreak and widespread effect. Faced with the emergency, in order to end the crisis, maintaining its rule, late Qing government in the traditional political system took some steps such as tracking down the murderers, protecting Sheriff's officers, deploying troops, suing for peace. Although some of the steps were good, they still exposed many problems, such as the mediocrity of the decision-making center, loss of controlling and guiding public opinion, the little use of participation of intermediaries and so on. It can be seen from the process and measures that the late Qing government lacked appropriate response mechanisms and comprehensive strength, systematic institutional arrangements. When came across unusual crisis, it still followed the old ways. That is to say, their efforts had been cast in the pattern of an outworn tradition. Due to the powers and treat's coercion of foreign countries, the late Qing government failed to turn adversities into opportunities, but finally collapsed.Judging from the late Qing government's response to emergencies, it is a failure. late Qing government didn't find a place in the world dominated by Western civilization, or got rid of the internal crisis either. This article attempts to explain theories related to emergencies through the case of Tianjin Incident, and assesses the gains and losses of late Qing government. Today, the society is transforming. So we wish the glimpse could benefit for dealing with the frequent incidents.