The Economic Struggles Behind the Eight-Nation Alliance: Trade Wars, Resource Control, and Imperialist Ambitions
The Eight-Nation Alliance’s intervention in China during the Boxer Rebellion (1899–1901) is often framed as a response to anti-foreign violence, but its deeper motivations were economic. The coalition—comprising Britain, France, Germany, Russia, the United States, Japan, Italy, and Austria-Hungary—was driven by the pursuit of trade dominance, territorial control, and financial interests.
By the late 19th century, China had become a battleground for foreign economic exploitation following a series of humiliating defeats in the Opium Wars (1839–1842, 1856–1860) and the imposition of unequal treaties.… Read more