Potatoes and the Qing Dynasty peasant uprising

by:阮一峰

1.

mostnearlyrose food Price, another kind of food crops - potatoes growing cause for concern. FAO will the United Nations in 2008 as a"International Year of the Potato".

reminds me of an interesting point of view, but do not remember is Who says, that is: potatoes peasant uprising of the Qing Dynasty is an important reason.

2.

potato starch is the main component, can be consumed as food. It's cheaper prices than rice and planting more easily, higher yield per unit area, a shorter growing cycle. Therefore, the potatoes are poor natural food rations.

Engels in the "Ape to Man", wrote this thing. 1847, the Irish potato because of poor harvests, resulting in a major famine, starvation of 1 million to the Irish potato-based food poor, 200 million people to flee overseas (mainly to the United States).

Marxism in exile from Germany to Britain when the destitute, on the whole family eating potatoes and bread to live.

3.

potatoes originating in South America, Peru is considered the hometown of it. The 16th century, the Indians found off Spain at an altitude of 10,000 feet above the mountains on the cultivation of potatoes, they will be surprised that this new crop known as the "can eat the stones."

about 1525-1545, imported European potatoes. Then, the late Ming and early Qing Dynasty, the European missionaries who introduced potatoes to China.

1650, the Dutch Henry Strays said that in Taiwan have seen potato cultivation. 1700 (Kangxi 39) Marker of Fujian "Shiki Songxi,"a potato is China's earliest recorded literature.

about in 1800 before and after the potatoes have been widely planted in China.

4.

the introduction of potatoes, accompanied by the rapid population expansion.

2-year-Yongzheng (1724), the country's population 120 million, only 42, 31 to Qianlong (1766), the explosive population reached 209 million. Another 83 years, that is, Daoguang 29 (1849), the population has doubled, reaching 470 million.

population growth, is in need of food support. Rice and wheat output can not be so many, it was mainly potatoes (and also the introduction of the corn), to support the population growth.

a bold but reasonable assumptions, if not the introduction of potatoes in China, the Qing dynasty of the population can not grow so fast.

5.

rapid population growth has brought about serious social problems.

the Qing Dynasty is a purely agricultural society, limited land can not accommodate so many labor. We can see that the history of China's largest number of immigrants sports, are in the Qing Dynasty, such as migration to Xinjiang, to the northeast of migrants (entries East).

Kangxi and Qianlong's Spirit is one of China's feudal society summit, but also to the failure by the Shing a turning point. Can not land because the bottom of the number of poor farmers, are rapidly expanding.

to the early 19th century, the Chinese society is not the bottom of the farmers community, but refugee community.

but also further increase the population, displaced more and more poor farmers. To the mid-19th century, finally inevitably broke out, like the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, as an unprecedented peasant movement. Once someone Juqi, the number of responses, the broad scope unprecedented in the history of China.

6.

therefore can be said, potatoes peasant uprising of the Qing Dynasty is an important reason.

In sharp contrast to the United Kingdom. Britain introduced potatoes, making a surplus of agricultural labor is also the trend. However, Britain is catching up with the industrialization campaign, the surplus farmers will not become displaced persons, it became necessary for the industrial revolution of workers and promote the industrialization development.

can imagine, if the late Qing Dynasty, "Westernization Movement"occurred as early as 100 years, it is likely to absorb the surplus labour force of domestic, rather than through war to defuse the population pressure. Chinese history will be completely different and embarked on the path of constitutional monarchy, is not impossible.

history is really interesting, ah, but further down, on a far more from the potatoes,

original link:http://www.ruanyifeng.com/blog/2008/06/potato_and_peasant_uprisings_of_qing_dynasty.html