What characteristics and events in Chinese history prevented China Essay

What characteristics and events in Chinese history prevented China from becoming a world power before 1949 - Essay Example This paper will outline some of the main contours leading to the Chinese rise of economic superiority over the western civilization prior to the 19th century, after which it will be possible to account for the rise of the western civilization from the eastern origins. From as early as 1078, historical records indicate that china was the world’s major steel producer, thereby outweighing the British as producers of steel. Apart from this production, it is also possible to determine that China was leading in international trade, thereby possessing the largest commercial ships, which had the capacity of transporting 3,000 tons worth of goods. By 1750, it is possible to determine that China’s per capita income could probably match that of Great Britain since they had a stable economy, technological developments and high agricultural yields. From this point, the Europeans and British manufacturers were able to follow China’s lead thereby borrowing and assimilating its advanced technology mainly for the penetration of the Chinese lucrative and advanced market. The western conquest of the East was militaristic, and they justified their conquest to with its non-reciprocal economic relation with their trading countries overseas. On the other hand, China’s predominance was on the basis of reciprocal benefits with its overseas trading partners since the country’s rulers were accustomed or relied on their superiority in production, banking skills and sophisticated commercial skills (Rosenthal et al, 36). In contrast, the western nations were relying on military conquest, destruction of competitiveness, and tariff protection. Consequently, it is possible to determine that the British were not hesitant in exterminating some of the communities that were resistant to their policies. With their inability to invade the Chinese market by great economic competitiveness, the British relied on military power in their conquest, thereby leading armed