What was the significance of the boxer rebellion?
Before discussing significance, I think it is important that we first discuss what the Boxer Rebellion was. The Boxers were a secret society of young men trained in Chinese martial arts and believed to have spiritual powers. They were anti-foreign as well as anti-missionary. The Boxers attacked foreign engineers, tore up railway lines, and marched on Beijing, laying siege to foreign legations in the city (where several thousand Westerners dwelled). This was significant in that it was one of several anti-imperialist movements at the end of the nineteenth century. It testified to the vulnerability of Europeans’ imperial power. It drew attention to all the resources Europeans would have to devote to maintain their far-flung influence. Essentially, the Boxer Rebellion brought China to a higher position not quite as weak in Europe’s eyes as the country used to be.
