WW1: Unusual Tales from The Great War.
Oct 18, 2026 · 40 min · 10 segments
Throughout the 19th century China had been a weakening power despite a very long history of stability. An early WW1 battle saw Japan defeat the Germans at Tsingtao and then press China to concede…
China, an ancient country, had been ruled as a united empire for over 2,000 years.
It was there when the Roman Empire collapsed and had survived to see the zenith of the British Empire at the start of the 20th century.
It was managed and centrally controlled by a large bureaucracy of men educated in ancient Confucian texts and who could demonstrate their capability through a rigorous examination process.
Once in the ruling system, it was a nest-feathering job for life, with plenty of opportunities for nepotism.
China was so vast that it was economically self-sufficient in an old world based on agrarian economics.
Enough food could be produced to keep the rich and powerful fed, even if in years of poor harvests, floods, and drought, there might be widespread hunger amongst the peasantry.
In such a large country, all the resources and raw materials were available for society's general needs.
The centuries-old Silk Road land trading routes from the Middle East and Europe is clear evidence of this, as are the ancient wrecked Chinese ships found dotted in the oceans.
But in this pre-industrialized Asian world of China in the 19th and early 20th centuries, no one was paying much attention to British Enlightenment economists like David Ricardo on his theory of comparative advantage and the benefits of free trade.
In a nutshell, Ricardo concluded, and I paraphrase for Chinese context, "You can produce porcelain plates at a lower cost than we can.
We'll trade our cotton clothing or opium from our Indian colony because you're good at that, and we're good at this." Ricardo was the theoretical father of free trade, something the Europeans and others were beginning to understand as they used their military power to bully and exploit a weakening China, an ancient empire now buffeted by new ideas, technologies, and industries largely invented and prospering in Europe.
With its apparent eternal stability, China had maintained its power over smaller neighbors through a system of tributes, one-sided trade, and absolute demand to recognize the supremacy of China and the Chinese culture.
Keep this model of dominance in mind for when we discuss the legacy of World War I for China, Japan, and the Pacific Islands in the last episode of this series.
European trading expansion and industrialization from the 17th century emerged as an opportunity and a threat to China, neither of which were handled well over time.
The empire was largely self-sufficient, so apparently had little need for European goods.
Yet the corrupt governing administrators could do little to resist the exploitative penetration of China by the Portuguese, Dutch, British traders, and others in the 18th and 19th century.
China, an ancient country, had been ruled as a united empire for over 2,000 years.
It was there when the Roman Empire collapsed and had survived to see the zenith of the British Empire at the start of the 20th century.
It was managed and centrally controlled by a large bureaucracy of men educated in ancient Confucian texts and who could demonstrate their capability through a rigorous examination process.
Once in the ruling system, it was a nest-feathering job for life, with plenty of opportunities for nepotism.
China was so vast that it was economically self-sufficient in an old world based on agrarian economics.
Enough food could be produced to keep the rich and powerful fed, even if in years of poor harvests, floods, and drought, there might be widespread hunger amongst the peasantry.
In such a large country, all the resources and raw materials were available for society's general needs.
The centuries-old Silk Road land trading routes from the Middle East and Europe is clear evidence of this, as are the ancient wrecked Chinese ships found dotted in the oceans.
But in this pre-industrialized Asian world of China in the 19th and early 20th centuries, no one was paying much attention to British Enlightenment economists like David Ricardo on his theory of comparative advantage and the benefits of free trade.
In a nutshell, Ricardo concluded, and I paraphrase for Chinese context, "You can produce porcelain plates at a lower cost than we can.
We'll trade our cotton clothing or opium from our Indian colony because you're good at that, and we're good at this." Ricardo was the theoretical father of free trade, something the Europeans and others were beginning to understand as they used their military power to bully and exploit a weakening China, an ancient empire now buffeted by new ideas, technologies, and industries largely invented and prospering in Europe.
With its apparent eternal stability, China had maintained its power over smaller neighbors through a system of tributes, one-sided trade, and absolute demand to recognize the supremacy of China and the Chinese culture.
Keep this model of dominance in mind for when we discuss the legacy of World War I for China, Japan, and the Pacific Islands in the last episode of this series.
European trading expansion and industrialization from the 17th century emerged as an opportunity and a threat to China, neither of which were handled well over time.
The empire was largely self-sufficient, so apparently had little need for European goods.
Yet the corrupt governing administrators could do little to resist the exploitative penetration of China by the Portuguese, Dutch, British traders, and others in the 18th and 19th century.
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