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角川まんが学習シリーズ 世界の歴史 #11
角川まんが学習シリーズ 世界の歴史 11 ヨーロッパの自由主義とアジアの動揺 一八三〇~一八六〇年
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December 16, 2023
This volume picks up the story with the Qing Dynasty as it begins to encounter increasingly vociferous European traders sick of the dynasty’s trade restrictions. Great Britain cannot take the loss of silver caused by the British population’s high demand for Chinese silks, tea and spices, but China is not much interested in Britain’s cheaply woven wool and cotton. Things boil over. The Brits twist a Chinese mistake into an incident, and wrest trade concessions at gun point. The other European nations follow suit. Then Britain finally discovers a product the Chinese cannot resist—OPIUM—handily grown in Britain’s newest colony of India. China starts to spiral as the cost of silver rises and its population is hooked. Because of the silver and the opium, an internal rebellion against the Qing rulers grows in strength.
Why this rebellion did not target the British or opium as the cause? Perhaps because that is too complicated an explanation, and too difficult a problem to solve. People only understand it when you just blame the current government, dammit. Looks like I once again forgot people don’t know history anymore.
Ultimately the Qing Dynasty clings to the Western Powers to maintain its power over the rebellion, thereby hastening its demise.
Over to Europe where Metternich and the royalty of Europe struggle to wind back the clock to before the French Revolution, but in France, at least, the people are having none of this. More barricades and agitation, until Napoleon’s nephew, of all people, stages a coup to actually RESTORE the French Republic. Wow. I did not see that coming. Oh, but then he appoints himself Emperor. Okay, that is more like it…
The next section does a speed run through famous scientists and their discoveries from around the 1820s to the 1880s, with a bit more time spent on the story of Darwin—and a nice shout out to two-time Nobel Prize winner, Madame Curie, and her husband.
And finally, to India, and the final capitulation of the Sikhs to British might.
This section on India contains a totally ripping scene where two Indians are walking down the street, talking about how they have to pay taxes to the British East India Company, and how everyone is so poor now that cheap British textiles are flooding India and pushing out traditional handwoven textiles. Suddenly a horse-drawn carriage nearly runs these two Indians down before it comes to a screeching halt beside them. A young British girl riding in the carriage says to her father sitting next to her, “Why do these people walk in the street?! Everything in India is so backward!” To which the father replies, essentially: “It will take them years to catch up. So we are helping them with railroads and outlawing ritual suicide.” After the carriage drives away, one Indian says to the other, essentially: “ARE YOU FARKING KIDDING ME?!”
After a horribly bloody rebellion, Queen Victoria and the British government kicks out the East India Company and takes over governance of India directly.
Next up, Volume 12.
Why this rebellion did not target the British or opium as the cause? Perhaps because that is too complicated an explanation, and too difficult a problem to solve. People only understand it when you just blame the current government, dammit. Looks like I once again forgot people don’t know history anymore.
Ultimately the Qing Dynasty clings to the Western Powers to maintain its power over the rebellion, thereby hastening its demise.
Over to Europe where Metternich and the royalty of Europe struggle to wind back the clock to before the French Revolution, but in France, at least, the people are having none of this. More barricades and agitation, until Napoleon’s nephew, of all people, stages a coup to actually RESTORE the French Republic. Wow. I did not see that coming. Oh, but then he appoints himself Emperor. Okay, that is more like it…
The next section does a speed run through famous scientists and their discoveries from around the 1820s to the 1880s, with a bit more time spent on the story of Darwin—and a nice shout out to two-time Nobel Prize winner, Madame Curie, and her husband.
And finally, to India, and the final capitulation of the Sikhs to British might.
This section on India contains a totally ripping scene where two Indians are walking down the street, talking about how they have to pay taxes to the British East India Company, and how everyone is so poor now that cheap British textiles are flooding India and pushing out traditional handwoven textiles. Suddenly a horse-drawn carriage nearly runs these two Indians down before it comes to a screeching halt beside them. A young British girl riding in the carriage says to her father sitting next to her, “Why do these people walk in the street?! Everything in India is so backward!” To which the father replies, essentially: “It will take them years to catch up. So we are helping them with railroads and outlawing ritual suicide.” After the carriage drives away, one Indian says to the other, essentially: “ARE YOU FARKING KIDDING ME?!”
After a horribly bloody rebellion, Queen Victoria and the British government kicks out the East India Company and takes over governance of India directly.
Next up, Volume 12.
Displaying 1 of 1 review