The Qing dynasty, which ruled from 1644 to 1911, was last one of China¡¦s nine dynasties. At its peak, Qing was the one of the most influential and wealthiest nations of the world. However, in the 19th century, as the European imperialists set foot in China, the Qing dynasty started disintegrating and was finally replaced by the Republic of China in 1911. The causes of the fall of the Qing dynasty are a controversial topic; whether internal problems or outside influence played a more important role is still in question.
Most Chinese historians believe that the fall of dynasties follows a cyclic pattern, and that the fall of Qing resembles any other dynasty in Chinese history. Even though western ideologies did influence the thinking of many revolutionaries including the founder of the Republic of China, Sun Yat-sen, revolutions would not have been so torrential and taking place in rapid succession if Qing¡¦s internal policies had not been so corrupt. Their theory is that the Qing dynasty was falling apart long time before any western powers exercised their influence on China; the introduction of western imperialism acted as a catalyst that precipitated the revolutions that toppled the Qing Empire.
West historians, however, tend to emphasize the importance of the influence of the western empires in China. The theory is that similar to the French and Latin American revolutions that took place because of introduction of new ideas, China¡¦s old political system was no longer effective and the revolution was caused by people¡¦s belief in the new ideologies. Sun yat-sen, who founded the Republic of China that replaced the Qing dynasty, was educated in the United States and believed in the western style of democracy. The west heavily attributes the fall of Qing dynasty to the influence of the west.
Both viewpoints will be discussed in the article.