The Qing emperor was diligent. Why did he sign so many unequal treaties?

The unequal treaties were signed at the end of Qing Dynasty. At that time, because the emperor was incompetent and the queen mother listened to politics, she was afraid of wolves before and tigers after, which led to the signing of unequal treaties with many countries.

In the middle and late Qing Dynasty, extreme feudal hierarchy and autocratic rule of imperial power led to extreme corruption in bureaucracy, officialdom and politics. In addition, during this period, the small-scale peasant economy, which was still economically self-sufficient, dominated, and the embryonic development of capitalism was slow. For a long time, ideological and cultural autocratic policies such as literary inquisition and arrogant closure were implemented. In fact, China lags behind the historical trend of capitalist development in the world, and its comprehensive national strength is declining.

In western thought, through the Renaissance and Enlightenment, ignorance of the Middle Ages was lifted and people's wisdom was opened. Politically, the capitalist system was established through bourgeois revolution; Economically, the industrialization of the economy was realized through the industrial revolution. Compared with China and the West, the backward feudal system is no match for the new capitalism. Therefore, the Qing dynasty was unable to cope with foreign aggression after repeated wars and defeats. After the defeat of the war, he was forced to sign a treaty humiliating the country and losing his rights.

It can be seen that the political corruption, backward system and weak comprehensive national strength in the middle and late Qing Dynasty have fallen behind the world development trend. Even if the emperor is diligent, he cannot fundamentally change the fate of being beaten and forced to sign so many unequal treaties. According to statistics, from the outbreak of the Opium War in 1840 to the disintegration of the Republic of China in 1949, the China government signed 1 182 contracts with foreign governments, international organizations and foreign businessmen, of which the most influential and harmful one was signed in the Qing Dynasty.