The Boxer Uprising: A Background Study

To many the Boxer Uprising of 1900 is a half-forgotten episode in the history of China's resistance to progress. Yet the Boxers are regarded by many as the founders of Chinese nationalism; for although the Uprising was a failure, it forced the government to realize that it must modernize the country and put it on an equal footing with the West. Dr Prucell based this 1963 study mainly on freshly published Chinese sources and he examined with detachment and fairness the origin and development of this important movement in Chinese history. By his use of Chinese sources Dr Purcell provides an insight into the nature of the country as well as the Boxer mentality. This work will be of value to historians of the Far East, to other modern historians and to everyone interested in the emergence of China.