The Neighborhood Rebellion of Donghak — Wikipedia
The Donghak peasant rebellion [ first ] is an uprising against the Korean government, the feudal system and foreigners which occurred in 1894 in southern Korea, mainly in the province of Jeolla, and which was the trigger of the First Sino-Japanese War. It bears the name of the Donghak, a new Korean religion emphasizing the equality of human beings.
The revolt began in Gobu (Jeongeup) in February 1894 when peasants protested the corruption of local officials. Government forces fail to repress it, initial skirmishes end up becoming major conflicts. When the Royal Court asks for the help of the Chinese to overcome the rebellion, the Japanese also decide to send troops.
Even before foreign interventions and the opening of Korea, the peasants of the peninsula had lost their illusions to the rules dictated by the nobles of the Yangban class. Throughout the XIX It is Century, drought and floods struck cultures and caused serious famines. Making the problem, Joseon’s leaders increased taxes on seeds and imposed even more chores on hungry peasants. Resentment towards the government and local leaders regularly overflowed into violent uprises. The main revolts occurred in 1862 from Jinju and in 1812, when Hong Gyeong-Nae took control of the Chongju region for several months.
The birth of the Donghak [ modifier | Modifier and code ]
Choe Je-U (1824-1864) is at the origin of the ideology of the Donghak, oriental knowledge. Formulated in , it aims to help farmers with poverty and restore social cohesion and political stability.
The donghak included elements taken from Confucianism and Buddhism and also included the idea of a single God residing in heaven. Its modern humanism and its objective of class struggle also makes it possible to link it to Marxism. It was a religion as much as a political ideology. Clearly nationalist, his rhetoric aimed to exclude foreign influences. Choe thought that the best method to counter these influences was to launch democratic reforms and improve the rights of the population.
The main themes of the Donghak were set to music so that farmers can retain and accept them more easily. Nationalism and social reforms have thus paid a link between peasant rebellions and the donghak. The latter, a well -organized movement, spreads throughout Korea.
The international situation [ modifier | Modifier and code ]
The Joseon Dynasty of Korea was a dependent state of China of the Qing since the second Manchu invasion of 1637. Aside from this relationship, Korea followed an isolationist policy and was nicknamed the hermit kingdom XIX It is century. After a series of Russian, French, American and Japanese attacks, Korea is forced to open up to the outside world by the Ganghwa Treaty in 1876. From that moment, foreigners settled in Seoul. In particular, the Japanese Empire quickly strengthens its influence. As early as 1884, following the Gapsin coup, China and Japan openly fight to ensure their influence on Korea. Negotiations finally led to the signing of the Treaty of Tientsin, making Korea a kind of co -protectorate of China and Japan.
Choe Si-Hyeong (최시형, 1827-1898) was the successor to Choe Je-U and the second patriarch. Since the start of the repression in 1864, he had managed to organize a network of clandestine churches. In 1886, a treaty with France had ended the persecution of Catholics by the government. However, this treaty did not concern the followers of the Donghak and they could still not practice their religion openly [ 2 ] .
In 1892, thousands of followers demonstrated to request the rehabilitation of Choe Je-U and the recognition of their organization first in the southern provinces, Jeolla and Chungcheong, then in Seoul [ 2 ] . First dispersed by force, it was not until the following year, after a rally of 20,000 people in Boeun (Chungcheong) that the government renounces to continue the sympathizers of this movement [ 3 ] . Then, while the leader Choe Si-Hyeong refuses the confrontation, the southern faction wants to launch the revolution. Jeon Bong-Jun as well as Kim Gae-Nam and his Hwa-Jung will be the leaders.
The first rebellion [ modifier | Modifier and code ]
The first real uprising occurs the At the Battle of Gobu (Jeongeup). He is more directly caused by a conflict between local farmers and the governor of the region, Cho Byeong-Gap. The symbol of these quarrels was the construction of a new tank (Manseokbo) for irrigation which served as a pretext for the perception of a high tax on water [ 3 ] , [ 4 ] . However, the 1893 harvest having been bad, the farmers requested a reduction in these taxes. This request does not lead and only leads to the arrest of the leaders [ 4 ] . This is how in this month of , the peasants led by Jeon Bong-Jun, the parish chief, take control of the administrative center and the prison, destroy the new reservoir and redistribute the cereal reserves [ 5 ] . The situation is favorable to peasants until the month of March, the date on which government troops led by Lee Yong-Tae regain control of the region.
Rebels are captured or killed, burnt villages and confiscated properties. However, this fierce repression only fits the anger of the peasants. In April, Jeon Bong-Jun organized the extension of the movement with farmers from other cities. He is therefore seconded by his HWA-Jung and Kim Gae-Nam. They define their objectives in four points: “Do not kill the peasants or take their property”, “protect the rights of peasants”, “expel Japanese and Westerners and purify our country”, “Walk on Seoul and clean the government” . Opposite, government troops are demoralized and undermined by desertions. Thus, the , it is the poorly armed peasants who won their first big victory in Hwangtojae. This allows them to take control of Jeongeup on 11, Heungdeok and Gochang on 12, Mujang on 13 and Yeonggwang on 16 [ 6 ] . The , the Battle of Jangseong allows them to take control of Jeonju, the capital of Jeolla, the .
At the beginning of June, the rebels approaching Seoul, the government demands help from China. In a few days, more than 2,000 Chinese soldiers arrive. Immediately, causing its influence on Korea, the Japanese government sends 4,000 soldiers to Incheon despite the protests of the Chinese and Koreans. At the same time, an agreement is signed with the insurgents who lay down the weapons . Donghaks obtain the right to set up a local directorate in each district and try to implement a reform program [ 3 ] .
The second rebellion [ modifier | Modifier and code ]
Calm has returned to Korea. However, relations remain very tense between China and Japan, neither of them wanting to withdraw first and everyone wanting to safeguard their interests. THE , Japan asks the King of Korea to carry out a series of reforms but the latter refuses and continues to request the withdrawal of the troops. Without a prospect of achieving an agreement, Japan sends all its navy as well as additional troops. THE , they enter Seoul, and install a new pro-Japanese government which repeals the treaties of alliance with China: the first Sino-Japanese war bursts.
Consequently, the Donghak peasants are raised a second time to boost the Japanese outside the country. In October, they launched a major offensive which culminates at the battle of Ugeumchi in Gongju and which lasted At . Much less armed than Japanese troops, they undergo heavy losses. In the Hwanghae, the fighters led by the young Kim Gu who will become one of the great figures of the resistance take control of Haeju. In December, the South is still in the hands of the insurgents because the Japanese use them as a means of pressure on the government to make their reforms accept [ 7 ] . On the other hand, the rebels having gone to the guerrilla warfare, the repression is made difficult. Jeon bong-jun is finally betrayed by his own, captured the [ 8 ] then executed in . After this date, the resistance abandons the fight. Choe Si-Hyeong managed to hide for four years before being finally executed in 1898.
The results [ modifier | Modifier and code ]
In short, the movement was partly covered with success. Indeed, the year 1894 was marked by a series of reforms that jostle the traditional order, the Gabo reforms. Thus, servitude, class differences and imperial examinations are abolished. However, this modernization is mainly dictated by Otori Keisuke, the Japanese envoy. These are undoubtedly the big winners of the disorders caused by the Donghaks because they manage to lastingly replace China in its role as protector of Korea.
However, a question is still at the center of the debates between historians: to what extent have the Japanese supported, caused or exploited the rebellion to serve as a pretext to gain a foothold in Korea?
- Jeon Bong-jun’s house [ 9 ] .
- The Manseokbo tank monument [ ten ] .
- The battlefield of HwangtoHyeon and its memorial.
- The memorial commemorating the centenary of the peasants’ revolt.
- The Memorial of the Donghaks Revolution Army on the site of the Battle of Ugeumchi in Gongju [ 11 ] . It was inaugurated in 1973.
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