sovbooks Chapter 116 Why did China fail?
Chapter 116 Why did China fail?
Chapter 116 Why did China fail?
Paris is a romantic city.
The label of "city of romance" had already faded somewhat in the 2020s, before Chen Wenbin transmigrated here.
Because at that time, the streets of Paris were filled with thieves, human excrement, and strange Middle Eastern and African immigrants—Chen Wenbin had not been there in person and did not know the specific situation, but he figured that with so many negative news reports, it must not be unfounded.
However, in April 1764, Paris was still the city that all Christian countries in Europe longed for.
Over the past century, under the rule of Kings Louis XIV and Louis XV, Paris has become a hub for artists, writers, musicians, playwrights, thinkers, and scientists from all over Europe. Paris is no longer just the capital of France, but a cosmopolitan metropolis and the cultural capital of European civilization!
On the streets of Paris, you can see Germans, Scandinavians, Dutch, Italians, Spaniards, Slavs, Greeks, Africans, and even Turks.
If a comparison must be made, Paris is somewhat similar to Chang'an before the An Lushan Rebellion in the Tang Dynasty. Both are equally open, equally inclusive, and equally cities that bring together the pinnacle of civilization, art, and culture!
Similarly, like the fate of Chang'an, the nobles and elites of Paris were too immersed in prosperity and pleasure, to the point that they declined after reaching their peak, and their dream was interrupted by a war.
The defeat in the Seven Years' War completely shattered France's authority as the dominant power in Europe, causing all French people and other European countries to begin to doubt the correctness of France's development path.
France's military defeat proved that even the most prosperous culture is merely an embellishment and pastime built on a foundation of order; strong military power and martial virtue are the foundation that support a powerful nation!
Now, awakened by the harsh reality, the French are beginning to search for the reasons for their failure.
After much searching, they finally reached a new consensus:
That is the reason for France's current failure. It is all the fault of Louis XV, the fault of Madame de Pompadour who bewitched the king, and the fault of the absolute monarchy that has been practiced in France for a hundred years!
Many French intellectuals believed that if France followed Britain's example and implemented a constitutional monarchy, it could become as powerful as Britain quickly. The ideas of Enlightenment thinkers were increasingly accepted by the French people.
The power of change is growing stronger under the nourishment of this new consensus.
After lunch that day, Chen Wenbin took his usual leisurely stroll along the riverbank on the north side of the Seine to digest his food. However, his attention was not on the picturesque Seine, but rather on a question that kept nagging at him: what is the factor that truly determines the lasting strength of a country and a nation?
Is it institutions, technology, ideology, and religion? Or is it military, geography, economy, and population?
They all seem important, but it's also easy to find counterexamples —
"—Robin! Watch your step!"
Franklin, who was walking along the river with Chen Wenbin, noticed that Chen's gaze was wandering again. He reached out and pulled him back, reminding him, "I don't want you to break your leg!"
"I can see!"
Chen Wenbin stopped and turned to look at the fat man. After thinking for a moment, he asked seriously, "—Benjamin, I have a question for you. Tell me, what is the most important thing for a nation to survive?"
"The most important thing ————"
Franklin looked at Lord Chen and thought to himself that ever since this guy entered the Louvre Royal Library a week ago and saw the Oriental archives that had been confiscated after France banned and banned the Jesuits, he often stared blankly into space.
He also always likes to ask questions about countries and ethnicities—I don't know what triggered him?
But since the big boss had spoken, he couldn't refuse to answer. So he pondered for a moment and said with certainty, "If a nation wants to continue to survive, I think the most important thing is education!"
As long as everyone remembers who they are and knows the pride and mission of their nation, even if the nation is defeated a hundred times, as long as the people have not completely forgotten these things, it can continue!
Take the Jews in Europe, for example. They lost their country 1,600 years ago, but they did not lose their religion and culture. Moreover, they attach great importance to the knowledge transmission and education of the next generation.
With this knowledge, they accumulated great wealth, and many Jews became financial and artistic advisors to the courts of various European countries.
This is different from the Roma, who are also a nomadic people—the Roma do not accumulate knowledge and wealth, and therefore will never have their own country, while the Jews, if they can unite, will certainly have a chance to obtain a country of their own.
"—Education! Jews, yes—Jews!"
Chen Wenbin muttered to himself, his eyes growing brighter and brighter, as if he had figured something out.
He paced around twice, then looked up at the sky and exhaled a long breath of white air. The question that had been weighing on his mind for days finally found some answers!
What was that question?
It's very simple. Why would the prosperous and powerful Ming Dynasty, with at least 150 million people, be invaded, conquered, and ruled by the Manchu Eight Banners group, which had a total military force of less than 200,000 and a total population of only 2 million?
Is this a historical accident, or has Chinese civilization itself deteriorated and regressed?
If it's the former, he can only accept it and try to correct this cruel historical accident.
But if it's the latter—he would find it difficult to accept emotionally, because he is a Han Chinese, and any descendant of Han Chinese who loves China and Han civilization would find it hard to accept that their own civilization is not excellent or a failure.
Moreover, Chen Wenbin comes from the modern era, and he has already witnessed the performance of the Huaxia and Han people in regaining their dominance—
In just seventy years, it has returned to the top of the world and become one of the two superpowers on Earth.
This is enough to prove that, under normal circumstances, Chinese civilization and the Han people are the most outstanding civilization and nation in humankind!
Therefore, there is only one explanation for the Eight Banners entering the pass: first, the Chinese nation and the Han people themselves had some problems, which led to the abnormal state of weakness and powerlessness at the end of the Ming Dynasty. Then, at the weakest moment, they unfortunately encountered the most cunning, cruel and unscrupulous enemy!
The combined effect of internal and external factors led to the tragic history of three hundred years of enslavement, oppression, and persecution!
As a result, the Han people lost their pride and culture, and even modern intellectual elites questioned whether their civilization was inherently inferior to others. Even today, many Han people still like to belittle themselves.
So, what exactly happened to the Huaxia and Han people at the end of the Ming Dynasty?
What made this powerful civilization so vulnerable, losing the crucial three hundred years of the Age of Exploration in such a humiliating manner?
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