Re-Explore The Reasons For Failure Of The First Sino-Japanese War

The First Sino-Japanese War is a contest between the Qing Dynasty and Japan in recent history, also is a test of the results of reform to "Westernization Movement" and the "Meiji Restoration". Qing Dynasty army failed again and again in Korea, Liaodong and Shandong. As a result, the well-equipped Anhwei army and Chinese Beiyang Fleet were destroyed, and these impregnable fortress of Lushun, Weihai and Dalian were sacked. At last, early Modernization of China was interrupted. The discussion about the cause of the failure in the first Sino-Japanese War is always ceaseless. This paper, taking the Northern Navy as a entry point, proves that Chinese Beiyang Fleet is not weak, but the lack of sophisticated equipment and good logistics. This result, not because Empress Dowager Cixi embezzled Navy expenditure, but because of "coast defense" strategy positioning. The defeat of the Beiyang Fleet was also because Weng Tonghe stopped funding the Navy and Li Bingheng & Zhang Zhidong refused to rescue. In contrast, Japan had carried out the national mobilization, and established a modern military system and improve the strategic preparation, which was much more advanced than the Qing Dynasty. The war shows that modern nations will defeat the traditional. On this basis, the paper continues to analyze the social differences between modern countries and traditional countries. Using the theory of "national" and "contract society" in sociology and political science to explain the result of the War. Finally, the paper makes the conclusion:Qing Dynasty had not establish a modern national identity, had not complete the social transformation from identity to contract. These are the important deep reasons for the failure of the Qing Dynasty in the First Sino-Japanese War.