The Inner Opium War

Polachek's article explores, "Why the experience of decisive military defeat during the Sino-British, or Opium war of 1840 did not inspire a major overhaul of China's diplomatic and military posture toward the outside world?".

The first obstacle Polachek sees it that the central political system of China at the time had so much inertia that it was difficult for foreign political changes to muscle their way in. Much of this inertia was brought about by domestic distractions that caused the country to focus inward. However, the author emphasizes that the Ch'ing foreign policy political behavior was not a product of domestic ideological consensus.

Polachek continues to discuss the different political forces that played a role in the foreign policy decision making. He refers to the "literati", a subgroup of the Confucian lettered elite. The literati were the core of the "anti-treaty" movement against Britain. The increased dependence of the country's monarch on foreign powers led to a rise of increased frustrations throughout the country. There was a rise in radicalism in opposition to the current foreign control. The literati turn against the postwar peace party.

The conclusion one can draw is that the strong resistance of the post-Opium War treaty system was aided and boosted by the push of decentralized policies.