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The British Protectorate of the Yangtze

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0.42@632

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Apparently the British had interests in establishing a protectorate in the Yangtze to "protect" the region upriver of Shanghai under a native Han monarch.

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If China had underwent a crisis serious enough that partition actually became possible, and the Protectorate (揚子保護國 ) was proclaimed, what would the long term consequences for the region be?

Any partition of China in the 1890s-1900s period would result in countries which had opposing political alliances having colonies that bordered each other, and a WW1-equivalent could easily see an attempt by one or more of the powers to seize their rivals' colonies (or in the case of Yangtze, "re-annexation" of colonies as provinces of the Protectorate)

With the example of the Indian National Congress and communist (not necessarily Marxist) ideas floating around we could also see a specific national movement in the Protectorate to overthrow the King and his British backers and institute a *socialist republic.
 
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To what extent would Britain be willing to put troops on the ground (and pay for troops on the ground) to prop up their puppet and maintain law and order? Because... that's a sizeable chunk of the Chinese heartland there, and if China's has collapsed to the extent that it's being carved up, putting together something coherent and stable wouldn't be a quick or easy process.

What are we thinking in terms of other countries? Russia throughout the North? French protruding into the SE from Indochina? Japan sniffing around?
 
In the context of British Iraq, I remember Churchill saying that indirect rule (and possibly even nominal independence) should be granted to save expenses because the empire was already in financial trouble. In practice it would probably work like British rule over Iraq or Egypt - a formal protectorate for a few years and then nominal independence

In terms of the map, Russia in the North, Japan in Fujian and South Manchuria, France ruling indirectly over Yunnan and directly over the SE and German Shandong seem about right.
 
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Oh no. Oh no, not the Scrabble for China and a China Front of WW1.

The big problem is as @TR1996 says, how much effort, cash, and boots on the ground is Britain willing to commit to propping up the new state? Britain could end up in a very sticky wicket if the answer is "not that much" and then gets stuck in a commitment in an increasingly hostile powderkeg.
 
Charles EP M. said:
Oh no. Oh no, not the Scrabble for China and a China Front of WW1.

The big problem is as @TR1996 says, how much effort, cash, and boots on the ground is Britain willing to commit to propping up the new state? Britain could end up in a very sticky wicket if the answer is "not that much" and then gets stuck in a commitment in an increasingly hostile powderkeg.
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IRL the suggestion was actually shot down because it was deemed improfitable - if it becomes a commitment like how Japanese intervention in China ended up IOTL and the British (or Indian) Army has go up the Yangtze every 2 years to crush rebellions on behalf of the King we may see anti-imperial radicalization at home
 
What would the colonial economy of such a entity even look like? What valuable goods can the Yangtze valley export that say, India can't?
 
Honestly this fits with what I have in mind vaguely for my Annexation of Mexico in 1848 idea. My idea was the Taiping win in 1856 via the Northern Campaign but then collapses into civil war.
 
History Learner said:
Honestly this fits with what I have in mind vaguely for my Annexation of Mexico in 1848 idea. My idea was the Taiping win in 1856 via the Northern Campaign but then collapses into civil war.
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That would just mean the russian-backed qing pushing back towards N China and beijing
 
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