Stephen Platt

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Stephen Platt
OccupationAuthor, historian
Employer University of Massachusetts Amherst

Stephen R. Platt is an American historian and writer. He is currently a professor of Chinese history at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. [1]

Contents

Early life and education

Platt holds a PhD in Chinese history from Yale University (2004). His area of expertise is in modern China, especially in the nineteenth century and the Qing dynasty's foreign relations. [2]

Writing career

In 2007 he published Provincial Patriots: The Hunanese and Modern China. [3]

Platt's books Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom and Imperial Twilight (examine East-West relations in China during the 19th century, focusing on the Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864) and the period leading up the First Opium War (1800-1842).[ citation needed ]

He published Imperial Twilight in 2018, and Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom in 2012. [3]

Platt has also written for The New York Times , Chinafile, The Atlantic , The Wall Street Journal , and Late Imperial China . [3]

Awards and honors

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

Taiping Rebellion Rebellion in Qing-era China from 1850 to 1864

The Taiping Rebellion, also known as the Taiping Civil War or the Taiping Revolution, was a massive rebellion and civil war that was waged in China between the Manchu-led Qing dynasty and the Han, Hakka-led Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. It lasted from 1850 to 1864, although following the fall of Tianjing the last rebel army was not wiped out until August 1871. After fighting the bloodiest civil war in world history, with over 20 million dead, the established Qing government won decisively, although at a great price to its fiscal and political structure.

Opium Wars Two 19th-century conflicts involving China and the British Empire

The Opium Wars were two wars waged between the Qing dynasty and Western powers in the mid-19th century. The First Opium War, fought in 1839–1842 between Qing China and the United Kingdom, was triggered by the dynasty's campaign against the British merchants who sold opium in China. The Second Opium War was fought between the Qing and the United Kingdom and France, 1856–1860. In each war, the European force's modern military technology led to easy victory over the Qing forces, with the consequence that the government was compelled to grant favourable tariffs, trade concessions, reparations and territory to the Europeans.

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Baillie Gifford Prize Non-fiction writing award

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Andreas Everardus van Braam Houckgeest

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The Battle of Jiangnan (1860), also known as the Second rout of the Jiangnan Battalion was a battle between the Qing government's Green Standard Army and the army of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom during the Taiping Rebellion. The Green Standard Army twice attempted to besiege Nanjing, capital of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, but was unable to break through. To break the siege of Nanjing, the Taiping forces maneuvered to divert Qing forces by sacking Hangzhou, before quickly moving back to Nanjing to counter-encircle the Qing siege forces and routing the Green Standard Army garrison completely, breaking the siege of Nanjing.

Battle of Changzhou occurred during the Taiping Rebellion. It was won by the Qing dynasty, who regained control over all of Jiangsu.

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Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Chinese rebel state (1851–1864)

The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, later shortened to the Heavenly Kingdom or Heavenly Dynasty, was an unrecognised rebel state in China and a Chinese Christian theocratic absolute monarchy from 1851 to 1864, supporting the overthrow of the Qing dynasty by Hong Xiuquan and his followers. The unsuccessful war it waged against the Qing is known as the Taiping Rebellion. Its capital was at Tianjing.

Battle of Taku Forts (1859)

The Second Battle of Taku Forts was a failed Anglo-French attempt to seize the Taku Forts along the Hai River in Tianjin, China, in June 1859 during the Second Opium War. A chartered American steamship arrived on scene and assisted the French and British in their attempted suppression of the forts.

The Cundill History Prize was founded in 2008 by Peter Cundill to recognize and promote literary and academic achievement in history. The prize is presented annually to an author who has published a non-fiction book in the prior year that is likely to have profound literary, social, and academic impact in the area of history. At a value of US$75,000, the Grand Prize is claimed to be the richest non-fiction historical literature prize in the world. In addition, two "Recognition of Excellence" prizes of US$10,000 each are awarded. The winners of the prizes are selected by an independent jury of at least five internationally qualified individuals selected by McGill University. The Cundill Prize in History at McGill is administered by McGill University's Dean of Arts, with the help of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada (MISC).

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Red Turban Rebellion (1854–1856) Revolt against Qing rule in Guangdong Province, China (1854-56)

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Battle of Anqing

The Battle of Anqing (安慶之戰) was a prolonged siege of the prefecture-level city of Anqing in Anhui, China, initiated by Hunan Army forces loyal to the Qing Dynasty against the armies of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. The siege began in September 1860 and ended on September 5, 1861, when imperial forces under the command of Zeng Guoquan breached the walls of the city and occupied it.

Events from the year 1860 in China.

The Occupation of Ningbo was the five-month period in 1861 and 1862 during which the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom successfully occupied the city of Ningbo during the Taiping Rebellion. British and French support eventually allowed the Qing to retake the city.

He Chun or Her Chyun was a Manchu nobleman and military commander of the Qing dynasty. He Chun was a commander of the northern encampment of the Army Group Jiangnan, a unit of the Green Standard Army tasked to defeat the Taiping rebellion. The northern encampment was based near Yangzhou, before the attack on attack on the Taiping capital, Tianjing (Nanjing). However during the Battle of Jiangnan (1860) he was killed the attack on Nanjing.

<i>Imperial Twilight</i>

Imperial Twilight: The Opium War and the End of China's Last Golden Age is a history book by Stephen R. Platt relating the events during the lead-up to the First Opium War of 1839–1842. The book was well-received by critics, who were generally supportive of the conclusions Platt reached in the book.

Marla Miller is an American public historian.

References

  1. Steve Pfarrer (May 10, 2018). "'I write what I would love to read': Award-winning historian Stephen Platt pens new book on the 19th-century Opium War". Daily Hampshire Gazette . Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  2. "Stephen Platt - History - UMass Amherst". www.umass.edu.
  3. 1 2 3 "Stephen R. Platt". umass.edu. University of Massachusetts Amherst. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  4. "University of Massachusetts historian Stephen Platt receives prestigious Cundill Prize".
  5. "The Baillie Gifford Prize 2018 announces shortlist". Baillie Gifford Prize. 2 October 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2018.