Final answer:
The Taiping Rebellion weakened the Qing Dynasty by causing immense loss of life, economic hardship, and showcasing the government's inability to maintain control, which facilitated an increase of foreign spheres of influence and undermined Chinese sovereignty.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Taiping Rebellion significantly weakened the Qing Dynasty, laying bare its vulnerabilities and exacerbating internal strife. The rebellion, led by Hong Xiuquan, who claimed to be the brother of Jesus Christ, rallied a significant following and eventually captured Nanjing, declaring the establishment of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Hong's followers were attracted by the promise of social reforms, like land redistribution and gender equality. However, the revolt was marked by extreme violence and the decimation of the population, where millions perished over the course of the fifteen-year conflict.
Moreover, the Taiping Rebellion highlighted the Qing Dynasty's inability to maintain stability and safeguard its territories, which in turn amplified the spheres of influence exerted by foreign powers, particularly European nations and later Japan. These powers provided support to the Qing government in suppressing the rebellion, partly to protect their own economic interests in China, thus increasing their leverage and further compromising China's sovereignty. Ultimately, the Taiping Rebellion drained the Qing government's resources, eroded its control over the country, and contributed to the imperial decline that led to the fall of the Qing Dynasty at the beginning of the twentieth century.
As a consequence of the Taiping Rebellion and other internal and external pressures, the Qing Dynasty's hold on power diminished, facilitating the increase of foreign spheres of influence in China. Notably, foreign powers began to establish spheres of influence through a series of treaties, extracting trade privileges, mining rights, and concessions for building infrastructure, which further undermined Qing authority. This period became known as 'the century of humiliation' for China, which endured significant losses in sovereignty and faced major setbacks in its attempts at political and social reform.