ABSTRACT
With the foreigners mollified and the Taipings suppressed, Beijing could now turn its attention to a series of internal revolts, primarily although not exclusively by minority peoples.132 Its goal was to halt the dynastic decline by reasserting Imperial power through the use of traditional military means, albeit aided by the use of modern weapons purchased from the West. The first of these internal revolts was the Nian Rebellion, which lasted from the early 1850s through 1868. The second was the Muslim Rebellion in Yunnan Province, which began in 1856 and was finally quelled in 1873. Finally, in 1862 a number of Muslim groups in Shaanxi and Gansu Provinces also rebelled. Beijing could only turn its attention to this third rebellion in 1868, and it was finally put down in 1873.
