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The Taiping Rebellion: everything you wanted to know

The Taiping Rebellion: everything you wanted to know

Stephen R Platt explores the history of the catastrophic 19th-century Chinese civil war and explains why it deserves to be better known

Rob Attar

Published: May 11, 2025 at 7:30 AM

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It's considered to be the bloodiest civil war in history, but there's a fair chance you've never heard of it. The Taiping Rebellion convulsed China from 1850 to 1864, leading to over 20 million deaths and severely weakening the Qing dynasty, but it remains little known outside of China today. Speaking to Rob Attar, Professor Stephen R Platt answers listener questions about the rebellion and explains why it hasn't received the attention it deserves.

Authors

Rob AttarHead of content and editor of HistoryExtra magazine

Rob Attar is head of content and editor of HistoryExtra magazine