Fried. Krupp's 'Chinese Trade' prior to the First World War, 1895–1914.

This article examines the activities of the German arms manufacturer Fried. Krupp in the Chinese market from the early 1870s until the outbreak of the First World War, highlighting the company's fluctuating success amid shifting political and military contexts. Krupp initially dominated Chinese arms imports, notably during the Sino-Japanese War (1894–95), but China's war reparations to Japan, the Boxer Rebellion embargo (1899–1901), and rising Japanese influence after 1905 significantly curtailed its business. Despite efforts including sending German military advisors and negotiating a large-scale arsenal project in Central China, Krupp never regained its earlier market position, with China's arms purchases declining relative to other countries. The article also details the covert arms trade during embargoes and the impact of China's 1911 revolution, concluding that geopolitical and financial constraints, rather than product quality, largely determined Krupp's limited success in China before World War I.