Cixi orchestrates a coup, halting the Hundred Days' Reform, and resumes control.
On September 21, 1898, Empress Dowager Cixi executed a coup against the Guangxu Emperor, ending the Hundred Days' Reform. The reform had aimed at rapid modernization but faced conservative backlash. Cixi's intervention was perceived by some as conservative retaliation, yet it was a strategic move to stabilize what she saw as a disordered and hasty agenda. By halting these reforms, she resumed direct control, reflecting her pragmatic approach to governance, prioritizing gradual change over radical shifts to ensure the Qing dynasty's enduring legacy amidst increasing internal and external pressures.