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North China Campaign of 1860 was not unex-pected; most immediately, it followed, and was partly inspired by, wars inAlgeria and India in the preceding decades. Yet, there might seem to becontradiction between the liberal character of the leaders of the cam-paign and their Taliban-likdemolitioof the palaces and gardenatYuanmingyuan. Ringmarhoweverdisputes thacontradiction exists.Liberalism in the mid-19th century championed free exchange. When theliberal
 free-market policies met with resistance, such as in China, violence,and sometimes barbarism, became natural course of action
North China Campaign of 1860 was not unex-pected; most immediately, it followed, and was partly inspired by, wars inAlgeria and India in the preceding decades. Yet, there might seem to becontradiction between the liberal character of the leaders of the cam-paign and their Taliban-likdemolitioof the palaces and gardenatYuanmingyuan. Ringmarhoweverdisputes thacontradiction exists.Liberalism in the mid-19th century championed free exchange. When theliberal
 free-market policies met with resistance, such as in China, violence,and sometimes barbarism, became natural course of action
"Britain and France's North China Campaign of 1860 was not unexpected; most immediately, it followed, and was partly inspired by, wars in Algeria and India in the preceding decades. Yet, there might seem to be a contradiction between the liberal character of the leaders of the campaign and their Taliban-like demolition of the palaces and gardens at Yuanmingyuan. Ringmar, however, disputes that a contradiction exists. Liberalism in the mid-19th century championed free exchange. When the liberal free-market policies met with resistance, such as in China, violence, and sometimes barbarism, became a natural course of action."

Liberal Barbarism: The European Destruction of the Palace of the Emperor of China