How Did The Opium War Affect China

How Did The Opium War Affect China
China has 5000 years of history which experienced wars, collapses, failures and successes. The Opium War in the year 1839 and 1856 marked the
changing point of China's trade policy with foreigners, especially with British in opium and tea. China changed from getting tributes to being forced to
sign the Nanjing Treaty and Tianjing Treaty with British and French. Due toChina's over confidence and unwelcome attitude toward foreigners and
opium, it caused the British to declare the Opium War to China which made Chinese suffer for many years, but at the same time it also forced China to
open its doors to the foreigners.
Opium is dangerous, and it will ruin people's life once people get addicted to it. Smoking opium made most of the Chinese...show more content...
Fay states,
"This was the routine of the old China trade. These were the commodities traditionally brought to China and traditionally carried away. And at the
heart of the trade was tea. It came from no other place. India did not then produce any, nor Ceylon, Java, or Formosa; Japan was inaccessible; the
world perforce drank China teas. Above all, the English drank them" (17).
English needed the tea from China which was one reason caused British to negotiate with the Chinese to open more trade opportunity to the outsiders,
and the denial of exporting tea to the British caused the later Opium War.
Qianlong emperor's reaction to Macartney's mission angered the British as well. Qianlong emperor's over confidence was shown in the court when he
met the British ambassador Macartney. He required Macartney to wear Chinese clothes and practice Chinese kowtow. "But Macartney was not going
to obligate, or rather he would perform the three–times–three only if some mandarin also kowtowed before his own sovereign George III, a portrait of
whom he had thoughtfully included in his baggage" (32). Even though China had a great power during that time, Macartney did not considered himself
as who came from a weaker country. China did not think it needed products from foreign countries. "Chinese needed nothing and traded a little with
tribute–bearing barbarians only out of affectionate
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Opium War China Imperialism
The connotation of the word may give the meaning of power or someone who is powerful. But the definition based off an example gives a literal
definition; the act of a country to take over other nearby countries, to gain power and economic influence. An example of imperialism is the Opium
Wars (Britain and China). The Chinese and the British were in war because British wanted to dominate and have all the goods that came from China
like opium. This is why the example of the the Opium War will help understand the definition of what imperialism means in a real life situation. It all
started with looking for which surrounding territory was more beneficial for the British. Having leaders to lead them into the war. Lastly, by having
major events...show more content...
The Chinese sold many things that European markets were interested in. The British, observing the demand for opium in China, both for legitimate
reasons, and by addicts, grew and sold large amounts of opium, and sold it to intermediaries for silver that would eventually sell it on to the Chinese.
The balance of trade being upset, and the concern over the growing number of Chinese opium addicts, led the Chinese government to impound foreign
ships, destroy cargos, and arrest merchants. Basically suppressing the trade. The British did not like China's decisions. Therefore the British responded
violently, they had a couple of bloody battles, the British won numerous times , dominating Chinese armies. China tried fighting back but it made
things worse. Another major event that occurred in the Opium wars is the Treaty of Nanjing. This treaty is a big event because it gave Britain a lot of
advantages, like the Chinese giving full control of Hong Kong to Britain. Also giving Britain more ports where they could trade Opium, the last thing
that the British was given by the Chinese in accordance to the treaty was money. This basically showed that the British won thefirst Opium war, due to
all the privileges the British gained from the Chinese's peace

Opium War Essay
Before the Opium Wars, China's cohesive civilization was seen to be the "oldest in the world" for they had a number of governmental rules keeping
them in power. The united country was geographically isolated, had an immense population, and a single written language, allowing trade and
communication throughout China. Their unifying code, Confucianism, was a system of philosophical teachings, emphasizing the value of education
and morality. In Europe, the merchants seeked Chinese goods, such as tea, silk, and drugs. Since the West was restricted from gaining power and
superiority because they were trading silver, they decided to give it to India, a colony of Great Britain. Any silver that they gave to India would
recycle and become tax money. Instead of silver, Britain traded opium to China for goods,...show more content...
In 1842, at the conclusion of the Opium War, China was forced to accept a series of pacts from Great Britain called the Treaty of Nanjing. This treaty
opened five Chinese trading ports, urged the Qing government to give up their status as the most favored nation, and allotted extraterritoriality to the
British. China no longer had any power, and the West was not obligated to follow Chinese laws. Despite the Chinese laws regarding the sale of Opium,
England legalized opium trade in Britain and restricting the Chinese from taxing it (Opium Wars PPT). China continued to weaken just as much as their
judicial authority. By 1900, foreign powers had control of Chinese ports, and foreign merchants controlled the Chinese economy due to the unequal
treaties. Since Britain had taken much of the China's power, Christian missioners were able to find Chinese converts throughout the country (Traditions
& Encounters 736). Not only was Great Britain able to confine the Qing government, but they also overpowered China's military, leaving the Chinese
to fight with all their will to preserve their land and

Essay on Opium Wars in China
Opium Wars in China
The Opium Wars were a series of three wars between the Chinese and the British; primarily fought in regard to the illegal trade of opium in China
during the 19th century. They manifested the conflicting natures of both nations and demonstrated China's misconceptions of its own superiority. The
Opium Wars resulted in the humiliating defeat of the Chinese to a country they considered to be "barbarians".
There were many problems with the system of trade in China; even before opium trading began. China, believing herself to be the most civilized and
advanced country, did not feel the need to satisfy Britain, a "barbarian" country's request for freer trade and were concerned the British wanted land.
Britain however,...show more content...
This situation displeased the British, as there was a steady flow of silver leaving Britain.
British attempts for renewed trade conditions were not met favourably by the Emperor. Firstly, due to China's self–superiority it was assumed the
visiting diplomats were paying tribute. Further complications arose with British refusal to comply with Chinese customs e.g. performing the kowtow
before the Emperor. These actions caused misunderstandings and misinterpretations, which set the basis of British–Chinese relations and attitudes.
During the 18th century, the British began trading opium to the Chinese. They had finally found a commodity the Chinese were willing to buy. Opium
was an illicit drug with addictive properties. As demand on opium increased, the British traders made huge profits and the trade imbalance was
reversed. There was now a steady flow of silver leaving China. In 1796, the Ch'ing government banned the importation of opium. This did not stop the
British, who continued the trade illegally. As well, extensive corruption amongst Chinese officials allowed the opium trade to flourish.
In 1838, the Ch'ing government began to take the illegal opium trade more seriously as they noted the debilitating effect opium smoking was having on
its people. Commissioner Lin was appointed by the Emperor to stop the illegal importation of opium. Lin

The Opium Wars
The Opium Wars
The two Opium Wars, which took place from 1839–1860, were the starting point of modern Chinese history. To start off, the First Opium War was a
major turning point for modern chinese history. Secondly, during the wars many treaties were signed to try and create peace. Finally, without these
events, China would not be the major world power that it is today. Therefore, theOpium Wars were the most important part of modern world history
because they changed and created the foundation of China. There are many reasons why the first Opium Warwas significant, but one of the main
points is that it was the beginning of modern Chinese history. To start off, before the first war even took place, the Qing government was shut off
from the world. Their economy was poor and it wasn't improving. During this time period, Britain didn't have enough silver to trade for Chinese tea.
To solve this problem, they began to illegally ship opium, a substance used for pain relief, to China for silver. As this went on, the Qing government
decided that they weren't going to allow opium to poison their people. Wanting to solve this problem, the Tao–Kuang emperor ordered his governor
general, Lin Tse–hsu, to get rid of the opium trade. Following orders, Lin Tse–hsu "destroyed 19,187 boxes and 2119 bags of opium in three days"
(Huang). This event was known as the "Destruction of opium at Humen". With this act of destruction the British became very angered, giving them the
excuse to start

The Impact Of The Opium War
The Opium War was a war between the United Kingdom and Imperial China. Smoking opium for the stimulating impacts is not noted in China until the
eighteenth century, but rather likely started at some point before. The Chinese Imperial Government in the mid eighteenth century turned out to be
progressively concerned with the spreading dependence on opium and its crippling impact. The Imperial Government disallowed the offer of opium
blended with tobacco and banned opium–smoking houses (1729). The Government classed offering opium for smoking "was classed with burglary and
affectation to kill, and rebuffed with expulsion or passing." The Government found, be that as it may, extremely hard to stop the exchange, particularly
as the British consistently...show more content...
Prior to the Opium wars China had begun to build up a urban business economy, however once the wars started, China was presented rashly to western
commercial enterprises. China couldn't contend and got to be subject to remote products and exchange. While the wars did give China a urban business
sector economy, they likewise about devastated the economy as of now set up. After the wars China understood that the nation couldn't keep on being
so independent. Scholarly people understood that they must attempt to comprehend western society, particularly if they somehow managed to beat the
West. Lin Zexu, Xu Ji–yu, and Wei Yuan read deciphered material from the West and distributed books on western nations and society. They found out
about western political thoughts, social structures, and economies. Surprisingly, China set up an outside service. They attempted to modernize China's
armed force and set up processing plants. Then again, the greater part of the business undertakings were keep running by medieval administrators, who
did not completely comprehend private enterprise and the business economy. They attempted to hoard the business sector, which gagged private part
commercial enterprises. The majority of these undertakings went bankrupt, however regardless of the fact that the organization fizzled the civil
servants got to be

Opium War In China
However, there are some scholars arguing that the Opium War actually had nothing to do with the opium. In their views, opium is merely an external
excuse and the war was inevitably to happen even if British sold other commodities to China. I have to admit that even without opium, there would also
be great tensions between Britain and China because of their irreconcilable cultural conflicts in considering trade and commerce. However, great
tensions did not mean that the war was inevitable and opium, the last straw that breaks the camel's back, was the necessary catalyst to trigger this war.
First, scholar who thought the war was unrelated to the opium failed to recognized the harms of opium–smoking: first and most well–known,
opium–smoking could seriously jeopardize the health of human body; second, the opium–smoking could increase the crimes and damaged stability of
the society; third and most important, opium–smoking deprived a man's ability to work....show more content...
Second, those scholars failed to considered the economic factor of opium trade that played a core role in my argument. China suffered great loss
when its people "paid a high price for a commodity which not only provided no utility, but brought enormous damage to health, morality, efficiency,
harmony and law and order" (Chung 171). The opium impoverished Chinese people, heightened their suffering, degenerated Chinese society and made
China extremely vulnerable before British imperialism and later Japanese imperialism. Considering all of the factors above, it is no longer reasonable
to say the war was irrelevant to opium and ignore all opium's crimes and sins that eventually compelled Chinese government to declare war against

The History Of The Opium Wars
The Opium wars were a loathsome time for the Chinese individuals in their history. occurring generally in the years 1839 – 42 and 1856 – 60, China
experienced radical changes that left numerous dead however considered modernization and passageway into the worldwide exchange market. Opium
was principally utilized for therapeutic purposes, yet later turned out to be excessively addictive and was banned. The utilization of opium, after the
boycott, was particularly regular close to the port city of Canton, where outside traders snuck expansive amounts of the medication into China. After
some time passed by, with the exchange of opium conveyed to a stop, three smashed mariners killed a Chinese villager. Lin Zexu, a representative and
very much

The Causes Of The Opium War
Opium Wars The Opium Wars lasted from 1839–1860 and had a major effect on world affairs. The dispute between Britain and China escalated
throughout the years. In the mid 19th centuries, the first Opium War was fought between the forces of Britain and the Qing Dynasty. The first war
began because of what China and Britain did to each other to cause this war. The Chinese officials had shut down the drug trafficking to China
because it was becoming very addictive to the Chinese population. There was a drug known as opium which was very addictive and grew in india.
Britain got the opium from india because . They were giving it to China because they wanted silver for opium in exchange they were getting sliver.
Today the drug known as opium back then it was know as heroin. However recreational use was illegal and not widespread. Britain just did not stop
and it was becoming bad for the chinese and they got really mad. Britain began shipping ton of drug without getting in trouble using the loopholes and
out right smuggling to get around the ban. It destroyed imperial China. China even arrested 1700 dealers and were surprised of how many drug addict
there were. British attack one of their merchants boat When the british were trading illegal substance. china they had to destroy more than 1400 tons of
drugs that were warehoused at canton by British merchants. At this point china was getting very upset and something happen were a drunk british man
killed a chinese person and

Essay On The Opium War
The first opium war which began in 1839 is a story of how China a rich, prosperous and stable power, """ albiet a closed, confucian society" ruled by
the Emperor Daoguang (r. 1820 to 1850) turned into a weakened and compromised state brought about by the exploitation and humiliation by the
British and other Western powers throughout the 19th century. The war stemmed from an extremely strained Sino–British relation through the early
1800s, the inherent cultural differences between the Chinese and the West especially Britain as well as their extremely contrasting views on trade in
general and specifically opium. I will be exploring how the opium war stemmed from an extremely strained Sino–British relation through the early
1800s, the inherent cultural differences between the Chinese and the West especially Britain as well as their extremely...show more content...
The chinese interpretation is that the Chinese who till the end of the 18th century were the most powerful and richest civilization in the world who
became bullied by British warships and opium turning into a compromised empire that became overrun by Western colonizers over the next century
(Lovell 184). They have believed the British were getting rich by the trade and when the Emperor put a stop to it the British started a war to protect
their interests. (letter from Commissioner Zexu to Queen Victoria). Whereas, Western historians have tried to downplay opium as the cause for the
anglo–chinese wars and portrayed economic and cultural differences between the two societies as the cause of the war. I believe both were extremely
important and that the opium trade was a catalyst for the eventual but the cultural differences and different opinions on trade, commerce, international
policy and other important aspects was the cause of the war as these differences meant China and Britain were always on a path for conflict and opium
only sped up the

opium war Essay
The Opium War was a war fought by two countries Great Britain and china in 1839. The war was fought over the drug opium which was used by the
Chinese for hundreds of year to relieve pain. opium is a habit forming narcotic made from the poppy plant. In the late 1700's the British was smuggling
the drug into China for non–medical use. The navies of the two countries mostly fought the battles of the opium war at sea. Within three years the
Chinese's old ships were simply no matches for the brand new British ships. In 1843 the Chinese and the British signed the treaty of Nanjing. This
treaty gave the British the island of Hong Kong. In 1844 the United States of America and other countries gained extraterritorial rights. Which this
...show more content...
One of these positive results that occurred after the Opium war is the Spheres of Influence, which was a region in which the foreign nations controlled
trade and investment. The United States was afraid that the spheres of influence would eventually grow larger and the foreign nations would take
China over and shut America out. In 1899 the United States proposed the Open Door Policy which declared that all merchants of all nations where
allowed to trade with china. Although this policy sounded great for all nations China did not agree with the distribution of its country to every
European nation.
As there are positive results of the Opium War there are equally if not more negative results. One negative result of the opium war was the Boxer
Rebellion. This campaign was against Dowager Empress's rule and foreigners. In 1900 the boxers went into Beijing killing all whom where European.
The Empress supported the boxers but did not back up her word when the boxers needed military aid. In late 1900 20,000 troops marched into Beijing.
Soldiers' form Great Britain, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Russia, Japan and the United States Quickly defeated the boxers. As seen many people
lost their lives because of the opium war.
AS seen there is many positive and negative aspects of the Opium War. Some of the positive results of the war have brought goods that we might not
have gotten if the war did not occur. The Boxer

Opium War
Opium War
There were two Opium Wars. The first one was from 1839–1842. This war was fought between China and Britain. This war was fought over the two
not seeing eye to eye on a lot of things. The second Opium War was from 1856–1860. In this war the British forces fought toward the legalization of
the Opium trade. The reason they did this was to be able to expand coolie trace, to be able to open all of China to British merchants, and also to be able
to expand foreign imports from internat transit duties. This was when France then joined the British. In this essay we are going to cover both of the
Opium Wars.
The expansion of European imperialism in Asia was all economic. In the British market there was a high demand for Chinese tea, also...show more
content...
It is always a good idea to learn about all of the wars that there have been in history so that we can try and make sure that we do not repeat the same
thing all over again. Reference
Asia for Educators. (n.d.). Excerpts from the treaty of Nanjing, August 1842. Retrieved from http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/ps/china/nanjing.pdf
Getz, T.R., & Brooke, J.E. (2012). World history: The human experience from 1500. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education.
He, T. British Imperialism in China, A legacy of Commerce, Addiction, and Gunboat diplomacy. Retrieved from http://blogs.bu.edu/guidedhistory
/moderneurope/tao–he
MIT Visualizing Cultures. (2011). Thefirst opium war: The Anglo–Chinese War of 1839–1842. Retrieved from

Opium War Research Paper
The Opium War was a series of conflicts that occurred between China and the Western World in the mid
–1800s. There were two Opium Wars, the first
one between Britain and China, and the second one between Britain and France. The first Opium War, the one between Britain and China, occurred
from 1839–1842, while the second Opium War, which was between Britain and France, occurred from 1856–1860. The Opium Wars was the major start
of the end of ancient China, with the start of "unequal treaties" and the destruction of China's dynasties. Britain had been exporting opium, illegally,
into China for quite some time, since the 18th century. Around 1820, the export of Opium had dramatically increased. Many Chinese were addicted to
opium, creating many

Opium Essay
Opium Opium– an addictive drug originally used as a painkiller. It is obtained from the unripe seeds of the opium poppy and can be made into
substances that a person can smoke causing relaxation, alleviated anxiety, and a state of euphoria. Continued use of the drug also induces deterioration
to the mind and body of a person eventually causing death. The substance was therefore stated illegal in China during the late 18th Century yet
consistently smuggled into the country via British merchant ships. As the Chinese placed more restrictions on trade in an effort to abolish the
importation of opium, the battle against the drug raged on until war was unavoidable between England and China. It is this war that lasted from
1839–1842...show more content...
It was such threats that prompted Palmerston of England to dispatch a warship to China to protect British property in 1837. Despite this, China
still raged on against the narcotic and in March of 1839 convinced the head of the British trade commission at Canton, Captain Charles Elliot, to
hand over more than 20,000 chests of opium. However, after the killing of a Chinese by drunken seamen and the lack of punishment put forth on
them by the British, Lin suppressed all trade with England and proceeded with other measures as well. Lin ordered that delivery of all rice, tea,
meat and fresh vegetables to the anchored ships at Macao to be intercepted and cut off. Freshwater springs that were known to be used by the British
at various points along the coast were poisoned. Large banners were posted to warn Chinese villagers not to drink from the streams. Lin then
pressured the Portuguese authorities at Macao to evict the British from their harbor, under penalty of severe trade restrictions. These drastic measures
forced all of the British ships to retreat from Macao to Hong Kong by the middle of August. However, such trade limitations would not go well with
England and a severe response was in order. On August 31, Commissioner Lin learned that the merchant ships anchored off Hong Kong had been
joined by a twenty–eight gun British frigate. Although this news was not good, Lin, who had the use of a fleet of Chinese war

Opium Wars Research Paper
The Opium Wars was two battles that was in–between China and countries like Great Britain and France. the first battle was against Britain
(1839–1842) and the second against France (1856–1858). The wars ended in a loss to the Chinese people. The wars took place because the Chinese
started to stop receiving all exports of opium from Britain due to the addiction that followed using the drug, which made the trade between them and
Britain all messed up. Britain, of course, was unhappy with the sudden change in their trade with the Chinese people, and tension increased between
the two countries for a short period of time. Not long after the trade of opium was shut down, hostility reached an all–time high and Britain sent troops
that quickly defeated

Opium Wars
Opium Wars and They Changed China In the early eighteen hundreds, Britain and other European countries demanded more and more Chinese
commodities, especially tea and silk. However, only the port in Canton was opened to foreign countries, and Chinese would not take any other form of
payments besides silver. The desire to make China into a free market that foreigners have more access to and the increasing, though illegal, European
opium import to China eventually created tension between the European countries, especially Britain, and the Chinese government (Allingham Par.
1–2). The two battles fought and won by European powers were known as the Opium Wars. China's politics, economy, and intellects were both
positively and negatively...show more content...
The combination of increasing unemployment rate and food price created severe poverty across the nation (Goldfinger par. 1–3). The currencies in
China, too, went through a lot of changes to accommodate the increasing trade. At first, the silver Spanish dollars became rare and increased in value
so much that it was outlawed as a usable currency. However, at the same time, the Chinese copper currency were also being used less due to the fact
that the metal was becoming rare and the administration of the currency was extremely poor. The Mexican dollar was introduced but the problem was
not solved until paper money were used in 1853 (Goldfinger par. 2). To make the economy worse, during theFirst Opium War, China had to pay six
million silver dollars to ransom Canton, and an additional nine million dollars were paid to foreigner traders for their loss. Later, twelve million taels
of silver were paid to Britain and France under the treaties negotiated after the Second Opium War. All of those factors weakened the Chinese economy
in the 1800s (Allingham par.5–9). However, the Opium Wars' impact is everlasting, for "the Chinese have embarked on a long and arduous struggle to
expunge the humiliations which they suffered during and since the Opium War...Foreign industrialists may continue to dream of the supposedly
unlimited China market, but the Chinese...are determined to keep the 'open door' sufficiently ajar to import vital technologies, while keeping all
unwanted

Opium Wars British Imperialism
The Opium Wars –– two conflicts between the British and the Qing Dynasty that took place nearly two decades apart. Although, the main goal of the
conflicts remained consistent; British desire for extraterritorial power through the trading of a restricted drug, and the Chinese Empire's refusal to allow
the British this power. The modern history of China commences with The Opium War, in which China is often portrayed as a victim of western
imperialism in Eastern Asia. This interpretation of Chinese history is more similar to that of contemporary Chinese politics than the reality of the
conflict. The opposing side of the this argument states that British imperialism was beneficial in opening up an enclosed xenophobic country. Similarly
to the

Was The Opium War Justified?
In a way I feel that the opium war was justified. I think that it was justified for the Chinese to strike back and go against the British to put an end to the
opium being smuggled and used. I wouldn't exactly say that back then, the Chinese were weak or ineffective, but that the British just had more
influence and

How Did The Opium War Affect China

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