The First Opium War or the Anglo-Chinese War fought in 1839 to 1842 between Britain and China was the product of a century long imbalance between the two country’s trades and had long lasting impacts on China. Britain was a nation addicted to tea, a delicacy that could only be grown in China and the silver they spent on it began to drain the treasury. The counterattack for Britain was opium. The ill effects of the drug soon became apparent, as addiction problems worsened; officials in both China
Gregorio Lopez Mr. Locks British Lit 4/7/14 The First Opium War and its aftermath on Chinese To the normal Chinese man during the early 19th century, opium was nothing more than a luxury that only those of higher power or influence could indulge themselves in. Yet by the middle of the 19th century opium had become a commodity that everyone could have and that at the same time they seemed to need. Even though it was now such a big part of the normal chinese culture, it did not benefit the people nor
The Impact of the Opium War on China The Chinese were constantly taken advantage of from the early 1800’s to the 1900’s, mainly due to the lack of stability within the nation. On top of this, China was economically, socially, and politically behind, making them extremely vulnerable. The instability led to countries forcing China to make unfair deals, as well as sign unfair treaties. The Chinese were struggling to hold their country together, and with other countries taking advantage of China’s weakness
The First Opium War between the British and China were fought over the countries conflicts in trade and dissimilar perspectives in diplomatic relations. One of the greatest factors of the war was opium, which had caused great instability of the socioeconomic status of China preceding the war and China’s actions in ending the opium import from the British was known to have sparked the war. China has been greatly criticized for provoking this Anglo Chinese War, against the British Empire, one of the
The Opium Wars and Modernization of China Because of economical, social, and political effects still seen today, the Opium Wars were successful in the westernization of China. They successfully opened trading with others and forced the country to be exposed fully to the countries of the west. In the late 18th century, Great Britain was making a huge profit off of trading the drug opium with Chinese silver. Opium was banned in Britain, but was eventually traded by loopholes and smuggling. In China
In 1839, Lin Zexu wrote The letter to Queen Victoria, in attempt to stop the evolving addiction to opium in China. The letter expressed China's desire for a peaceful resolution to the opium trade. He the limited and quite incorrect knowledge he had on the issue in hopes to gain sympathic understanding. Lin used Confucian teachings, historical events, plus forceful reasoning on moral grounds in order to persuade the English monarch that he would not ask of them anything he would not be comfortable
Workers and the First Transcontinental Railroad According to Benjamin Franklin, “No man e’er was glorious, who was not laborious.” A hard working character or a dedicated spirit is always a respectful value that humanity should strive for. However, there are some outstanding constructions that were accomplished with more intensity and dedication than others, such as the Great Wall of China, the Egyptian Pyramid, and the Arc de Triomphe of Paris. On May 10, 1869, the completion of the First Continental
At the end of the Opium War, China was left defeated. While the loss severely undermined the Qing Dynasty's power, little did they know that their loss would have serious repercussions. The emperor signed a treaty with the British that would later be known as one of the “Unequal Treaties” made in China during this period. The treaty in question was named the treaty of Nanjing (also known as the treaty of Nanking). This treaty would have lasting effects even into recent history. In the 17th century
is the human body of this metaphor, as Cocteau points out the destruction and chaos opium can cause in the body of man; it does the same to the well-being of China during the early to mid eighteen-hundreds. The aim of this paper is to discuss a key issue in which plagued China in their opposition to opium trade leading up to and during the Opium War. While there are many important issues related to China’s opium problem, the scope of this paper will be strategic errors. It is important to note
the year 1600 in the subcontinent. The main reason for entering the subcontinent was trade, making money and importing spices from South Asia. It was the Portuguese who used all their skills and their navigational technology to enter this great area first, and start trade in the most profitable manner they could. East India Company entered as an early and old-fashioned venture, and conducted a separate business with their private stockholders. Their approach and their trade lasted for many years until
to be sworn in as the first president of the provisional government of China's new Republic. Crippling defeat during the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95 It was ignorant on China's part to assume that Europe wouldn't try to colonize their country. Had China not shut out the Western world they would have been able to keep advancing their army's equipment. As a result they might have been able to fight off the British and the French during the Opium Wars. The Russian's would have
After a long period of isolationism, China and Japan were pressured to open trade and have foreign relations with the West in the nineteenth century. During the late 1800’s the Industrial Revolution created a huge gap between the Western and Eastern powers, which left China and Japan in a military and technological disadvantage (Fruhstuck, Lecture). Initially, China and Japan closed their doors to the West because they were both self sustaining nations, did not like foreign influences, and believed
Chester Springs, Quoted in Edgar Holt, The Opium Wars in China: 102 John Darwin, After Tamerlane: The Global History of Empire: 431 Moon-Ho Jung. "Seditious Subjects: Race, State Violence, and the U.S. Empire." Journal of Asian American Studies 14, no. 2 (2011): 221-247 Bachman David. Bureaucracy, economy, and leadership in China : the institutional origins of the great leap forward: 97 Kroeber and Kluckholn, Culture, pp. 25 and 29. Chris Tudda, A Cold War Turning point: Nixon and China, Political
Western imperialism in East Asia caused many tribulations for China, Japan, and Korea but also helped them to become contemporary nations. The East Asian countries were tremendously affected by unequal treaties, extraterritoriality, and above all, technology. Great Britain encroached upon China their greed for open trade with the Chinese empire resulting in the deterioration of the Chinese culture, which led to the emergence of a modernized civilization. Japan was co-subjugated by Russia and the
Throughout the course of the first half of the semester we have taken a broad scope of the major aspects of the phenomena that has been the recent history of China. When studying Modern China a common thread of ethical, cultural, religious, political, social, and economic aspects can be analyzed in relationship to Confucianism and its affect on international relations. These aspects show that historically (particularly the nineteenth century) China initially resisted the acceptance of Western influence
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
The Opium War took place from 1839 to 1842 between China and Britain. Several factors contributed to the start of the war, including conflicts over trading policies and other diplomatic relations related issues. No doubt that there are disagreements up until today about what is the proper interpretation of this significant war, just as there are for other historical events worldwide. One of the major controversy lay on the issue of whether China, during the Qing dynasty, was responsible or not for
Opium was primarily used for medicinal purposes, but later became too addictive and was banned. The usage of opium was very large. Greater availability of Opium stimulated bigger international trade between China and British India. China had a lot of things to offer to the western civilizations such as: silk, tea, porculan, and others. The first Opium War occurred in the year 1840. The Chinese government was made aware of the dangers of opium smoking among the Chinese people and banned it in 1839
the Oxford Dictionary, Opium is a “reddish-brown heavy-scented addictive drug prepared from the juice of the opium poppy, used as a narcotic and in medicine as an analgesic”. In China, Opium was first intended for medical use and later, during the 19th century it became a symbol of problems that hit on China. China’s high consumption of Opium brought social calamity for the country and in the other hand, it contributed to the economic prosperity Britain was going through. Opium also created tension
Opium is a drug that has been used for medicinal purposes since the Neolithic Age, nearly four thousand years ago (Cowell). Today, some of the components of opium are used in heroin, a more powerful drug than opium that calms the body but harms later on. As seen in The Good Earth, opium is dangerous, as it killed Wang Lung’s uncle quickly and effectively, even though the uncle enjoyed the opium very much. Opium is still used as a painkiller, but if consumed in excess, it will eventually kill. History