Opium Wars Research Paper

Also, citizens became addicted, and the drug eventually killed thousands of people. China’s actions angered Britain politicians even though opium was illegal in Britain as well. But was a result, war started between the two countries. In 1842, the treaty of Nanking ended the war. It was the first unequal treaty with Britain and it said that Chinese had to give up Hong Kong to Britain for ninty-nine years, the British would live in China by extraterritoriality at four ports, distribution of opium would continue and Christain missionaries will be set up throughout China. When China couldn’t meet the ridiculous requirements of the treaty, the second Opium War began in 1956. As a result, Britain won again by the Treaty of Tientsin. The treaty asked to open more ports to outer nations, let foreign leaders into the capital Beijing, and legalized the distribution and use of opium. Their situation was dangerously bad.

Opium came from opium poppy seeds, which were grown and sold under British ruling in India. The British East India Company developed a monopoly which took place in effectively growing opium and making profits and/or trading it with the Chinese in exchange for their premium good such as silk, porcelain, and tea. According to Memorials on the Legalization and Elimination of Opium by Xu Naiji and Yuan Yulin, they explained how the rise of opium prompted many debts and death around China. Opium became an addiction for many, from the poor to officials in government positions. Cutting off all access of trading opium would’ve started issues in the trading network, not just with Britain but with the Western countries as well. Instead of passing laws to completely ban opium, they reverted to only permitting the barbarian merchants to import opium to pay duty as a medication. This made it unacceptable for money to be involved with the product. According to Xu Naiji, smokers of opium were lazy, with no purpose in life and if they were caught smoking it, the only punishment was getting the opium confiscated. However, if any officer, scholar, or soldier were found smoking opium, the would be immediately dismissed from public employ. Yuan Yulin, a minister, believes that the expansion of opium is the government’s fault, being that they cannot decipher right from wrong; he thought it was unfair that prohibition of smoking opium only applied to the officers of the government, scholars, and military but not the common people. The British capitalized on the effects of opium, because many of China’s population were going to put forth their money, goods, etc. for

In 1729 China banned the distribution of opium. This ban was not heavily enforced. At this time Britain began growing opium as a cash crop. In 1773 Britain imported 1,000 chests of opium to China. The Chinese people became addicted. In 1832 Britain imported another 20,000 chests of opium to China. Then in 1836 China closed all main ports as an attempt to keep opium out of the country. Chinese officials then openly burned large amounts of confiscated opium. This sparked The First Opium War. This war lasted 4 years and ended with the Treaty of Nanjing which opened all of China’s ports and made Hong Kong a British colony. This was beneficial to Britain because they made money importing opium to China, as well as forcing China into a war that Britain knew that they could win and gain land from.

They had limited commerce with the West. China had foreign trade, but the western merchants had little privileges. Japan’s trade was even stricter, choosing to trade with the Dutch only, giving them one port. This situation, while advantageous to Japan and China, would not be acceptable for the West. In 1834, a man by the name of Lord Napier was sent by Britain to pressure China, and it is important to note that it was only China, to have a more open trade. The Chinese, scornful of the West, had rejected the request, causing animosity between the two nations to rise. The British’s response to this perceived insult was to begin to bring opium into the country illegally. The Chinese government, upset that a large number of its citizens were becoming dependent on the drug, had tried to fight back. This marked the beginning of the first of the Opium Wars, which had resulted in the defeat of the Chinese and the creation of a system of unequal treaties. The Treaty of Nanking was signed under heavy military loss and resulted in a much more unfavorable treaty for China. This marked the first ‘defeat’ for China and its beginnings as a country subservient to the

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

Opium was grown in northern India and was shipped to Chinese markets. The demand for Opium grew, but the Chinese government banned the trade because of its alarming traits. The British declined to stop the exchange. Then the Chinese quarantined trade routes and seized the opium, starting the Opium War. The Opium War lasted from 1839-1842. The Chinese couldn’t keep up with the British, who had plenty of warships that destroyed coastal and river forts. The two sides ended the war with the Treaty of Nanjing, which unlocked 5 Chinese ports to the British and limited taxes on British goods.

In the early 1700’s the Portuguese introduced a new form of smoke-able opium to China. The opium was mixed with tobacco and became a new commodity in China. Opium trade was originally dominated by the Dutch, but was soon taken over by the British due to British rule in India and the foundation of the East India Company. The British

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.

The Opium Wars were two conflicts between the Qing dynasty and the Western countries of China. The Qing dynasty ruled China from 1644 to 1912. The first Opium War was fought between China and Britain and the second Opium War was fought between China against Britain and France.

China has always had a long history of both creativity, religion, collective society, art, teas, and in the 1800’s, Opium. In our book, I read, “Opium addiction became an increasingly severe social problem in China” (Fiero, 281). “The result was a series of wars between Britain and China (the Opium Wars, 1839–1850) that brought China to its knees” (Fiero, 281). Honestly, I heard about the Opium Wars, back in High School, but since it had been so long, I wanted to find out more. I didn’t realize that Britain was forcing China to accept the import of opium. What I would like to know more is, where did this opium begin, what was it mainly used for, how did it lead to the Opium wars, and lastly, what was the result?

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

The Opium Wars were two wars between China and Britain that lasted from 1839 to 1860. They were essentially over trade rights. The wars were titled ‘The Opium Wars’ as the narcotic opium that was exported from Britain to China was a crucial part of the war. The Opium Wars not only exposed the weaknesses of the Qing Dynasty, but also politically and economically changed China. This report will cover the causes and effects that the Opium Wars had on China.

The British started selling the drug opium to the chinese and the chinese quickly had a downfall in their economy. Because of this the emperor banned all opium from china, despite being a user himself.

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

During the period that the opium trade was incorporated from China culture into the global market, the economies of India, China and Britain were connected to one another in a trading activity that was one of the utmost remarkable connections, having a meaningful role in the global market then. The opium trade started in the 17th century when the drug used to be shipped from Portuguese Goa on India in ships with Portuguese and British flags. The opium trade was held by a monopoly controlled by the Dutch Republic. The directors of the London Company criticized East India Company vessels in charge of picking up the opium, since the were incurring in losses, in addition to putting in jeopardy the legal forms of the famous Sino-British trade, since