Britain, france, japan, russia, portugal, and germany in roughly that order. The opium war was one of the most important points of inflexion in the history of china. They were also about opening china to european and american trade and colonizations. The opium war and the end of chinas last golden age platt, stephen r. Early in the 19th century, british merchants began secretly taking opium into china. One particularly important document which led to the opium war and, ultimately, this conference and site was drafted over 150 years ago. Chinese officials clamped down on the banned opium trade, and threatened the death penalty to.
Opium wars simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. What was the reason behind the opium wars and what. Chinese paid british war losses reparations 1842 treaty of nanjing. The huge consumption of tea by its citizens put the british state deep in the red. Thousands of miles away in the london, parliament debated whether they should go to war over the opium trade or back down from the conflict. Even in british protectorates or garrisons across the world there was always a british upper. China the first opium war and its aftermath britannica. Barbarians in the celestial empire in the early part of the nineteenth century and the war by which they forced her gates. It explores how chinas national myths mold its interactions with the outside world, how public memory is spun to serve the present. The opium manufacture, and the trade inseparable from it, have received the highest sanction bestowable in one country, on an article proscribed in another. Regular trade between europe and the chinese had been ongoing for centuries. Chinese manufactured porcelain and silk were in high demand throughout the united kingdom. The second was from 1856 to 1860 and involved france as well the wars were about many other things than opium. Why did defeat in the opium war not lead ching china to a more realistic appreciation of western might and chinese weakness.
It uses a wealth of chinese and british sources to tell, in her words, a tragicomedy that is far more chaotically. The treaty of nanking nanjing was a peace treaty which ended the first opium war. Modern china and the legacy of the opium wars rear vision. Chinese history after the opium war including the death of consort zhen duration. The opium war was a war fought by two countries great britain and china in 1839. The chinese emperor appointed an official, lin zexu, to stop it.
In october 1839, britain entered the first opium war with china. The first opium war 183942 was fought between china and britain, and the second opium war 185660, also known as the arrow war or the anglofrench war in china, was fought by britain and france against china. Between 1839 and 1860 britain waged a series of wars against the qing empire of china. Before this war, china was an autonomous feudal state that administrates the state without interventions of other states. In february 1840 the british government decided to launch a military expedition, and elliot and his cousin, george later sir george elliot, were appointed joint plenipotentiaries to china though the latter, in poor health, resigned in november. The first opium war was fought between 1839 and 1842, and the second. Commissioner lins letter of advice to queen victoria, decrying the evils of britains opium trade with china, and demanding its termination. The second opium war 1856 1860 found france joining forces with britain against china, amongst a few other notable countries. The british repulse the chinese advance in the city. Drugs, dreams and the making of china lovell, julia on. Opium entered china during the middle ages when arab traders brought it into china for medicinal purposes. As far as i can tell neither chinese or british of the time saw it as anything special. Download or read the opium war 2011 in pdf, epub formats. The first was between great britain and china and lasted from 1839 until 1842.
The first opium war 183942 was fought between china and britain, and the second opium war 185660, also known as. The second opium war was also known as the arrow war or anglofrench war in china. According to the opium war through chinese eyes by the arthur waley estate, someone suggested that firecrackers should be tied to the backs of a number of monkeys, who would then be flung on board the english ships. The flames would spread rapidly in every direction and might with luck reach the. Witchcraft narratives in germany authority and society in nantes during the french wars of religion, 15581598 equal subjects, unequal rights. In the second opium war, from 1856 to 1860, a weakened china fought both great britain and france. The opium war article about the opium war by the free. The first opium war was fought between china and great britain from 1839 to 1942.
The british thought they had a treaty which would open up china for trade while the chinese. Opium was illegal in china, but that didnt stop the east india company from manufacturing it for the black market. The opium wars were ignited over trade balances, but burned effulgent over imperial power. Brian cox learns the origins and history of the war on opium. Conventional textbooks even date the beginning of modern chinese history from the end of the first opium war in 1842. Although the wars, opium trade, and treaties did reflect superior western military force, focusing only on western impositions on china gives us too narrow a picture of this period. The opium wars 12 banned version with extended jingoist ending duration. The first opium war of 18391842 was fundamentally a trade dispute. Download read the opium war 2011 by julia lovell in. This article will tackle the causes and effects of the opium wars between china and britain.
Though a bit detached from the opium war, william gladstone remained a major contributor to the imperial project during the 1830s and 1840s, along with palmerstone as politician, edward gibbon wakefield as theorist, not to mention jeremy bentham and j. The first opium war 183942 was fought between china and britain. Download now the opium war of 183943, the first military conflict to take place between china and the west, is a subject of enduring interest. In 1839, china cracked down on the illegal opium trade at canton now guangzhou, which was dominated by private british merchants who. In this descriptive essay the movement for china to prohibit opium and the formation and the devolution of the first opium war from 1839 till 1842 and its aftermaths for china will be shown. In this tragic and powerful story, the two opium wars of 1839 1842 and 1856 1860 between britain and china are recounted for the first time through the eyes of the chinese as well as the imperial west. The opium war lost in compensation l history of china. The illegal opium trade was a mere incident to the dispute. Creating the opium war manchester university press. The path that took china towards these wars ultimately became the catalyst towards the beginning of the unequal treaties of asia. The history of the two opium wars between britain and china.
Its brutality notwithstanding, the conflict was also threaded with tragicomedy. Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app. In the second opium war 185660fought between a britishfrench alliance and chinathe chinese government was forced to legalize the trade, though it did levy a small import tax on opium. Treaty of nanking first of the series of unequal treaties the treaty offered only compensation from china to britain and nothing in return the conditions were. Over onefourth of the american people are severely wounded or dead in a war the country has not yet mobilized to fight. The winner of the 1997 golden rooster and 1998 hundred flowers awards for best picture, the film was screened in several international film festivals, notably cannes and montreal. In the opium war, author brian inglis details the origin of this illicit trade, and how the british east india company was able to spin the story back in englands parliament through successive parties in power.
The opium trade in asia can be described in terms of two major shifts in the position of narcotic drugs in international. All the questions on this quiz are based on information that can be found on the page at ancient china opium wars. The opium wars in the mid19th century were a critical juncture in modern chinese history. Julia lovells new history of the opium war is a welcome piece of mythbusting. And this episode of history provides some serious lessons for america in these dark times of trade dysfunction and drug legalization. Mao haijian, one of the most distinguished and wellknown historians working in china, presents the culmination of more than ten years of research in a revisionist reading of the conflict and its.
James polacheks revisionist analysis exposes the behindthescenes political struggles that not only shaped foreignpolicy decisions in the 1830s and 1840s but have continued to affect the history of chinese nationalism in modern times. The first opium war 1839 1842 pitted china against the british empire. Hms volage and hms hyacinth confront chinese war junks at chuenpee, 3 november 1839. The war was fought over the drug opium which was used by the chinese for hundreds of year to relieve pain. In the late 1700s the british was smuggling the drug into china for nonmedical use. The second opium war also known as the second anglochinese war, the second china war. As a result of the war, britain won trade rights, access to five treaty ports, and hong kong. The opium wars, opium legalization and opium consumption.
The opium wars were two wars which were waged between the great qing and the british. The opium war started as a dispute over trading rights between china and great britain. The opium war is both the story of chinas first conflict with the west and an analysis of the countrys contemporary selfimage. Opium wars, two mid19thcentury armed conflicts between china and western countries. The next chapters dive deeper into detail and argue the in. The opium wars 183942 and 185660 were two wars between china and western countries. The opium wars were two wars between china and western countries during the qing dynasty. Pdf german involvement in xiamen after the first opium war. The opium war started with britains addiction to tea and chinas rigid attitude towards trade they wouldnt accept anything but silver in exchange for the popular leaves. Over 48 million americans, mostly between theages of 12 and 25 are officially known by the drug enforcement administration to be frequent users of heroin, cocaine, and marijuana. The first opium war was fought from march 18, 1839, to august 29, 1842, and was also known as the first anglochinese war. The first opium war arose from qing emperor daoguang min sus decision to put an end to the opium trade, a hugely profitable commerce through which the british sought to recapture the silver they spent on chinese goods by smuggling in the drug from india and encouraging widespread addiction among the. China prohibited the consumption and importation of opium during the early part of the century, but after the second opium war china yielded to british pressure and legalized opium.
For webquest or practice, print a copy of this quiz at ancient china opium wars webquest print page. The first war, between britain and china 183942, did not legalize the trade, but it did halt chinese efforts to stop it. The british wage two wars on china to have better access to chinese markets, especially to sell opium grown in british india. The first opium war had begun, started by a british superintendent of trades support for the illegal opium trade. Barbarians in the celestial empire in the early part of the nineteenth century and the war by which they forced her gates fay, peter ward on. The opium war amuchhyped, longplanned project with a clear political message, the opium war is a consistently eyepleasing historical costumer thats a superior example of its type without. First opium war the righteous minister extra history. The image to the left is a fragment of that treaty. Today many prominent historians downplay the role of science in the rise of the west, and the topic has aroused considerable discussion.
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