Opium Wars

existence. Chinese culture was based off of Confucian theory at the time. This directly influenced the events leading up to the First Opium War. Once western traders arrived in China for the first time, foreign ideas infiltrated China and began to change the ways of life. The arrivals of westerners was essential to the tensions that rose leading to the First Opium War. The Chinese thought of the world as a square and heaven as a circle. They also believed that the Chinese nation was situated…

1. The Opium Wars contributed to the creation of Imperialism greatly. Right before the first war, Chinese leaders were trying to purge themselves of the drug making Europeans upset. They believed they had the right to trade with whomever they wanted which led to fighting. British beat the Chinese and with the Treaty of Nanking got trading privileges, and access to five cities and Hong Kong, controlling trade. After the second war, other countries thought they should have the same rights and…

went into isolation and began to separate itself completely until Great Britain had shown its Industrial Superiority in the 1800s. Another thing that sparked in the 1800 was the Opium war which severely affected Chinese and British relation. British abuse of China’s economic system and constant refusal to stop, sparked this war to start. The British thought of racial superiority was a constant throughout this time which made relationship between the two extremely fragile, and their need of the…

addictive nature. However, the ban was not effective as they continued importing opium and using this drug. Following several unsuccessful edicts to ban the imports 1839, he ordered for Canton to be completely closed to ships importing opium since it was the only port open for foreign trade. Even with this, the British captains found a way to smuggle chests of opium into China, with help from eager local pirates. By 1838, Opium was so widespread that nine out of ten of the citizens in Canton…

Once opium addiction was becoming a widespread social problem throughout all of China, Lin Tse-Hsu wrote a letter to the British Queen to put an end to this trade. However, she never received the letter. Lin Tse-Hsu then went to Canton to attempt at negotiating with the English merchants to end the importation of opium into China. However, they weren’t cooperative, so he destroyed all of their opium, which was followed by immediate military action. This is when the first Opium war starts. But…

The Opium War starts with the conflict between British and China, and ends with an unfair treaty and began the ‘century of Humiliation’. Before the 1800s, China, after its development through many centuries, revealed almost no difference with British and other European countries in many aspects such as agriculture, revenue & consumption, handicraft manufacturing and so on. It becomes diverse after British’s great technical improvements whereas China continued to stay in same situation over time.…

technology. However, such relationships between colonists and the indigenous populace did not always yield positive results. The ancient Chinese became addicted to opium marketed by the British, spurring conflicts such as the First Opium War; Indians were treated as second-class citizens, yet were obligated to fight for the British Empire in World War II; and Native Americans who came into contact with American settlers often contracted diseases…

of the First Opium War (1840–42), Western photographers visited China for the first time, accompanying Western military personnel, missionaries, and consular officials. The earliest recorded photographic activity in China by Western photographers was in July 1842, only three years after the invention of the medium. Dr. Richard Woosnam (1815–1888) and Major George Alexander Malcolm (1810–1888) made daguerreotypes at Yangtze (Yangzi) River during the final stages of the First Opium War. In…

commodities such as silver, tea and opium were bartered between the countries. During this trade, the British, used India as an instrument to produce opium. The British then intended to sell the opium to China in return for tea and silver that was exported to Britain. The triangular trade between Britain, China, and India was therefore responsible for the formation of the British trade monopoly on China. The Chinese government was struggling to ban opium smoking recreationally and by…

linked by one key ingredient: opium. Opium is involved in the production of narcotics ranging from prescription medicine to illegal drugs. It has had an impact on many different points in history and on today’s world. From its impact in history and on the modern world to its legal and illegal production and uses, opium has the potential to be a very harmful drug. Opium is produced from the poppy plant species “Papaver somniferum” (“Opium Poppy”), also known as the opium poppy. To harvest…