Opium Wars Effects

The effects of the opium wars were not only immediate, but had a lasting effect on the world. As China did not have a circulating currency, they used silver which they got from Central America. Western nations begin to undergo an outflow of silver into China. In order to balance this flow of silver, they bring in opium into China as well. Britain saw this as an opportunity and used opium to trade and continued to push for this trade of opium. China wanted to ban the importing of opium, which in turn led to the Opium Wars. This war did not go well for the Chinese, as they were defeated by the British armies and as a result forced to open up many port cities to continue the trade of opium. This trade in opium seems to fit quite well into the changing world. As many political and industrial revolutions were taking place during this time period, many European countries were gaining ground and make great advancements. Textile industries and transportation were booming, and nationalism brought countries together. As we learned, China did not undergo revolutions such as these—making them weak and susceptible to attacks and upheaval. Since there was no industrial revolution in China at this time, their resources …show more content…
Since trade was so rapid, a shortage of silver resulted and they had to introduce the Mexican dollar. However this caused China’s copper currency to depreciate so much that their financial system fell apart. As many other ports were opened on China’s coast, people lost their jobs because products could be made cheaper elsewhere and imported into China. When peopled lost their jobs, the quality of life decreased severely. China finally realized how behind they were in their political, social, and economic structures and attempted to modernize their armies and stimulate their economy. All of these things that are evident in China today can be linked back to the effects of the opium wars in