Opium Wars

have been external, such as the Opium Wars. The Opium Wars were two conflicts between China and Britain which arose when one of China's officials, Lin Zexu, had attempted to suppress the opium trade after British merchants began smuggling opium into China in order to balance their purchases of tea for export to Britain. China's defeat against the British during the Opium Wars resulted in economic, social and political changes which had created a deep impact on China. The Opium Wars had marked a new stage in China's relation with…

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,…

The Opium Wars were two wars in the 19th century which forced China to trade with the world. The first opium war was between Great Britain and China in the 19th century, this was also called the Anglo-Chinese War. War had begun due to the different viewpoints they had on diplomatic relations, trade, and administration of justice for foreign nationals in China. An imbalance in the European market was created when the Europeans demanded for Chinese goods (silk,porcelain, and tea). In the 17th and…

The primary source I have selected includes the account of the opium war from the perspective of a Chinese government official Wei Yuan. The author E.H. Parker translated the last two chapters of Wei Yuan’s book Shengwuji in his book Chinese Account of the Opium War. Published in the Great Britain in 1888, the book came 40 years later than the original narrative from the orient, which was written immediately after the opium war between the Great Britain and China. The hard copy of this document…

The First Opium War took place between Great Britain and China from 1839-1842 over Great Britain’s right to trade opium, and to a lesser extent to preserve international trade in Asian Continent. While the war itself is interesting, several significant economic insights can be obtained by observing how the economic conditions of the time brought about war. At the turn of the 18th Century, China saw itself as the best country in the world. They were almost completely self-sufficient and had been…

unbeneficial for China yet the British were unwilling to end such profitable interactions. This led to the Opium War. Some of the primary causes included the establishment of opium as one of the most profitable trade items, the belief that the British were being immoral by selling opium to China, and the belief that China 's actions to support prohibition were unjust, but the social disputes were the most…

The importation of Opium in China was the result of the inept Qing government, submissive foreign policies, and the determination of the British government to open up the Chinese market. The Opium War in China was disasterous to China, accelerating its downfall. The inefficient government cannot solve the problem of the widespread Opium Trade in China, which became rooted in the society, demoralizing the citizens. To begin with, the primary reason of the uncontrollable Opium trade was the…

The First Opium War since 1839 until 1842 is otherwise called the Opium War and as the Anglo-Chinese War, this war was battled in the middle of Britain and China over their clashing perspectives on strategic relations, exchange, and the organization of equity for outside nationals. In the 17th and 18th hundreds of years, the interest for Chinese products especially silk, porcelain, and tea in the European business made an exchange unevenness on the grounds that the business sector for Western…

The Opium wars were a frightful time for the Chinese people in their history. During the Opium wars, China experienced radical changes that left numerous dead yet considered modernization and entered the international trade market. Opium had first arrived in London where it was initially used for medical purposes. Trading with China demonstrated exceptionally beneficial for over a quarter century, until in 1835, China passed its first law forbidding the importation of opium when it turned out…

Who could have foreseen that one person’s well-meaning act to save his nation could have caused rebellions and wars that would change our world so greatly? Commissioner Lin’s destruction of the British opium stash precipitated several power exchanges through wars, revolutions, and reform through adaptation and assimilation. As the Chinese fell after the Opium War, the Westerners rose to greatness by way of expanded territories, inflated economies, and strengthened armies. As dynasties were…