...Sauvik Chakraborty HIST 212 Dr. Ernst Pijning The Opium Wars in China: The upheaval of isolationist China The introduction of foreign commodities in Europe raised consumerist ambitions to a frenetic level of activity as the multitudes of Europeans viewed their possession and consumption, a symbol indicative of status. The throngs of people were engaged in taking advantage of some significant exploratory achievements made by certain trailblazing expeditioners. The trade routes opened up by these explorers exposed Europe to seemingly boundless prospects of trade, which in turn facilitated the meeting of demands raised by the classes favored by such ventures. There were certain commodities that enjoyed considerably higher appeal amongst the masses than certain other commodities. Opium was one such commodity that did not enjoy widespread repute in Europe as Wolfgang Schivelbusch states in ‘Tastes of Paradise’ “[narcotics] have achieved such a tremendous such a tremendous significance in other cultures but never really gained a foothold in Europe.” (205). Opium, as a substance, has been heralded as a useful crop and was adopted as food, for anaesthetic purposes and ritualistic purposes from times immemorial. Schivelbusch states that in 19th century Europe, opium had a “regular place in the family medicine chest” and was quite frequently used as “sedative and painkiller” (206). The use of opium was becoming increasingly widespread as both urban and rural workers were ushering...
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...Chinas Opium War By: Zachary Kern In this paper, I will discuss Chinas opium problem within the 1830’s. At this point, the British Empire has established a routine shipping triangle between ports in England to ports in India; here British merchants would pick up large shipments of opium. From India, the merchants headed towards China, Canton in particular. From here the large shipments were sold to merchants using large British clipper ships, who distributed the large shipments of opium to smaller smuggling ships called “fast dragons” to be dispersed amongst the vast provinces of China. I will discuss the impact of this trade triangle for both the British and the Chinese. Also to be discussed is Imperial Commissioner Lin and his anti-opium campaign in China as well as on the British front. The Chinese and British had contrasting views on Lin and his campaign to end the mass profits the British were collecting from poisoning the Chinese community. Ultimately the opium war would conclude with the Nanjing treaty signed by the Chinese in 1842. Britain forced China to sign via threat of military and naval conquest, a tactic called gunboat diplomacy. Before we delve too far into the characters that were directly involved in the diplomacy regarding the opium situation in China, we must get a better understanding of the market conditions that the situation arose from. There is a very clear line that separates the two types of trade between the British and Chinese empires respectively...
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...In the eighth century, the Arabs brought opium to China. China was well aware of the medicinal uses of opium. It was used as a remedy for diarrhea and as a pain reliever. Opium, however, is an addictive drug. Because of its addictive qualities, the Chinese Emperor banned the usage of Opium. With opium being banned, two major wars broke out. The First Opium War and the Second Opium War. These two wars are known as the Opium Wars. There were two main causes as to what caused the Opium wars. First, the difference between the two countries. And second, the greed of the British traders. What is more, the difference of the cultures of Britain and China was one of the causes of the breakout of the Opium Wars. Most Chinese people thought of the British to be barbarians since their customs were unfamiliar to them. There was bound to be friction between the two countries each time they interacted with each...
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...pollution of our resources, the unfair pay for the working class, major recessions, and many more. It seems that some people are unaware of how much influence corporations have when war is involved. Corporations have a heavy hand in war profiteering when it comes to oil, weapons, and even essential items such as water and food. There are many examples of corporate greed’s influence on war, although I had never heard of a war directly funded or coerced by corporations until I did some research on China’s Opium Wars. Britain and China’s First Encounter The relationship between the Chinese and the British has been unstable from the beginning. Their first encounter resulted in an immediate attack on each other on the high seas. Nevertheless, on August sixth of 1793 a fleet of ships came to shore carrying an important passenger, the British Ambassador, Lord Macartney. The objective was to open trade between Britain and China. Lord Macartney brought with him many gifts for Emperor Chi’ien Lung that had been selected to represent the best that Britain had to trade. Lord Macartney met with Emperor Ch’ien Lung in a large horsehair tent chosen by the Emperor to show he was meeting with simple barbarians rather than equals. Foreigners are required to wear Chinese clothing and practice the Kowtow. The Kowtow is a ritual of respect where one bows three times and each time humbly knocking ones head against the ground. This was too...
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...Anti-Drug Campaign and the First Opium War In 1930, Chinese officials began to have growing concerns about the increasing trade of opium with the British. China’s social and economic status started to decline due to the opium trade agreement. Chinese addiction to opium became overwhelming and eventually forced China to launch Lin Zexu’s Anti-Drug Campaign in 1839. As a result, this campaign was viewed as a violation of the trade agreement with Britain and helped led to the First Opium War. China isolated themselves from the western world, believing they didn’t need anything from foreign trade. For eight decades, the only port that China opened was called the Canton System. The problem was China only wanted silver in exchange for their exports to Europe. Unfortunately, Europe only traded in gold and silver was hard to come by. Desperate to resolve the foreign trade, Britain realized they can acquire such a commodity in opium from India to exchange for exports in China. The trade of India’s opium started as a medical drug in the early 1800’s between China and Britain. Eventually, it triggered massive dependences throughout China’s society that affected the rich and poor equally. Before long, the demand for the drug was overwhelming, resulting in China importing more opium than exporting trades. Thus, resulting in an imbalanced foreign trade and stability of China’s society. A decree issued in 1810 from the Chinese Emperor stating, “Opium is a poison, undermining our good...
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...Opium War Information The Opening of China The War, although entitled "The Opium War" was in fact not about opium at all. As President John Quincy Adams said, "The seizer of a few thousand chests of opium smuggled into China by the Chinese government was no more the cause of the Opium War than the throwing overboard of the tea in the Boston harbor was the cause of North American Revolution." In the race to colonize the world, China represented the last prize in the Far East for European countries. The Opium War was the first step designed to open China along with its markets and resources for exploitation. The War itself physically opened China. However, it was the aftermath of the War that exposed China, economically, socially, politically and ideologically to the outside world. The unequal treaties signed after the Opium War were the primary mechanisms to open China. • Treaties and Their Effects The Treaty of Nanjing (August, 1842) and supplement treaties (July and October 1843) signed between the British and the Chinese were the first of the humiliating "unequal treaties". It radically increased the openings for trade in China and expanded the scope of British activities. The treaties opened five ports, Canton, Fuzhou, Xiamen, Linbou and Shanghai to conduct foreign trade as treaty ports. A war indemnity of 21 million Mexican dollars was to be paid by the Chinese government. Hong Kong was surrendered to the British, giving the British a base for further military...
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...Revolution take home essay The Opium War The Opium War lasted from the late 1830’s until 1860, encompassing a series of conflicts between China and the British Empire over trade and diplomacy. Basically what happened was China traded a lot of goods including tea, and in return China gained opium that the British Empire imported from India. However, when China realized that opium was ruining their nation through mass addiction, China outlawed opium. This lead to war with The British Empire, because the British didn’t want to be pushed out of this important trade that they had with China. The British ultimately won because they had a navy and China did not. Through these naval conquests the British acquired the small fisher island of Hong Kong and made it into a large trade port under British rule. Somewhat were some of the deeper issues of these wars and why were they unavoidable? Who stood to benefit most in this lopsided war and why didn’t the Chinese win? From the beginning, the ruling Tang dynasty opposed the importation of opium into its territory and actively discouraged its use by placing a stigma of immorality on those who used the drug. However, the British importers saw opium, as merely a product for which there was a strong demand for in China. Opium did not have anything to do with morality or lack thereof in the British mind. These two divergent viewpoints eventually came...
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...the 5th century and dispersed its message quickly. The longevity of the Qing dynasty, which lasted from 1644 to 1912, demonstrates the crystallization of governmental and social institutions through the adherence of piety and hierarchy laid out in Confucius’s Analects. This societal harmony, however, was perturbed by the ever-expansive Britain in the late 1800’s, who began to smuggle large chests of opium in order to promote global trade and to receive silver from China. Lin Zexu, a confucian scholar and administrator, was sent to the only port in Canton by the Daoguang Emperor in 1838 to eliminate all illegal trade of opium, for he was already renowned for his role as a provincial administrator in Hubei. Lin publicly renounced opium for its effect on the Chinese masses and epitomizes Confucian ideology at play because his public displays of destroying opium were clearly aimed at pushing out British influence and maintaining the Qing legacy. As a result, Lin Zexu’s exaggerated take on the suppression of opium offended Britain’s capitalistic motives of free trade and triggered the Opium War in 1840....
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...Opium War There were two Opium Wars. The first one was from 1839-1842. This war was fought between China and Britain. This war was fought over the two not seeing eye to eye on a lot of things. The second Opium War was from 1856-1860. In this war the British forces fought toward the legalization of the Opium trade. The reason they did this was to be able to expand coolie trace, to be able to open all of China to British merchants, and also to be able to expand foreign imports from internat transit duties. This was when France then joined the British. In this essay we are going to cover both of the Opium Wars. The expansion of European imperialism in Asia was all economic. In the British market there was a high demand for Chinese tea, also Chinese silk, and also Chinese porcelain. But, Britain did not have the right amount of silver to be able to trade with the Qing Empire. So, a system of barter and trade was put into effect, which was based on the Indian Opium which was created to help bridge the payment problems that Britain was having. Because of the “the subsequent exponential increase of opium in China brought about a generation of addicts and social instability.” (He, T.). This caused the British merchants and the Qing government to clash, which led to the Opium Wars. So as a “result, the British were given the island of Hong Kong and trading rights in the ports of Canton and Shanghai.” (He, T.). The first Opium War was over their conflicting views and points of their...
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... imperial China reached its zenith of power and influence. The Qing dynasty lasted for almost 300 years, extended China’s borders farther than they had ever been before, and perfected the Chinese imperial system. After flourishing in the 18th century, it fell apart in the 19th. Like many complicated systems, it grew brittle and inflexible. It could not adjust as new problems arose. Bad harvests, warfare, rebellions, overpopulation, economic disasters, and foreign imperialism contributed to the dynasty’s collapse. One reason for the decline of the Qing Dynasty was that the rulers were actually Manchus and instituted many things in China which the Han people did not agree with - one was the practice of shaving the head but leaving the sides and a long tail required for all males - this practice was brought to China by the Manchus and the Han people saw it as an emblem of their domination by non-domestic rulers. Opium was also a major reason for the fall of the Qing Dynasty. Opium is a drug found in the Opium Poppy Plant and contains the major ingredient in heroin. The British were in possession of a very potent strain of Opium and illegally sold it to China. This cause most people in China to get addicted to Opium. This was detrimental to Chinese society because since everyone was always high on Opium nothing got done in China. Also when China refused to legally trade Opium with the British the British used this as a reason to invade China, resulting in the Opium War. Multiple...
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...international trade brought the empire wealth and influence almost all over the world. Britain of course stood behind the assertion that the countries, which they dominated or ruled were affected positively. The idea was that the British empires influence was civilizing and saving barbarous people from their rudimentary existence. The British empire saw themselves as superior to all other nations.This was in fact not true, as many countries like China were affected in a very negative manner. ! The true goal of the Empire was simply profit for the motherland. The well being of non British subjects was below the priority of making money. An example of this is found in Britain trade and commerce with China. China exported several products like tea, silk and other types of food that Britain came to as daily necessities without which they could not live. In return, Britain began exporting opium that was grown in India en masse to the Chinese population. This extremely addictive and destructive substance had a very detrimental effect on the people and society in China. This caused Commissioner Lin, a high government official to write a letter to Queen Victoria of England in 1839 abhorring and pointing out the injustices that were being practiced. He lays out a logical argument to the new young Queen, arguing for end of this deadly commodity exchange. ! He starts out the letter with formalities, being respectful to the Queen and her position, posturing for the rest of the letter. This demonstrates...
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...Before the 1800’s, China regarded itself as the center of the universe. They controlled most of the Indian Ocean by running trade systems with foreigners. Zheng He was one of the most prominent, powerful “explorers”. Zheng was a Muslim who led seven voyages throughout the Indian Ocean expeditions between 1405 and 1433. He practically isn’t recognized as an “explorer” because he was completely aware of the ocean before his trip; he simply voyaged around the area to trade. China that time didn’t necessarily need anything outside of the country; they possessed nearly everything. They mainly wanted dominant prestige and respect. On the contrary, the foreigners favored China’s tea, silk, spices, and goods; these countries wanted more money and mercantilism. If, however, these countries wanted to obtain the rights of trading with China, they had to engage in a Kowtow where the foreigners were to supply China with gifts and goods to gain the authorization of trade. The trades with foreigners, mainly located in Canton, was flowing well for China until the British East India Company intervened. The only goods China favored brought by the British were silver and opium. Eventually opium was traded far more frequently than anything...
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... China’s Emperors were viewed as being granted or ‘Mandated from Heaven’. This was a position of supreme power and religious importance in the ruling of China. This view changed over time as European Imperialism undermined the Chinese culture. This happened through commercial trade (opium trading led to 2 major wars), the internal ‘Taiping Rebellion’, and the ‘Boxer Rebellion’ of 1900. Unfair treaties with foreign powers led to crime, unemployment and poverty – causing the Chinese to lose confidence in their Emperor. All these factors ultimately led to the Emperor’s loss of power – the Emperor ultimately losing the mandate from heaven. The Qing dynasty could not resolve its many problems, and the 2000 year old imperial...
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...many, but also ruined the lives of many more. With the British Opium Trade, the conflicts surrounding World War 1, and then in Revolutionary China, race, rationality, and capitalism were the core principles that divided the groups involved, but also linked these historical events together. Throughout progress and history, these fundamental principles were tested and reshaped time and time again through conflict, resolution, and changes of power. The British Opium trade in China was a trade monopoly of the East India Company. It exploited the Chinese people by addicting them to opium in order to expand British wealth. After Chinese resistance, it...
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...China has gone through major changes throughout the second half of the 19th century up till the early 20th century. The result of the Opium Wars opened up China to the rest of the world, which contributed to the fall of the Qing dynasty. The Wars struck a crippling blow to the Qing Empire and it demonstrated how weak China was compared to the European powers. The ailing Qing dynasty during the middle of the 19th century created opportunities for the European imperialists who were interested in crippling China. They wanted to undermine China by enforcing foreign policies in the country, which would contribute to the growing discontent among the citizens since their monarch was hopeless. After the naval expeditions of Zheng He (1371-1435) during the Ming dynasty, the Hongwu Emperor decided to ban all trade and from then onwards, China became increasingly isolationist. The Chinese feared that the result of foreign intervention would be an attempt to take over the country therefore, all the dynasties after that continued to adopt these policies in order to prevent invaders such as Japanese pirates. During the Qing dynasty, the Qianlong Emperor rejected an offer to expand trade because he feared that by trading with foreign countries, the imperialist nations would attempt to take over China by imposing their ideas on the Chinese. China’s desire to shut itself away from the foreign countries was because of its desire to protect itself. After the Industrial Revolution, the...
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