The opium war

Résumé du document

Maritime trade between Europe and China started in the 16th century when the Portuguese conquered an Indian settlement. The Europeans were in seek of Chinese goods such as tea, silk and porcelain but the Chinese limited foreign trade to limit contact with the outside world because for them trade was the scrutiny of Chinese officials. Despite the Qing's government attempt to limit foreign trade, it accelerated dramatically in the 1770s, when England Conquered India and Burma. On September 4th of 1839, the British fired the first shots and the first Opium War was declared.

Extraits

[...] They needed large sums of money to colonize new lands and opium was the solution. The Emperor Dao guang of the Qing Dynasty was alert to this invasion and so he ordered to close Canton, the only port open to outlanders. The problem was that the British were focus on opium trade with China and so they evaded the edict by smuggling opium thanks to the help of local pirates. The consequence was that 9 people out of 10 were addicts to opium. [...]

[...] The first Opium War was declared. Some people say that the "Opium War" was not fought only for opium. The general purpose of this confrontation was in the name of free trade. When the news reached London in August 1839, the British decided to assault against the Qing dynasty. They were helped and appointed by industrial capitalists whose goal was to open China's market. This war was the first step to open China's markets and resources3 to the outside world. [...]

[...] Named the Chuanbi convention, this treaty promised an indemnity of 6 million silver dollars for the confiscated opium, to reopen Guangzhou, to cede Hong-Kong Island and to grant the right to communicate directly with the Chinese officials in Guangzhou. However, this treaty wasn't respected and so it led to a full-scale attack on Guangzhou in late May 1841. Desperate, the local Qing officials signed the convention on the 27th May 1841 agreeing to "ransom" the city for 6 million silver dollars. The Qing government was humiliated by the British, whose superiority was due to their technology. They had better ships, artillery, rifles, and better tactics. [...]

[...] They expected them in both smuggling and piracy. In consequence the British trade officials said that the sailors who had been arrested should be released because of the Treaty of Nanking and its principles of extraterritoriality clause. In addition to those events, tensions between the two countries are at their peak. In 1857, Great Britain dispatched forces to Canton in a coordinated operation with American warships. France joined America, Russia, and Great Britain against China because the Chinese executed a French missionary. [...]

[...] In the 20th century, the Chinese are struggling to expunge the embarrassment which they suffered during and since the Opium wars. They eliminated their last reminder of unpleasant encounter with Britain when Hong Kong stopped to be a colony. Since know Chinese state is once again in control of everything. They are totally determined to keep the "open door" for their interest only. This is, merely a return to entrenched ethnocentric tendencies of pre-Opium War days. Bibliography The Opium Wars by W. [...]