Opium War as a Turning Point in World History
For hundreds of years before the nineteenth century, Westerners had been trying to gain a strong economic foothold in China. However, they were limited to one small, designated commercial outlet in Canton. The British were not satisfied with these arrangements and they yearned to reach a larger crowd. Despite negotiations with China through those such as Lord Macartney and Lord Almherst, new arrangements could not be made. The Chinese, who already had a self-sufficient economy, did not want their culture to be tainted by Westernization. In the 1800's, the British devised a scheme to commercialize in China. They would use opium, a highly addictive narcotic that produces a rush of euphoria followed by an intense dreamy state. Opium was grown in northeastern India, which was controlled by the British East India Company at the time,
They built railroads, weapons arsenals, and shipyards to ensure that they would not be humiliated by defeat again. Although the Chinese had officially prohibited the use of opium, the drug was in high demand and the British, who were known was leaders in the drug trade, wasted no time marketing and profiting from this lucrative venture. He even threatened to stop the trade of rhubarb, which Europeans used as a laxative. In addition, the island of Hong Kong was given to Great Britain. The Opium Wars lasted from 1839 to 1842, and was composed of a series of British naval attacks and seizures. and sent to China, where it had been used for medicinal purposes for hundreds of years. Having been thoroughly defeated by the more technologically advanced British forces, the Qing acquiesced to British terms through the Treaty of Nanjing in 1842. Nevertheless, the Treaty never addressed the opium trade and it continued until the 1900's. It was the first time that the Chinese were really faced with their European opposition and forced to admit that they needed to change. The treaty forced the Chinese to open up five ports for trade, limit tariffs on imported goods, grant extraterritorial rights to British citizens in China, and pay a large sum to cover the cost of war. The Chinese, unfortunately, gradually became unable to balance their trade of tea and silk for opium and turned to smuggling. Unluckily, when he tried to blockade the foreign factory area in Canton, the British retaliated and launched a naval attack that began the Opium Wars. The Opium War was a major turning point in Chinese history in that they finally opened their doors to the West after years of isolation. In many ways, the Opium War sparked a realization that the Chinese needed to Westernize to retain their ranking as a world power.
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