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    The First Opium War

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    clarkcarm
    The First Opium War occurred between 1839-1842 and was fought between the British Empire and the Qing Dynasty of China. The war began as a result of China's banning of the opium trade, which Britain used to balance its trade deficit with China. The British responded by sending naval ships that defeated Chinese forces, capturing several ports and forcing China to sign the unequal Treaty of Nanjing, which opened new ports to British trade and ceded Hong Kong to Britain. The war marked the start of increased Western imperialist control over China.

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    The First Opium War

    Uploaded by

    clarkcarm
    737 views15 pages
    The First Opium War occurred between 1839-1842 and was fought between the British Empire and the Qing Dynasty of China. The war began as a result of China's banning of the opium trade, which Britain used to balance its trade deficit with China. The British responded by sending naval ships that defeated Chinese forces, capturing several ports and forcing China to sign the unequal Treaty of Nanjing, which opened new ports to British trade and ceded Hong Kong to Britain. The war marked the start of increased Western imperialist control over China.

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    Power point on the First Opium War

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    The First Opium War occurred between 1839-1842 and was fought between the British Empire and the Qing Dynasty of China. The war began as a result of China's banning of the opium trade, which Britain used to balance its trade deficit with China. The British responded by sending naval ships that defeated Chinese forces, capturing several ports and forcing China to sign the unequal Treaty of Nanjing, which opened new ports to British trade and ceded Hong Kong to Britain. The war marked the start of increased Western imperialist control over China.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    737 views15 pages

    The First Opium War

    Uploaded by

    clarkcarm
    The First Opium War occurred between 1839-1842 and was fought between the British Empire and the Qing Dynasty of China. The war began as a result of China's banning of the opium trade, which Britain used to balance its trade deficit with China. The British responded by sending naval ships that defeated Chinese forces, capturing several ports and forcing China to sign the unequal Treaty of Nanjing, which opened new ports to British trade and ceded Hong Kong to Britain. The war marked the start of increased Western imperialist control over China.

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    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
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    The document outlines the cultural differences and economic tensions between Britain and China in the 18th-19th centuries that ultimately led to the First Opium War.

    The British saw China as an opportunity for economic gain through trade while China saw itself as culturally superior and self-sufficient. This clash in worldviews caused difficulties in negotiations.

    British merchants began smuggling opium into China to offset the trade imbalance. When China tried to curb the opium trade, it escalated into the First Opium War between 1839-1842.

    The First Opium War

    1839-1842

    Two Empires
    England (British Empire)
    Truly became a world influence circa 1497 Was slowly expanding its influence worldwide via maritime trade routes Tended to procure trade either via often strained accords or brute colonialism Tiny island heavily reliant upon trade with others Drank tea

    China (Qing Dynasty)


    Built upon system est. circa 2852 BCE Had long established terrestrial trade routes and maritime trade Tended to procure trade either freely or by some tributary system Huge landmass, largely self-sustaining Grew tea

    China Trade Routes

    Guangzhou / Canton ()
    Capital of Guangdong Served as the only port of trade for Westerners Trade was highly regulated according to the edict of Qianlong Would ultimately become ground-zero for the first Opium War Was and remains highly ethnically / culturally diverse

    The Macartney Embassy


    Trade difficulties with China are causing Britain to lose money (e.g. more imports than exports, limited selling power, restricted movement within China, etc) 1793 George Macartney, on behalf of George III, approaches Emperor Qianlong, requesting trade restrictions be relaxed, a permanent embassy in Beijing, and a small unfortified island near [Zhoushan] for the residence of British traders, storage of goods, and outfitting of ships. Qianlongs response to George III: There is nothing we
    lack, as your principal envoy and others have themselves observed. We have never set much store on strange or indigenous objects, nor do we need any more of your countrys manufactures .

    British Mercantilism, Chinese Confucianism: Culture Clash


    So, what went wrong in that exchange? For one, its fairly impolite to barge in on someones 80th birthday uninvited (and gift-less!); more generally the British embassy really had no idea how to culturally engage China For two, both sides brought a number of preconceptions to the table about the state of the world (China thought of itself as the Center Kingdom and the British as barbaric; Britain probably saw China as little more than a cash cow for its ever-growing mercantilist empire)

    The Opium (Triangle) Trade


    So how would Britain get their silver back? Answer: the same way it usually established economic dominance triangle trade! Britain (cloth) => India (opium) => China (tea/silver) => Britainyou get the idea War of addiction: British obsession with free trade (and tea) was matched with the Chinese addiction to opium Result: Happy Britain, upset (or stoned) China

    Lin Zexu and the 13 Factories


    Who was Lin Zexu? Lin was an Imperial Commissioner and a (relatively) strict Confucian Lin was sent by the Emperor to deal with the opium problem Wrote letter of advice directly to Queen Victoria condemning behavior of British merchants Lin confiscated and destroyed all of the opium in port and sequestered the British merchants What were the 13 Factories? The 13 Factories were the district established in Guangzhou as the only port for foreign trade The British merchants were sequestered at this location until they relinquished their opium How did the British take this? Not very well

    The British Reaction: How dare you!


    The suffering and imprisonment of the merchants: Charles Elliot, British Superintendent of Trade, instructed his fellow Britons to turn-over their opium in exchange for freedom, promising remuneration. In reality: Lin Zexu perceived his behavior as upright and in accord with tradition, going as far as to send gifts of food to merchants upon relinquishing their opium

    The arrogance of Chinas rejection of free trade: Elliot decried Lins policies as abusive of the British people. Similar statements were made by merchant William Jardine. In reality: The main restrictions were with regard to opium in particular; everything else was not so much about trade practices as political stability. Also, Elliots promise to compensate the British merchants was not exactly one that could be easily fulfilled, especially with so much money already tied-up in China.

    Big Trouble in Little Canton


    1839 - Return to England and call for war: Having received these reports, Foreign Secretary Lord Palmerston signs-off on a naval contingent to invade China under the pretense of abuse of Britonsoh, and about righting the trade imbalance. (Gunboat Diplomacy) 1840 - The British Navy, armed with the latest and greatest technology and reinforced with troops from British India, was prepared to invade. Lin Zexu was already preparing to defend Guangzhou, establishing militias composed of local farmers and fishers.

    The Breakdown
    British Forces Soldiers: Professional naval and army Weapons: Modern, oneman muskets, rotating cannons, Congreve rockets Vehicles: Nemesis a cutting-edge, ironclad, steam-powered warship complete with pivot cannons. Strategy: Invade, tactically dispose of key targets, and crawl toward Beijing Chinese Forces Soldiers: Militia men composed of local farmers, fishers, and craftsmen Weapons: Dated, two-man muskets, stationary cannons, rockets Vehicles: Junks, fire ships Strategy: Defend the coastline against what was treated as little more than a group of pirates and smugglers

    The Breakdown II
    Britain
    Status of government: Solid. Despite certain disagreements within the houses of Parliament, full-support was given to the war. Power was vested in the Foreign Secretary to make war; no opposition from the Crown. Status of people:

    China
    Status of government: Weak. Qianlong had passed and his embattled grandson (Daoguang) now sat upon the throne. The country was plagued by uprisings, lack of cultural / bureaucratic uniformity, and resource degradation. Status of people: Opiumaddiction had spread

    Combat Progression
    By means of their flat-bottomed gunboats, the British were able to access the shallow waterways connecting the ocean to the major river systems of China Entering at the port of Guangzhou in the Pearl River Delta, the British proceeded to blast through the obsolete defenses established. The British easily took Guangzhou, then proceeded up and along the Chang Jiang (Yangtze), capturing key points as they went. Upon capturing Jinjiang, which housed a great deal of the capitals rice supply, the Chinese government was forced to sue for peace.

    Jinjiang

    Xiamen

    The Treaty of Nanjing / Unfair Treaty


    29 August 1842 Opened up additional ports of trade (Xiamen, Fuzhou, Ningbo, and Shanghai) with fixed tariffs; reparations for British (21 million silver dollars); cession of Hong Kong. The Emperor himself neither signed nor endorsed the treaty. The official who pursued this treaty (Qiying) did so thinking he would be getting rid of Western encroachment by appeasing the British then and there. Ultimately, this would backfire.

    Changing Tides
    The policy of appeasement that Qiying started following the First Opium War would set the standard for Sino-Western relations Soon after, other Western powers also began to exploit China in much the same way (US, France); resistance was met with further belligerence (e.g. Second Opium War (1856-1860)) The humiliation led to further civil discontent and dynastic decline within China, perhaps ultimately bringing about the end of Chinas Imperial Era in 1912, and the rise of the Republic of China (and eventually the Peoples Republic)

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