Opium War: Conflict Between Britain And China In The Mid-1800s

The Opium War was a series of conflicts that occurred between China and the Western World in the mid-1800s. There were two Opium Wars, the first one between Britain and China, and the second one between Britain and China, with France helping Britain. The first Opium War, the one between Britain and China, occurred from 1839-1842. It was caused from China not wanting opium to be imported into the country, and Britain wanting to import as much opium as they possibly could. The second Opium War, which was between Britain and China, with France helping Britain, occurred from 1856-1860. The second opium war was caused from China attempting to stop the British from taking over China. France was beginning to import into China, so when conflicts arose,

Around 1820, the export of Opium had dramatically increased. Many Chinese were addicted to opium, creating many serious social and financial issues in China. The Chinese government knew the importation of opium needed to cease immediately, and they began to make attempts to stop the importation of opium into China. In 1839, the Chinese government took 20,000 chests of opium, and destroyed them. They were showing Britain that they were not “playing around”. Later, a few drunk British Soldiers killed a villager in China. The British government did not want their soldiers to be tried in China, and they did not allow their soldiers to be tried in the Chinese courts. This created more conflict between the countries, only worsening the

This treaty was known as the Treaty of Nanjing. The treaty of Nanjing was very beneficial to the British. They gained what they wanted. The Chinese had to cede the Island of Hong Kong to the British. The Chinese had to open up more trade ports for the British to use. Later, the British Supplementary Treaty of the Bogue, which was signed in 1843, gave the British citizens who were living in China extraterritoriality, which stated that British citizens in China had to be tried by British courts, and could not be tried by Chinese courts. The British was trading with China in large numbers. The British wanted to increase their rights in China, especially with trading. This renewed hostilities, and Britain became violent towards China yet again. The Chinese began to fight back, stopping the British from trading, and burning some of their factories. The French joined in on the war. They had the excuse that a Frenchman was murdered by the Chinese, which they used to enter the Opium War. They fought, and eventually the importation of opium into China was made