Opium War

The denomination Opium Wars is attributed to two armed conflicts recorded in China in the 19th century. The conflicts were between Western countries and the Qing Dynasty, which remained in Chinese rule between 1644 and 1912.

The first Opium War was recorded between 1839 and 1824 and was fought between China and Great Britain . The second Opium War took place between 1856 and 1860 and involved China , the Britain and France .

In both wars, Western forces emerged victorious and thus gained commercial privileges in Chinese territory.

The wars marked the existence of a series of unequal treaties and several incursions into China, in addition to the collapse of the Qing dynasty in the early 20th century.

Causes

In fact, the Opium Wars grew out of China's attempts to stifle the opium trade. The barriers were on foreign traders, mainly the English, who had been illegally exporting opium to India since the 18th century.

Trade, however, grew dramatically from 1820 onwards. The problem is that within China, drug addiction was widespread and was having serious social and economic implications.

In an attempt to suppress the drug trade and restore social order, in March 1839, the Chinese government confiscated and destroyed 20,000 cases of opium totaling 1,400 tons. The drug belonged to British traders.

Contrary to the measures, English traders killed a Chinese villager, but refused to submit to a court in China and the period was marked by hostilities. British warships destroyed the Chinese blockade imposed on Pearl River, in the city of Hong Kong.

Main Events

As a result of resistance, the English government sent in 1840 the expeditionary force to China, attacked and occupied the city of Canton. In 1842, Chinese troops managed a significant reaction, but British forces took the city of Nanjing at the end of August of that year.

That year the Treaty of Nanjing was signed, which obliged China to indemnify Great Britain and cede Hong Kong and increase free trade ports. In addition to the commercial implications, the British protected by the Humen treaty, signed on October 8, 1843, gave the British the right to be tried only in the courts of Great Britain. Similar privileges were demanded by other countries.

Second Opium War

The second Opium War took place in 1850 and involved the Chinese reaction to English rule. Britain tried between 1850 and 1864 to extend its rights in China, however, in 1856, Chinese officials boarded an English ship that had arrested several crew members from China.

In response, an English ship bombed Canton and the troops of the two countries clashed. The Chinese burned the foreigners' factories and warehouses, which heightened tensions. On the English side, France decided to send support troops after the assassination of a French missionary in early 1856.

There was no difficulty for the British and French military operations and in 1858, the allies arrived in Tianjin, forcing the Chinese to sign the Treaty of Tiajin, in June 1858. The treaty provided for the opening of several ports to western and free trade. movement of Christian missionaries in Chinese territory.

In Shanghai, at the end of 1858, the importation of opium was allowed.