Opium Wars

Introduction

The opium wars were the conflict between Britain and china for free travel and trade right. The Chinese government ceased the trade licences of Britain to prohibit opium trafficking. China was failed and dominated by Britain and France. They compelled china to sign the treaties and approved favourable tariffs and concessions of trade. China was also compelled to pay the reparation to Britain. The whole century was the most humiliating century for china. The war affected their economy too.

The first Opium War

In 1839, the first opium war broke out between China and Britain. They fought for the right to free trade and the diplomatic status of Britain among china’s officials. China had enjoyed a trading surplus with Europe for dealing tea and porcelain silk substituting silver in the early 18^th. In the late 17^th century, the East India Company of Britain expanded opium farming in the Bengal administration. They used to sell it to the merchant who exported the things to China and secretly smuggled them. By 1797, EIC was vending 4000 of 77 kg opium chests to private vendors yearly.

At first, opium was used as an anaesthetic but later smoking opium increased the addiction to smoking and raised demand in China. Chinese emperors issued a decree and made opium illegal in 1729, 1799, 1814, and 1831. When china sought to profit from the smugglers and the corrupt officials, opium was imported illegally. Some American merchants, including Warren Delano Jr, entered the trade via opium smuggling from Turkey to China. In 1833, opium trading rose to 30000 chests. The British and American vendors use the warehouse of Canton by the free trade port to sell the opium to the Chinese smugglers.

In 1834, the Daoguang emperor charged governor general Lin Zexu to end the trade, and the EIC’s monopoly on British trade in China ceased. It was because of the outflow of silver and the concern for excess opium consumption. In 1839, a letter was sent to Queen Victoria by Lin to halt the trade and was published in The Times as a direct request for their cooperation. On the 18th of march, the Daoguang emperor emphasized a penalty for opium smuggling, and all the opium from canton and foreign companies ceased. The chief superintendent of British trade, Charles Elliot arrived after the deadline for Lin was over. He paid for all the opium on the credit of their government to appease him. Though there was no official notice to purchase, those 20000 chests were destroyed by Lin at Humen.

Elliot wrote for military force to solve the china dispute and a small battle occurred between china and Britain on 4th September 1839 in the Kowloon estuary. In 1840, the British government decided to send forces to impose reimbursement of the losses experienced in Canton by the opium traders. They also wanted the trader's security for the future. In 1840, the British naval force arrived at Macao and used their superior ships and guns to inflict and bombard the port of Dinghai.

In 1842, the Treaty of Nanjing concluded the war and conceded Hong Kong Island and other smaller islands to Britain. They established the treaty ports in Shanghai, canton, Ningbo, Fuzhou, and Xiamen. The treaty also specified that china had to pay 21 million dollars for reparations (6 million on an urgent basis and the rest in instalments). In the same year, another treaty gave the status of most favoured nations to Britain and added a stipulation for British extraterritoriality. The same concession was also secured to France in the treaties of 1843 and 1844.

The first opium war

The Second Opium War

In 1853, Taiping Rebellion founded its capital in Nanking and shuddered China. Though it was illegal, Ye Mingchen was appointed as a new imperial commissioner of Canton to stamp out the Opium trade. In 1856, he trapped the crew of the ship, the Arrow, and grabbed it by claiming it as British registered. On 23rd October of this year, the East Indies and China station convoy of the rear admiral Sir Michael Seymour was bombarded. This convoy was called up by the British Hong Kong governor Sir John Bowring. Then the convoy incarcerated the Pearl River forts on the approach to bombard Canton itself. At that time they had inadequate force to seize the city. In the meantime, there was a riot in the canton. On 15th October, The whole British commercial properties were set on fire. After that Bowring demanded military interference. The French missionary-inspired support was executed by France at that time.

As a result, the war ended up signing the Treaty of Tientsin. The treaty was an access where the Chinese government consented to pay the war damages and unfasten a second group of ten ports to European commerce to expand the transport of coolies to the European colonies. They also agreed to legalize the opium trade and approved the travel right of foreign traders and missionaries within china.

Furthermore, the treaty was granted in 1860 by the Convention of Peking after the second phase of the war which included the sack of the Old Summer Palace and the employment of Beijing’s Forbidden City Palace complex.

Conclusion

The opium war ensued between China and Britain and continued from 1839 to 1860. The whole phase was divided into the first opium war and the second opium war. The first war happened between 1839 and 1842 whereas the second war happened from 1853 to 1860. Due to the misuse of opium in China, it was banned. Britain had an open trade licence in China. Some merchants smuggled opium into china. The government announced a high penalty for this. To regain the trade licence, Britain announced the war claiming the reparation of their losses for opium which were fired. The second war was started as the result of the bombardment at the canton. Both wars were concluded through some vital treaties that issued compensation from China and open trade. Five ports were established, and the opium trade got legalization.

FAQs

Q1. What is the Anglo-Sino war?

Ans. The first opium war was also named as Anglo-Sino war.

Q2. What was the effect of the opium war in China?

Ans. The war affected China economically and increased western influence on them. It weakened the china Qing Dynasty to pave the way for Taiping and Boxer rebellions.

Q3. Is there any other country that is banned together with Britain and France?

Ans. Yes, Russia was also banned together with Britain and France.