Equally full of sharp insights and rigorous use of original documentation, lovell finishes in a strong way. The first opium war was fought between china and great britain from 1839 to 1942. China prohibited the consumption and importation of opium during the early part of the century, but after the second opium war china yielded to british pressure and legalized opium. China following the opium wars came to be known as the unequal treaties because. The second opium war was a further application of british military power in return for trade.
P this was painted by edward duncan 18031882 in 1843. Jul 01, 2011 the second half of the book goes on to discuss the second opium war, as well as the continued evolution of sinowestern relations following the first opium war through the present. The first opium war 183942 was fought between china and britain, and the second opium war 185660, also known as the arrow war or the anglofrench war in china, was fought by britain and france against china. Please see the category guidelines for more information. This effort was led by the british who sought the opening of all of china to their merchants, an ambassador in beijing, legalization of the opium trade, and the exemption of imports from tariffs. The second opium war, 18561860 panoramic view of the allied encampment at the south taku forts. The 184042 anglochinese war the socalled opium war is almost universally believed to have been triggered by british imperial rapacity and determination to sell more and more opium into china. Jan 29, 2019 the second opium war was fought from october 23, 1856, to october 18, 1860, and was also known as the arrow war or the second anglochinese war, although france joined in. Canton system which restricted trade to one port and did not allowforeign entrance to china, the.
In the second opium war, from 1856 to 1860, a weakened china. This greatest of european military conflagrations between 1815 and 1914 has produced an ample literature among the three chief european participants. The second opium war, the second anglochinese war, the second china war, the arrow war, download the opium war through chinese eyes book or ebook file with pdf epub. It was not until after the end of the second opium war in 1860 that private missionary education in english started to expand elsewhere in china owing to the establishment of more treaty ports and the persistent efforts of missionaries to convert the chinese deng, 1997. The clashes included the first opium war 18391842, with the british naval forces, and the second opium war 18561860, also known.
Opium wars simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Opium wars, two armed conflicts in china in the mid19th century between the forces of western countries and of the qing dynasty, which ruled china from 1644 to 191112 the first opium war 183942 was fought between china and britain, and the second opium war 185660, also known as the arrow war or the anglofrench war in china, was fought by britain and france against chi. The second opium war broke out in 1856, when canton officials boarded the arrow, a vessel accused of piracy and ripped down a british flag. The opium wars in the mid19th century were a critical juncture in modern chinese history. With imperialism hitting its high point in the 1850s, western countries wanted more of a say in china. The intrusion of the west is the first section in part iv china in the modern world pages 253264 this section provides a good historical overview of the events leading up to the opium war, with details about the opium trade, the war, and the resulting treaties imposed on china by the west. The treaty of tientsin, signed in june of 1858, contained no reference to the opium trade but further opened legal trade in favour of the british. This massive increase in opium smuggling into china became a recipe for war. These exports were legal throughout the 1800s even though importation into china. They worked to keep out foreign traders and dealt harshly with chinese traders.
Lin zexu appointed in 1838 to stamp out opium trade zexu destroyed stocks of opium in china. This category contains historical battles fought as part of the second opium war 18561860. In the second opium war, from 1856 to 1860, a weakened china fought both. The term opium wars refers to two infamous imperialist wars that britain. The treaty of nanking was signed by china and the united kingdom at the end of the first opium war. Introductionthe opium wars, also known as the anglochinese wars, divided intothe first opium war from 1839 to 1842 and the second opium war from1856 to 1860 between china under the qing dynasty and the britishempire. What links here related changes upload file special pages permanent link page.
The opium war is both the story of chinas first conflict with the west and an analysis of the countrys contemporary selfimage. The incompetence of qing dynasty officials in the opium wars, and. The second opium war exposed the true vulnerability of china to the rest of the world. Opium war, which created more unequal trade stipulations. In china today, the first opium war is seen as the first episode in what was subsequently.
Chinese account of the opium war by parker, edward harper. Oct 06, 2016 the shame here is that the high minded british aristocracy refused to admit that the opium trade was made in the worst interests of china and on the backs of sick people. Canton system which restricted trade to one port and did not allowforeign entrance to china, the british east india company faced a. These events caused china to be susceptible to further destruction from foreign powers and erased the values. Presents 56 documents relating to the first opium war. An anglofrench force took tianjin and marched to beijing. Which overall, was a large advantage for the british in the opium wars. Mismanagement in the aftermath of the british east india companys loss of its monopoly in 1834 abstract the histories of the opium war, of which there are many, have posited that the roots of the conflict are diverse and interconnected, ranging from cultural differences to conflicting perspectives on trade. The opium crisis had become as much of an irritant to china as the refusal of equal status was to britain pelissier, 1967.
In early october 1856 some chinese officials boarded the. The second half of the book goes on to discuss the second opium war, as well as the continued evolution of sinowestern relations following the first opium war through the present. The opium trade introduction the opium wars of 1839 to 1842 and 1856 to 1860 marked a new stage in chinas relations with the west. Unwilling to make further concessions to the west, the qing. They completely ignored the sanctions against it by the chinese government and the pleas from china to stop the exportation of opium from india to china. British victory again led to additional open ports, greater freedom of movement for westerners within china, including. Second opium war refers to one of the british strategic objectives. The second opium wars culminated in the summer of 1860 with the total humiliation of china. The most consequential effect of the war for china was how badly the government and military had weakened. Chinas military defeats in these wars forced its rulers to sign treaties opening many ports to foreign trade.
The second opium war, sometimes called the arrow war, can be seen as a continuation of the first opium war. Background reading of 3,300 words available on the webpage and in pdf, covers the years leading up to first opium war 18391842 and second opium war 18581860. The manchus resisted and the british army again attacked in the second opium war fought 1858 1860. Opium wars is a term referring to two wars that britain fought against imperial china in the middle of the nineteenth century, presumably over the attempts of the chinese authorities to stop the growing influx of foreignproduced opium. What links here related changes upload file special pages permanent link page information wikidata item cite this page. The real cause of the first opium war 1839 1842, also called the anglochinese war, was chinese. The second opium war was fought from october 23, 1856, to october 18, 1860, and was also known as the arrow war or the second anglochinese war, although france joined in. The second opium war was also known as the arrow war or anglofrench war in china. The terms second war and arrow war are both used in literature. Christian missionaries allowed unrestricted access to preach in china. Conclusion and effects of the second opium war the treaty of tientsin forced the chinese to open 11 new ports allingham, 2006 fall of the manchu dynasty due to economic and military problems allingham, 2006 total of about 64 million taels of silver paid out roughly 5,333,333 pounds allingham, 2006.
The british were keen to have the chinese smoke opium because it provided them with a huge profit. In the mid1850s, while the qing government was embroiled in trying to quell the taiping rebellion 185064, the british, seeking to extend their trading rights in china, found an excuse to renew hostilities. The treaties of huangpu and wangxia that china signed with france and the united states respectively in the 1840s allowed for. Wikimedia commons has media related to battles of the second opium war. It is a black mark on british history and a teachable lesson that we repeat the past only because we refuse to. P the purpose of this painting was to show the dominance of the british navy during the opium wars. Image galleries, opium war in japanese eyes, and second opium war. The critical feature of this episode is that the company kept records of opium exports from india to china. The illegal opium trade was a mere incident to the dispute. It explores how this book describes the mid19th century conflict between great britain and china and the reverberations that remain to this day.
The first opium war 183942 battered chinese attitudes to the west. Aug 11, 2016 the second opium war, the second anglochinese war, the second china war, the arrow war, or the francobritish expedition to china, was a war pitting the british empire and the second french. French soldiers also took a big part in this war, which started when the chinese took over one of the british ships in the port of guangzhou, called the arrow. The opium wars in the mid19th century were a critical juncture in modern. A recognition of civilizations janusfaced character as a rhetorical commonplace that featured in the. Opium wars, two armed conflicts in china in the mid19th century between the forces of western countries and of the qing dynasty, which ruled china from 1644 to 191112. The british went to war because of chinese military threats to defenseless british. The century of humiliation and chinas national narratives. The anglochinese war of 18391842 note that there are 3 other sections to this mit sponsored website on the opium wars. The 184042 anglochinese war the socalled opium war is almost universally believed to. It is the second major war in the opium wars, fought over issues relating to the exportation of. The defiance of china and the qings government in obeying the treaty led to a second opium war and only resulted in disappointment for china.
The first opium war 183942 was fought between china and britain, and the second opium war 185660, also known as the arrow war or the anglofrench war in china, was fought by. In the second opium war, from 1856 to 1860, a weakened china fought both great britain and france. At the time, britain had heavy interest in the opium trade india was not that far from china, and india was the lead producer of opium at the time. Dierci yapian zhanzheng, also known as the second anglochinese war, the second china war, the arrow war, or the anglofrench expedition to china, was a war pitting the british empire and the french empire against the qing dynasty of china that lasted from 1856 to 1860. This period was crucial for chinese scholars and statesmen both at the time and today both as a founding moment for modern china, and as the source of a number of lessons about the nature of. The opium wars, opium legalization and opium consumption in china. Read now the chinese opium wars by jack beeching and you can download with pub, pdf, the second opium war, the second anglochinese war, the second china war, the arrow war. The second opium war also known as the second anglochinese war, the second china war. Approximately 2,900 western troops were killed or wounded, while china had 12,000 to 30,000 killed or wounded.
In the mid1850s, the european powers and the united states sought to renegotiate their commercial treaties with china. Britain and france, along with troops from russia and the united states, attacked more chinese cities. The british suffered a defeat at the taku forts in june 1859 when sailors, ordered to seize the forts, were run aground in the mudchoked harbor. Significant causes of the opium war professor essays. The opium war and these treaties were emblematic of an era in which western. Palmerston declared that all of interior china must be open for uninterrupted opium traffic. The opium wars, opium legalization and opium consumption. The second opium war, the second anglochinese war, the second china war, the arrow war, or the francobritish expedition to china, was a war pitting the british empire and the second french. The opium wars were two wars which were waged between the great qing and the british.
1121 784 225 741 590 1057 1365 448 1484 650 122 543 1398 270 32 926 122 401 27 1432 167 108 837 1127 385 1163 1304 1273 305 843 998 1308 115 58