Admin Did the Opium Wars weaken China?
The Second Opium War was fought between the Qing and the United Kingdom and France, 1856–1860. The wars and the subsequently-imposed treaties weakened the Qing dynasty and the Chinese imperial government, and forced China to open specified treaty ports (especially Shanghai) that handled all trade with imperial powers.
How did opium affect China’s population?
The cost to China was enormous. The drug weakened a large percentage of the population (some estimate that 10 percent of the population regularly used opium by the late nineteenth century), and silver began to flow out of the country to pay for the opium.
Why was opium smuggled China?
By the start of the 19th century, the trade in Chinese goods such as tea, silks and porcelain was extremely lucrative for British merchants. In order to stop this, the East India Company and other British merchants began to smuggle Indian opium into China illegally, for which they demanded payment in silver.
How did the Opium War affect China?
This situation was aggravated after the failure of Opium Wars that occurred between the United Kingdom and the Qing Empire in China with the aim of forcing China to import British Opium; this war made China open the door to a free flowing opium trade, with disastrous social and public health consequences.
How did the British solve the problem of opium addiction?
The solution to Britain’s problem was opium. Although opium had been used in China for medicinal purposes for a long time, it had not been used as a recreational drug. The British introduced opium to China in 1825, and soon, not surprisingly, Chinese began to be addicted to the drug.
What lessons do Chinese students learn from the Opium Wars?
The British did this in the name of free trade and without regard to the consequences for the Chinese government and Chinese people. The lesson that Chinese students learn today about the Opium Wars is that China should never again let itself become weak, ‘backward,’ and vulnerable to other countries.
How did the Portuguese get involved in the Chinese opium trade?
In the 16th century the Portuguese became aware of the lucrative medicinal and recreational trade of opium into China, and from their factories across Asia chose to supply the Cantons, to satisfy both the medicinal and the recreational use of the drug.