Opium Wars: Great Britain vs.
China
What caused the Wars?
Early 17th century England was rapidly growing
a taste for tea which was imported from China
England however had nothing to trade with China
~ Quing dynasty made it illegal to pay for export
goods in anything but silver
To solve the problem England turned India in to poppy
fields which could be reaped for Opium for illegal sale to
the Chinese
China’s Response
The Chinese dynasty was against opium consumption
and had made it illegal to possess since 1729
In 1839 the Chinese Dynasty legislated that the
import of opium would be punishable by death
~ by that time 2 million Chinese were users of
Indian opium
Great Britain’s Response
British ignore China’s rules and elude China’s
navy to sell it
When China began taking opium shipments, Queen
Victoria sent in the Royal Navy to bomb Chinese
ports and vessels
Let the Wars Begin
1st opium war 1842
China signed the Treaty of Nanking
~ Chinese government pays Britain six million
silver dollars for lost opium
~ Opium still illegal and black market trade
grows
2nd opium war in 1856
lasted for two years and ended with the
humiliating Treaty of Tientsin
~ legalized opium in China
Conclusions…
1.) Fall of the last Chinese dynasty and the
rise of the Communist party
2.) China is broken into different spheres of
influence
3.) Boxer Rebellion and Taiping Rebellion –attempts to rid
China of foreign dominance
4.) By 1906, China was producing 35,000 tons of
opium per year; 76% of global opium production
Opium War Documentary
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuMmvqB
9mm0
Homework
1.)
2.)
China
Opium Wars
India
Britain
1.) Summarize the picture and how it relates to Britain’s
trade with China.
2.) Explain how/why the Opium trade involve all 3 locations