Imperialism
in China
Dynasty Becomes
Vulnerable
Manchu (Qing) Dynasty
►Captured
China
1644 - Foreign
dynasty
►Great territorial
expansion
►Much
Christian missionary
activity
►Little desire to deal w/ the West
Problems Develop w/ Dynasty
 (60 million in
1700 to 300 million in 1800)
►Hatred for foreign dynasties 
►Corruption & decay 
►War lords controlled much of
the countryside
►Population
Western Ideas Change China
►New
ideas
challenge
traditional life
►Missionaries
bring ideas of
equality
►Free trade began to destroy
Tribute System (gifts and labors
paid to the emperor)
Foreign Influence
in China
Opium Plays a
Role
Trade Imbalance
►England
consumed a
lot of tea and cotton
from China
►Wanted to find
something that
England could trade to
China to balance the
trade
►1700s
– England & other nations
sold Indian opium to China even
though it was an illegal
substance in China
►By
early
1800s many
Chinese were
addicted and
used China’s
silver supply
to pay for the
drug
What would be your reaction?
►Why
were the British
selling the Opium?
►How would you feel about
foreigners using your
country to make money?
►What could your
government do to prevent
this?
Government passed
harsh laws – users
and smugglers would
receive the death
penalty
What would be your reaction?
►Do
you think these laws
would work?
►Do you think harsh laws
work in the US?
►If the foreigners still
would not leave, what
might you do?
1839 Chinese destroyed a
British ship filled with opium
Britain Declared War!
Opium War
1839-1842
European Industrial
Revolution
- Increased Europe’s military
strength
►China
did not have the
warships that Britain did
►British
had better gun
technology; China’s
weapons were outdated
Treaty of
Nanjing
The “Unequal Treaties”
►Ended
Opium War
►Made China “unequal” to
the foreign nations
►China could not control its
own trade
►China had to pay for
destroyed opium
►Control
of Hong Kong given
to Britain for 99 years
►Privilege
of
extraterritoriality
given to foreigners
Extraterritoriality
Under the new treaties,
foreigners accused of a
crime in China could go
back to their country to
be tried in their own
court system
Why “extraterritoriality?”
►What
is the
advantage to that
right?
►What does this right
do to the power of
the Chinese?
As a result of the Unequal
Treaties, countries carved
up China into Spheres of
Influence
Spheres of Influence
Area which a foreign nation
has special economic
privileges
(economic influence leads
to political influence)
Countries with “Spheres”
Britain
France
Germany
Japan
Russia
Who
is
who?
China
Britain
Japan
Germany
Russia
France
United States’ Open Door
Policy
►Wanted
to prevent countries
from forming colonies in China
►Promoted “Open Door” policy
where all nations would have
equal access to China
►It did not work, but US used it to
protect its economic interests