The First Opium War And Its Effects On China - 1407 Words

Throughout Chinese history, political and economic events have almost always led to drastic changes in China itself. Many of these events have been internal struggles with China. Some events have been external, such as the First Opium War. The First Opium war, which lasted from 1839 to 1842, led to several economic and political changes in China. The Opium War is considered more that just a war, the results created a deep impact on China and the Western World. For hundreds of years, China had isolated themselves from the world and from foreign trade, but a single dispute over trading rights led to a huge war, which dictated the future of China. The first Opium War was because of the trade imbalance between England and China. This paper will discuss what caused the first Opium War and its after effects on China. China had long been aware of opium as a medicine, and its addictive qualities had also been known. In 1723, its sale and consumption within China had been made illegal. With a rapid growth in population, the demand for opium was high. The British were users of opium, and sold it across many apothecary shops in London. They did not see opium addiction as a problem. British merchants violated the Chinese opium ban and bribed Chinese officials to begin importing opium into the country. The British had â€Å"been illegally exporting opium mainly from India to China since the 18th century, but the trade grew dramatically from about 1820.† (Opium Wars, Kenneth Pletcher,Show MoreRelatedEssay on Opium Wars1685 Words   |  7 Pagesdangerous drug of Opium. When opium was first introduce in China it was like any other drug, addictive and harmful to the human body but the Chinese weren’t aware of the opium negative effects. Opium the narcotic drug is derived of from immature seed pods of poppy plants. Opium was used for pain relieving, it was one of the first drugs able to relieve pain before morphine was invented, and morphine is safer drug then opium and they both came from the same plant. Before the opium war, foreign trade toRead MoreOpium Wars: The Trade Disputes over Opium between China and Britain 1804 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction â€Å"Opium entered China on the back of a camel, and ended up breaking the back of an entire nation† -Unknown This paper studies the trade disputes over opium between China and Britain and the two wars that resulted from these disputes in the 19th century. The focus of this paper will primarily be British actions in the years leading up to the Wars, the Wars themselves, and the aftermath of the Wars. 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