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In 1842, the Opium War ended with the foreigners defeating the Chinese. Up until then, China had always been closed to all forms of trade. The British and the French forced China to become open to their trade. The loss of the Opium War led to China becoming open to all trade and a decline in Chinese economy (Peffer, 60).
The Chinese lost the Opium War and were forced to sign the Treaty of Nanking on April 29, 1842, and the Treaty of the Bogue on October 1, 1843. These treaties demanded that China pay twenty-one million dollars for the opium that had been destroyed, the war costs, and as payment for debts that were owed to British merchants. Since China did not have the money, the island of Hong Kong was given to Great Britain, and five of Chinas ports, Canton, Amoy, Foochow, Ningpo, and Shanghai, would be open to all foreigners (Peffer 60). China did not quite understand all the concepts of the treaty, and they agreed to many things they did not understand, which later resulted in the Chinese government losing power until the twentieth century. The second treaty also said that the Chinese laws did not have to be followed by the foreigners. Britain also gained rights to allow other countries to do trading in China.
China also agreed to set up certain places where the traders would be allowed to live. Neither side had any idea what the signing of these two treaties would lead to. (Peffer 61). Although the treaty said that the Chinese had to let foreigners into the five ports, some of the people of China objected to their towns being taken over. In Canton, rather than listening to the legal leaders, the people chose to follow the directions of unauthorized leaders. The people rebelled against the British by yelling at them, harassing them, and even throwing stones at them (Peffer 65).
The people of Canton believed that all foreigners should not be allowed into their town, and there was nothing the local authorities could do. The situation could not be resolved because the Chinese government could do nothing, and London refused to give the foreigners backup. Sir John F. Davis, a British official made an agreement saying that the British would wait to enter Canton, but with the promise that they would be able to in the future. Though this action was intended to make matters better, things became much worse. The British were now angry, and the Chinese thought they had won.
Things grew worse as people began hurting foreigners more. Finally, after many serious fights, British ships were sent from Hong Kong to Canton to fight back. The Chinese government had agreed that the British would be allowed in Canton in the year 1849. Canton still refused, and at that point, any Briton who tried to enter that city would probably be killed (Peffer 66). The second Opium War began, and as before, the Chinese were almost defenseless. The British had been weakened, but they still had many more weapons than the Chinese.
The French and the British joined forces, and Canton was soon taken. They took over the government in Canton and began calling for another treaty. The Treaty of Tientsin ended the second Opium War and caused China to open five more ports as well as pay three million dollars. It also legalized the trading of Indian Opium in China (Paul 1 - 4). The Opium War was the event that opened China's doors to the outside world.
Before 1842, China was closed and isolated. The Opium War shattered China's false sense of superiority. It physically forced open China, and in doing so, exposed Chinese social and political structures. The Treaties signed after the war opened Chinese ports, and along with it, Chinese markets to Western capitalism. This almost entirely collapsed China's economy. However, it also forced China's economy to quickly adapt and evolve.
The war speeded up China's development of capitalism.
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Research essay sample on The Opium War In China
