Opium Wars Consisted of Two Separate Conflicts, Essay

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Opium Wars consisted of two separate conflicts, the first between 1839 and 1842, the second between 1856 and 1860. Ostensibly these wars were fought over the fear that British- opium would have a drastic effect on the economy of China. On a deeper level, the conflict was over the invasion of Western influences into the Asian markets and the need for China to remain a major economic figure in the world. After global colonization, China was the last remaining Eastern country to have no foreign influence in their government or their economy. To the people of the West, who considered themselves superior beings, this was unacceptable. The resources of China should be open to Western colonizers as had all the other Asian nations, such as Japan and India. Although ostensibly about the decline in Chinese economy due to the issue of opium in the country, the Opium Wars were really about China's trying to retain autonomous power against foreign nations. Despite losing the Opium Wars and being forced into accepting trade with the western world, the opening up of China resulted in a complete economic and sociological alteration which resulted in China actually becoming a stronger nation in the aftermath.

The Chinese people desired to remain as isolated and apart from the outside world as possible. Part of this separation was a belief within China that their country was the center of the universe, that the land they possessed was the best in the world and that they had to protect themselves and their land from outsiders. To this end, the government limited the amount of interaction the population could have with foreign people and the amount of merchandise imported into the country. The idea was that with limited imports, the foreign nations would remain on the periphery of society and the inclusion of their goods would be seen as a luxury, not a necessity.

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In 1838, the Director of the Court of State Ceremonial, Hwang Tsioh-Tsz complained that the influx of foreign opium was causing China to decline financially, which in turn was having a negative effect on the rest of the country.[footnoteRef:1] Before the Opium Wars, trade with China was closed to the countries of the west. Decisions regarding trade were strictly controlled by the Chinese government. The only portion of China which was accessible to the outside world was the port of Canton. Merchants who came to the port to trade would be met by government officially-appointed merchants called Gong Hang. The Gong Hang controlled how much foreign merchandise could be brought into China and how what the value was for these goods.[footnoteRef:2] These men were, for a time, able to ensure that the influence of foreign countries was as limited as was at all possible. [1: Parker, Edward Harper. Chinese Account of the Opium War. (New York: Leland Parson, 1888). ] [2: "The Opium War and the Opening of China." historyliterature.homestead.com/files/extended.ht]

China was not able to grow or process opium in their country. However, that did not prohibit the Chinese citizens from desiring the narcotic. The desire for the drug was such that the Gong Hang and other traders were unable to keep up with the demand.[footnoteRef:3] Prices for foreign opium continued to skyrocket and China could not export enough materials to cover the trade debts over opium. "Virtually all men under 40 smoked opium. The entire army was addicted. It affected all classes of people, from rich merchants to Taoists. The total number of addicts in China in the 1830's was as high as 12 million."[footnoteRef:4] With this kind of dependency on a foreign substance and paying for the product becoming more and more difficult, the situation was rife for the forced….....

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