As the 1800s progressed, so did the British in trying to get China to trade.
The British smuggled opium from India into China. Opium is a highly addictive drug that is obtained from the opium poppy plant. Since opium was a highly addictive drug, the British got many and most Chinese people addicted to their opium. These opium smuggles continued till 1839 because the British refused to end the opium smuggle. But, in 1839 China declared a war on the British to end the opium smuggle. This war occurred until 1842, and sadly the British won the Opium War. The British won the Opium war due to their modern navy. The British forced the China to keep their opium ports open. Due to the British China started to trade with the
West.
Discussion Question: Why was it crucial for the British to win the Opium War? Explain.
Throughout the early half of the 1800s, China began to weaken and became an easier target. Soon later the Chinese people got annoyed by the foreigners and started the Boxer Rebellion. The Boxer Rebellion was a war intended to get foreign nations out of China. Sadly, China lost the Boxer Rebellion and faced many harsh rules. After 1853, Britain, also known as the British, and other industrial powers got China to sign unequal trade treaties in particular ports. These unequal trade treaties allowed foreign countries to gain control over the ports and force China to pay for unnecessary things for the foreign countries. By the early 1900s, foreign nations carved China with exclusive trading rights. This was similar to the Berlin Conference because of how the foreign nations got together and planned this out. Due to these events, Chinese civilizations were fundamentally altered by European imperialism.