Opium Wars 1856-1860

The Opium Wars of 1839 to 1842 and 1856 to 1860 marked a new stage in China’s relationship with the West. The conflict erupted out of pre-existing tensions between the two global superpowers, China and Britain, as they grew increasingly important to each others’ economies through trade over the past century. Their interactions bred a serious imbalance and one-sided dependence; the British demand for Chinese goods, particularly tea, porcelain and silk, far outweighed the corresponding Chinese demand for any English-made goods including cotton and lead. The English economy began to destabilize, and the stockholders expected returns on their many trade investments. To rectify this economic “addiction” to Chinese tea, the British responded with their own drug. They introduced opium into the Sino-Western trade, creating an even more severe need, and restoring their great position of power and negotiation. In order for opium to sell steadily in
We know that taking opium derivatives has the effect of slowing down, distorting the world around, of making time stretch and fade, and of shifting perspectives of painful realities. Chinese documents of the time suggest that opium appealed initially to groups confronting boredom or stress. For example, Eunuchs who were caught in the monotony of court protocols smoked opium as did some of the Manchu court officials, who often did not have useful jobs in palace bureaucracy. Additionally, women in wealthy households, who were deprived of opportunities of education and were not allowed to travel outside of their homes smoked opium. Opium use permeated all aspects of social life in China as the practice rapidly spread, especially among the leisure classes who were seeking a means of social relaxation. By the end of the 19th century, many peasants became addicts, especially those ones who were also growing opium to supplement their meager