The Opium War Britain and China - Essay Example

The period before the Opium wars had China in a different position in relation to the Western world. China considered itself better than other civilizations and did not have much contact with the West due to the natural geographical as well as political barriers. With the onset of trade between China and the western countries, there was a demand in the West for Chinese silk, tea, medicine, and porcelain. The only item that the West had to offer China in return was silver. The East India Company in India initially started trading silver for tea and silk from China, but the monopolies existing among traders in China and unfair tariffs made it difficult for the East India Company to continue trading in silver and it finally resorted to trading opium for tea from China.

Opium became very popular in China because during that time, there were difficulties in the economy and people in China were looking for a means of escape. The addictive drug opium provided just such an escape. Opium was prohibited but it was cheap and easy to acquire and the number of addicts kept increasing, at a substantial cost to society. People were trading silver and copper for opium, thus creating further losses to the economy.

In the year 1838, Lin Tse-Hsu became the appointee of the Tao-Kuang emperor. Opium addicts were threatened, the drug-dealing activities of foreigners were hindered by confiscating stores and demanding that they sign bonds guaranteeing their good conduct, and other drug dealers were rounded up. However, all of these efforts did not prove to be a significant deterrent to opium trafficking, as a result of which Lin finally resorted to seizing 20,00 chests of British opium and burning it. This action was the direct cause of the Opium War since Britain immediately declared war on China in retaliation for this gesture.

Fifthly, foreign officers were to be granted equal status as the Chinese and allowed access to Chinese officials. Sixthly, the rights of foreigners to be tried by their own Government rather than the Chinese were to be recognized. Seventhly, the Chong monopoly was to be abolished. Lastly, in diplomatic agreements between China and the western countries, the western principle was to be recognized.

The Treaty of Nanking was significant because it changed the relationship of China with the West. It created more equitable trading conditions for the western countries with China. The high tariffs and monopolies in China were eliminated and China was opened up to western trade. However, the war also led to an increase in crime and disorder in southeast China as opium pirates and bandits began to thrive and clashes erupted between different clans. There was also unemployment due to the shift of trading to different ports and people had to accept Western superiority and make an attempt to understand Western culture despite their hatred for it.