The First Opium War

551 Words2 Pages

The First Opium War between the British and China were fought over the countries conflicts in trade and dissimilar perspectives in diplomatic relations. One of the greatest factors of the war was opium, which had caused great instability of the socioeconomic status of China preceding the war and China’s actions in ending the opium import from the British was known to have sparked the war. China has been greatly criticized for provoking this Anglo Chinese War, against the British Empire, one of the greatest empires of that period of time in military and economic standings. However, it was identified that the vast imports of opium into China was slowly poisoning the country and is clear that China’s opium ban and isolation trade policies against the British was the correct decision of the government . The trade of opium into China would have gradually crippled the country’s socioeconomic standing without the need of a war.
Conventionally, China had been a closed social order with an independent financial system. In the 19th century, it engaged in limited associations with the Western...

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