What?: Wars fought over access to trade in China between Great Britain and China.
Where?: China
When?: 1842
Who?: The British and Chinese governments
Why?: Great Britain has been trying to gain access to the rich Chinese market and has been using the drug opium as a product that was attractive to the Chinese
How?: British merchants illegally smuggled the drug opium into China. The Chinese siezed some of the opium and banned its sale in China. Britain responded by launching a naval war that Britain was able to win because of its technilogical advantage (the steam engine).
Results:
1)China loses and her ports are opened up to first British trade.
2)China is forced to sign the Treaty of Nanking” (Unequal Treaties) giving Britain a sphere of influence in China and British citizens Extraterritorial rights.
3)China falls farther behind the rest of the world and is dominated by the Western Powers.
Importance: China is divided into sphere's of influence by the European powers.
Related Terms: 1) Imperialism, 2) Sphere of Influence