Imperialism Spread Of China And The Opium War - 1498 Words

When imperialism spread to China: Events leading to the Opium War Have you ever wondered what it would be like if an event in history ceased to happen or the effect of a slight change in the past and if it would drastically change the future? Like the butterfly affect? I recently came across some historical text about China. During the time of imperialism, a major shift had happened in China that caused an entire dynasty to fall. The collapse caused a half century long recovery period and a change in world trade. This event was the Opium War. The Opium War in China occurred in two-time spans, 1839 -1842 and 1856 -1860, however, I am just going to discuss the first one. During the 19th century, global trade had spiked interest in many†¦show more content†¦Would the country have collapsed on itself? Throughout history Britain consistently continued taking over and or imperializing multiple countries to then rely on them for survival and wealth. Could this have been a possible future for China? Today the United States is China’s major agricultural source. Yet, if this event had not transpired would China still be able to produce its own food? Would China today even exist or would it have been consumed by another superior country? During the reign of Qing Emperor Daoguang (1820 - 1850), foreign trade was only allowed in the commercial port of Canton. Due to the foreign trade policy, for Britain to obtain Chinese goods they would have to purchase them with silver. Silver was China’s currency at that time. The English-speaking merchants were not allowed to learn Chinese and were to be harshly punished if they left the port to enter China. This frustrated the British East India Company. They had very few restrictions from foreign ports and companies. The reasoning behind this was they had already seized control of them. This gave Great Britain a massive advantage: A monopoly system of the seas. A stem of related problems began to emerge for Britain. They did not have their own supply of silver and would purchase it from Mexico so it could be used to purchase large quantities of Chinese Tea. â€Å"Tea and sugar made a marvelous mildly addicting drug food†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (qtd. Dunn) Years went by of accelerat edShow MoreRelatedNew Imperialism Influence on China Essay586 Words   |  3 Pagesof western powers, China was very stable, agricultural, and ethnocentric. They had many factories that produced silk, cotton, and porcelain with their natural resources: salt, tin, silver, and iron mines. They had no interest of trade or interaction with foreigners. From the early eighteenth century, European and American Imperialism spread throughout China with a goal to extend their nation’s power. China was one of many territories that undertook the changes of New Imperialism. 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