Causes+and+Results+of+the+First+Opium+War

=The First Opium War =

Causes
The First Opium War was caused directly by China's isolationist trade policy with the West. Because China would accept only silver from the British, tension arose quickly between the two countries. Opium addiction was another main and direct cause of the opium wars. During the 1800's, opium addiction was an epidemic for the Chinese. The British quickly took advantage of the high demand of opium in China, and began widespread illegal exportation of opium to the country. This angered the Chinese to the point where it no longer would be ignored. This trade was viewed as disrespectful to the emperor and was in direct violation of Chinese law. On top of all this, the British were pushing extraterritoriality in China, basically implying that their laws and regulations were superior to China's. With tension building and neither country willing to come to a compromise, the first opium war began.

Effects
The British won the First Opium War due to a superior navy, and the Chinese were forced to comply. This resulted in a treaty that opened five new ports in China for trade with the west. These ports included Canton, Amoy, Foochow, Shanghai, and Ningbo. Trade taxes were also limited to 5%, and the Chinese now had to accept the concept of extraterritoriality, or that only the laws of a person's mother country applied while they were in China. On top of all that, the Chinese were forced to pay the British 9 million dollars for all of the opium they had destroyed during the war. All of these things were a great loss for the Chinese. These results also greatly influenced the trade profit of Great Britain and changed the way that the West traded goods. Free trade was gradually making its way into China.

This picture depicts the naval warfare that China and Great Britain took part in. The first Opium War resulted in victory for the British mainly because of their experienced and superior navy.

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