The First Opium War: Causes, Impacts, and Significance

This essay provides an in-depth analysis of the First Opium War, examining its origins, course, and consequences. It explores the conflict between China and Great Britain, focusing on the opium trade and the resulting clashes. The essay details the seizure of opium by the Chinese government, the subsequent military actions by the British, and the eventual Treaty of Nanjing. It analyzes the war's implications for Chinese society, including the loss of territory, economic hardships, and social changes. Furthermore, the paper highlights the war's significance as a turning point in global trade and the beginning of colonial expansion. The essay concludes by emphasizing the devastating impact of war on societies and the need for leaders to prevent such conflicts. The bibliography includes a list of relevant academic sources consulted for the research.

Running head: THE FIRST OPIUM WAR
The First Opium War
Name of the student
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Author Note

1THE FIRST OPIUM WAR
Introduction
The formation of the human society since the dawn of civilization was not without its
obstacles and challenges. Although there was a common need among the individuals to form a
state with an authority above them to look after their well-being, the authoritarian figures soon
emerged to be serving their own personal selfish motives. In this regard, it can be seen that in the
initial stages of human history, the states of the world often engaged in wars with each other
which was mainly decided by the minority class who were at the helm of affairs. The activities of
warfare proved to be disastrous for the lives of the common masses but they did not have enough
courage to go against their leaders or kings1. The purpose of this paper is to understand the issue
of the Opium war which was fought in the landmass of China. Its implications for the Chinese
society and its people has also been referred to in the paper.
Beginning of the First Opium War
Opium is a form of drug which has the potential to disrupt the normal way of life by
changing the behavioral pattern of the individuals of the society. In the nineteenth century, the
western powers of the world have found the platform of Asia to be beneficial for trading
purposes2. Asia was rich in natural resources and spices. The trade in them would lead to the rise
in the revenue of the western powers back home. In this context, the foreign powers, primarily,
the British imperial masters, carried out an opium trade by sending it from India to China.
However, the Chinese government soon found out that the people of the society were becoming
an addict of the drug and their performance levels were decreasing. This compelled the Chinese
1 Wong, Lawrence Wang-chi. "Charles Gutzlaff (1803-1851) and the First Opium War." Journal of English Studies
and Comparative Literature 16, no. 1 (2017).
2 Summers, C. Claire. "Addiction, Arrogance, and Aggression: The Question of Attitude in the First Opium War."
Tenor of Our Times 5, no. 1 (2016): 3.

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government to impose a ban on the trading of opium which greatly angered the British imperial
masters3.
The course of the First Opium War
The First Opium War began in 19839 when the Chinese government seized tonnes of
opium that were kept in the Guangzhou warehouse and destroyed them4. This angered the British
and several drunken British army officials killed a Chinese villager. In the legal battle that
followed, the British did not wish their own natives to be tried in a Chinese court of law and this
sparked more hostility between the two sides.
Later in the same year, several British ships were successful in destroying a Chinese
blockade that was organized in the Pearl River along Hong Kong. A full scale battle was
launched by the British army officials and the then reigning Qing dynasty of China proved to be
ineffective to tackle the superior British artillery. Towards the beginning of 1842, the British
officials captured Nanking, an important Chinese city5. The loss of a powerful center greatly
discouraged the Chinese and this brought about an end to a long drawn war over the trade of
opium.
Implications of the war for the Chinese society
The fight over opium had significant implications for the Chinese society and the
common masses who were caught up in the war. In order to end the war, a peace negotiation was
3 Hai, W. A. N. G., and X. I. A. O. Li. "Patronage, Ideology and Manipulation: The Translation of Ao-men Hsin-
wen-chih During the First Opium War." Budapest International Research and Critics Institute (BIRCI-Journal):
Humanities and Social Sciences 2, no. 3 (2019): 155-163.
4 Abe, Kaori. "The Anglo-Chinese propaganda battles: British, Qing and Cantonese intellectuals and the first opium
war in Canton." Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch 56 (2016): 172.
5 Chang, Elizabeth. "Merchants of War and Peace: British Knowledge of China in the Making of the Opium War by
Song-Chuan Chen." Victorian Studies 61, no. 1 (2018): 113-114.

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arranged known as the Treaty of Nanjing. By the terms of the treaty, China was compelled to
cede the island of Hong Kong to the British6. This island would be used by the foreign power to
reside in and carry out their personal trade. It proved to be disastrous for the Chinese natives
living on the island as they were either forced to uproot themselves and relocate somewhere else
or live under the tutelage of a foreign ruler who were not familiar with their culture and
traditions.
Furthermore, the Chinese empire was compelled to pay a large sum as indemnity to the
British7. This again was considered to be disastrous for the local people as their economy took a
hit. The amount of money circulating in the economy was largely reduced and this led to the rise
in inflation. This further pushed the people to take recourse to certain socially undesirable
activities which included the consumption of the unlawful opium. In other words, the people of
China did not have the money required to undertake productive activities and instead, they
decided to find relief in activities which were not a part of their culture.
Significance of the First Opium War
In this regard, it can be seen that the Opium War had a significant negative impact on the
society of China. It was fought because of the desires of the foreign powers to earn more power
and resources for themselves. The Opium War can be noted to be a part of the colonial expansion
of the British Empire. This, the Chinese people had to face hardships in their own native place
because of the aspirations of the more powerful British forces to increase their own revenue back
6 Mao, Bincheng. "Research on the Opium War and Its Influence from the Perspective of Confrontation between
Chinese and Western Culture." In 2017 5th International Education, Economics, Social Science, Arts, Sports and
Management Engineering Conference (IEESASM 2017). Atlantis Press, 2018.
7 Kang, Hyunwoo. "The Opium Wars-Two Armed Conflicts concerning the Qing Dynasty and the British Regarding
the Right to Trade." THE PPEREVIEW (2018): 46.

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home8. The Opium War is therefore considered to be a historical landmark as it showed the
changes in the trading structures of the world and the beginning of retaliation underdeveloped
regimes against the powerful colonial masters.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it can be noted that wars have a significantly adverse impact on the
societies of the world. While they may prove to be important for serving the motives of the state
leaders to gain more power and resources, they tend to destroy the lives of the common people
and their properties. There is thus a need on the part of the leaders to understand the negative
implications of war and ensure its eradication from the society.
8 Barrett, Charles. "The EITC’s Fall and the Opium Wars." (2017).

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Bibliography:
Abe, Kaori. "The Anglo-Chinese propaganda battles: British, Qing and Cantonese intellectuals
and the first opium war in Canton." Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong
Branch 56 (2016): 172.
Barrett, Charles. "The EITC’s Fall and the Opium Wars." (2017).
Chang, Elizabeth. "Merchants of War and Peace: British Knowledge of China in the Making of
the Opium War by Song-Chuan Chen." Victorian Studies 61, no. 1 (2018): 113-114.
Hai, W. A. N. G., and X. I. A. O. Li. "Patronage, Ideology and Manipulation: The Translation of
Ao-men Hsin-wen-chih During the First Opium War." Budapest International Research
and Critics Institute (BIRCI-Journal): Humanities and Social Sciences 2, no. 3 (2019):
155-163.
Kang, Hyunwoo. "The Opium Wars-Two Armed Conflicts concerning the Qing Dynasty and the
British Regarding the Right to Trade." THE PPEREVIEW (2018): 46.
Mao, Bincheng. "Research on the Opium War and Its Influence from the Perspective of
Confrontation between Chinese and Western Culture." In 2017 5th International
Education, Economics, Social Science, Arts, Sports and Management Engineering
Conference (IEESASM 2017). Atlantis Press, 2018.
Summers, C. Claire. "Addiction, Arrogance, and Aggression: The Question of Attitude in the
First Opium War." Tenor of Our Times 5, no. 1 (2016): 3.
Wong, Lawrence Wang-chi. "Charles Gutzlaff (1803-1851) and the First Opium War." Journal
of English Studies and Comparative Literature 16, no. 1 (2017).