Western Imperialism in China

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how, despite deriving its name from the addictive narcotic, the Opium War, which was fought by Great Britain and China, between 1839-1841, had less to do with opium than its name implies. More specifically, the paper examines how the war is better characterized as a case of imperialist economic aggression (on the part of Great Britain) than anything else, including drugs or clashes of culture. The paper contends that ultimately, it was for economic reasons that Great Britain and China went to war in 1839.

From the Paper:

"The strongest indication that the Opium War was not really about opium can be seen in the aftermath of the war. While victors historically take advantage of their post-war status to gain more than they originally may have set out to gain, there is usually a reference to and resolution of the original issue over which the war was fought. It should be expected then that opium would get a reasonable mention in any settlements related to the Opium War, however, throughout the various treaties and settlements that followed the Opium War there is very little mention of opium itself. The foremost settlement of the Opium War, the Treaty of Nanjing, says nothing of opium traffic; in fact, the only of the drug is in reference to the reparations to be paid for the 20,000 confiscated by the Chinese in 1839. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• John K. Fairbank, "The Opium War," from John K. Fairbank, China: Tradition andTransformation (Houghton Mifflin, 1978), p. 277. (ER)
• Peter Ward Fay, "Was the Opium War of 1840-1842 a Justified War?" in Ch'ing-shih wen-t'i, (Dec. 1977). (CP)
• Edward McCord, Class Lecture, History of Modern China, 18 Sept 2006
• Edward McCord, Class Lecture, History of Modern China, 20 Sept 2006
• R. Keith Schoppa, Revolution and Its Past: Identities and Change in Modern Chinese History (Prentice Hall). [Second Edition].

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