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The First Opium War 1839 - Coggle Diagram

- - - - In March he arrested nearly 2,000 Chinese dealers in the city
      - he quickly turned on the british and ordered all Chinese employees to leave their factories. some 350 foreigners were essentially consigned to
        tedious, uncomfortable detention for what amounted to six weeks.
        
        Charles Elliot negotiated a deal. Lin seized over 1,300 tons of opium in 20,283 chests. the three weeks following the 11th April saw 6-10 million dollars worth of opium be destroyed
        
        Hawks vs Doves in British parliament. Agressors won by 9 votes
        
        48 warships. 4000 men initially
        
        Nemesis, the first steam powered iron warship also arrived in November 1840
        
        12,000 men in the end
        
        Kowloon Incident July 1839. six british men killed a villager - eliot held a trial on a boat but they were released as soon as they got home. Lin was not impressed nor satisfied, and thus blockaded all the british settlements, sending them to flee to Hong Kong or Macao when he turned up to mainland settlements with 2000 troops. He was completely oblivious to Britains military power
        
        Some British merchants and representatives of banks bolted from the English ranks to sign an opium bond with Lin (including the consignee of Thomas Coutts and the Royal Saxon). Lin sent Admiral Kuan to Hong Kong to board one of the merchant ships to take a hostage to try to solve the murder case from June.
        3 November 1839: Elliot thought that Kuan was preparing to attack all of his vessels. He sailed upriver to disperse the Chinese fleet. The Royal Saxon ship sailed passed coincidentally on its way to Canton. To enforce the embargo, HMS Volage fired a shot in front of the Saxon’s bow. Kuan intervened, perhaps even to protect the Saxon. After four Chinese ships were destroyed, Kuan’s fleet scattered and sailed away (Battle of Chuenpi).
        
        Lin had also demanded that opium was to be fully banned.
        
        When news got back to Palmerston six months later, the fiscal motive, £2 million, was far stronger than appealing to “national honour” (1834 Elliot was hit by officials, palmerston didn’t care). Lin Zexu flamboyantly destroyed the opium (mixed with lime and dumped in the sea) This was a snare, and would force the British government to demand recompense for the Opium from the Chinese. Very clever from Elliot, who was pro - war.
        
        22 March 1839: Lin believed that Lancelot Dent (President of the British Chamber of Commerce) was the key opium supplier. He demanded for him to turn himself over.
        23 March 1839: Captain Elliot sailed from Macao to Canton with a small military escort. China imposed a trade embargo, a labour boycott and a blockade of the factories - 350 foreigners became stuck for the next 47 days.
  - - - this led to huge inflation in China. under normal circumstances a tael would be 1,000 copper cash, but by 1830s it reached to peaks of 2600
    - - By the 19th century, it is estimated that a direct magistrate, the lowest level official responsible for all local administration, might be responsible for as many as 250,000 people
      - 1779-1850, brought another 56% increase from the end of the 17-18th century , bringing the total population to 430 million
      - 20,000 government positions for 1 million degree holders
      - end of the 18th century Qianlong was senile. corruption was rife,
      - Ostensibly corrupt, so when trying to fight off White Lotus, military generals prolonged the war in order to ensure a constant flow of funding from the government.
      - Massive famines as the land around the south yangtze was over cultivated. At least 9.5 million dead between 1876-79
    - - opium was a huge concern for the Chinese government due to its anti-confucian hedonistic nature.
    - - Amhurst Expedition 1816-17. another kowtow controversy.
      - the average english household spent 5% of income on tea, which was absolutely crucial revenue for the EIC debt.
- - - - New activities ie. the hotel, the theatre, opium house, steamships and railways arrived.
      - Newspapers and opinions were circulating in Shanghai through Chinese/English publications such as Shenbao.
        
        Publication of the Subao newspaper from local students and teacher in Shanghai, and the subsequent refusal of the foreigners to turn over the writers to the Qing government in 1900
      - Western local governmental practice into China instead of the Yamen.
  - - - 2.5% tarifs from Treaty of Tianjin in 1860 meant that Chinese trade massively suffered, as Western goods flooded the market.
      - Industrial manufacturing remained prohibited until 1895.
    - - Export value of textiles stood at £5 million in 1860. Trade boom in Shanghai.
        
        Trade boom in many of the cities attracted financial investment from overseas that has lived to today.
        
        China did not share proportionally in the wealth generated, but saw Shanghai as an inspiration regarding wealth opportunities and wealth creation in China.
        
        Many traders moved inland, and American investment built sewers, transport system and police forces that were used as a premise for further development in china.
        
        Development of a new, wealthy class as compradors, who capitalized on the western presence and used their mercential nouse to their own financial gain.
        
        HSBC was one of the numerous new institutions that floated the first public loan tro the Chinese government on the London market in 1874.
      - 4,500 chests of Opium in 1800- 15,000 by 1830- Surpassing 30,000 by 1836
      - By 1830's, leading Chinese merchant at Canton named Houqua was thought to be the richest man in the world.
      - 1834 Canton trade opened up after British parliament terminated EIC's monopoly on Opium trade
      - 1863 Robert Hart as the major genreal of the maritime customs service
      - Imperial Maritime customs service set up in 1854
  - - - Opium problem had not been resolved, leading to the second Opium War 1856-60
    - - Led to destruction of previous tributary systems, forcing reform.
  - - - 21 million silvar dollar indemnity
      - Dismantled Canton trade
        
        5 trading ports, including Fuzhou, Ningbo and Shanghai
      - Fact that opium was not legalised meant that the British could claim that the war had been entirely about free trade and protection for British citizens instead of protecting drug dealers.
      - Communication at a footing of perfect equality- meant that other treaties were written and negotiated in English and other MFL, therefore there was often a graceful misunderstanding of the potential impacts among Chinese negotiators, who were not exercised in diplomacy. V. Unethical.
      - British extraterritoriality
      - Slave boy was sent to negotiate instead of generals
    - - MFN and extraterritoriality - The idea that foreign jurisdiction is applicable to subjects in a certain area
  - - - Beijing Convention 1860
        
        forced the opening of 10 additional ports including four up the Yangtze river into deep mainland china. establishing permaent western legations in Beijing
        
        foreigners granted travel throughout china. inland tariffs further decreased to 2.5%. another large indemnity
        
        Alllowed Missionaries to buy land and have unrestricted access to Inner China
        
        1865 ‘Evangelical China Inland Mission’ led by James Hudson Taylor penetrated cities, towns and villages that previously had no settled foreign presence.
        
        Kowloon peninsula given up
      - Treaty of Wanghia July 1844. terms of trade and residence in the treaty ports. However, banned american merchants from selling and trading opium outside of the ports. also included an MFN for Fr, US, Por, Neth, Swe
    - - Roman Catholic Missionaries allowed to preach christianity
      - Treaty of whampoa accelerated the chrisitan missionaries and the work of Matteo Richi and overall led to the Taiping rebellion, exploiting the rural discontent across China. Chinese peasants were amazed by technologies such as western medicine
- - - - Economics
      - Military leadership
        
        Chinese leaders, generals and the Emperor Daoguang were incompetent. Often keen to please emperor, so reports would be false.
        
        Qishan was sentenced to death in 1842. shows how stubborn the emperor was.
        
        Chinese leaders would often be so ashamed
        
        Qishan makes the concessions of Hong Kong, an indemnity of $6 million, and to re-open Canton to trade. When this Chuanbi Convention 1841 was submitted to the Guangdong emperor, he flew into a rage. He was stripped of his title and imprisoned, threatened with death. Elliot for his part was disgraced and removed from office, April 21st, for being too lenient, only finding out in July, when his successor, Pottinger arrived.
        
        Where Amoy was easy, others were bloodbaths. Tinghai 1842 (after pottinger arrived) was a “field of slaughter” with several mandarins commiting suicide to avoid the kings wrath.
        
        Ningpo similar. October 10th attacked to stop the bloodbath, where the city offered no resistance.
        
        lack of tech. Battle of Sanyuani May and June 1842. civilian force of 10,000 soldiers from 100 different villages. primitive weapons of hoes and spears. only killed 14 british. the chinese failed to recognise that this was only a success because it was outside of gunship range. indeed, it was also greatly overexaggerated by the military officials as a huge victory, when it really wasn't.
        
        Culture of mass suicide.
        
        complete lack of cohesion in China as shown by the July 4th 1840 meeting on the Wellusey at Chusan City with chinese officials from the town. The officials refused demands and asked why they were being asked to do stuff that related to Canton. China was so detached.
      - Social
        
        Latent anti-Manchurism in some segments of the population made it easy for people to believe that a ‘foreign’ ruling house was appeasing the barbarians.
        
        1842: 21 July, Chinkiang/Zhenjiang. Han chinese started fighting for the british, as the Manchus were so foul to them. Mass suicide.
  - - - Economics
        
        British captured warehouses and river barges in which silver to raise taxes was stored; limited Chinese ability to pay soldiers & fund war.
      - Military
        
        British steamships draft only 3.7m deep and could sail up-river. Outmanoeuvred Chinese junks.
        
        GB soldiers battle hardened from India and Africa. Chinese were not. 800,000 Chinese not centrally controlled either. Local militias. Qing failed to realise need for centralisation and coordination
        
        Britain had colonies in Asia and SE Asia. Could resupply armies and reinforce with relative ease.
        
        Jan 1842 go further north. Chinese did not expect approach on Shanghai. Ship Nemesis was able to sail up river and scout all the fortifications on the Woosung River. 660 tonne iron steamer. flat bottomed with a six foot draught. the landed 600 sepoys at Chuanbi 7th Jan 1841 with congreve rockets and heavy artillery. 500 chinese killed in a day. 38 british wounded. gunboat diplomacy. 5 iron steamers and 15 warships by 1842.
        
        Admiral Elliot and Parker seasoned commanders. Elliot and Pottinger expert negotiators adn refused to negotitate in chinese.
        
        Mobile artillery; well-trained musketeers. Massacre at Zhenjiang 1842 sent message to Daoguang.
        
        fleet of 48 ships and 540 guns. 6 million pounds of coal. 16,000 gallons of rum. 4,000 men which increased to 12,000 by the end of the second opium war.
        
        Ningbo March 1842 . howitzer spraying grapeshot massacred the chinese when they became trapped over 400 of chinese dead.
        
        Chapu May 1842. 500-600 Chinese killed. Merciless british soldiers who raped and drugged many Chinese women.
        
        Final Battle of Nanjing. 3000-5000 Manchus/Mongols who fought 7000 british. 200 british killed, 2000 chinese. Han chinese started fighting for the british, as the Manchus were so foul to them
        
        The Second Battle of Chuanbi begins on 7 January 1841
        
        January 7th. lasted an hour.
        
        500 chinese killed. 38 british wounded.
        
        it lasted but an hour
        
        600 sepoys deployed from the Nemesis
        
        The British were starting to use percussion-lock muskets (accurate and could be used in all weathers) whereas the Chinese inefficient and unreliable matchlocks.
        
        Battle of the Barrier 1840, British warships use long range rockets and artillery to obliterate Chinese guns that threatened GB troops in Macau. August 19th. destroyed in a single day. it was the barrier that seperated MAcau from the mainland.
      - Unity of purpose