Causes

Question 1

Intro - War

Answer 1

First Anglo-Chinese war 1839-1842 defining moment, long term cause deterioration of Qing and British relationships, short term trigger opium trade

Question 2

Context 1 - Battles

Answer 2

The war was a series of military and naval battles between Qing and British, British seized key strategic ports, rivers and trading posts to cut the supply of Chinese resources

Question 3

Context 2 - Yangtze

Answer 3

British targeted Yangtze river which was “like a throat, at which the whole situation of the country is determined,” Yilibu, viceroy of Nanking

Question 4

Context 3 - British Technology

Answer 4

British Navy utilised superior ships and weapons to defeat Chinese in a devastating manner. 69 British casualties and 451 wounded, 20,000 – 25,000 Chinese casualties

Question 5

Context 4 - Treaty of Nanking

Answer 5

August 1842 Qing officials had to submit to peace terms under the threat of gunboat diplomacy, signed the Treaty of Nanking, the first unequal treaty which signaled the start of the century of humiliation for China.

Question 6

Cause 1: Long term - Political / Cultural

Answer 6

Long-term cause is the deterioration of Sino-British relationships, during 18th Century Qing dynasty was at its peak, perceived itself as the “Middle Kingdom.”, thriving dynasty aimed to maintain its “Mandate of Heaven” through sustaining a social order based on traditional Confucius ideology

Question 7

Cause 1: 2 - British Expansion

Answer 7

British Empire politically and economically expanded across the globe, driven by imperialism fueled by the industrial revolution, during 18th Century desire for Chinese commodities - silk, porcelain and tea

Question 8

Cause 1: 3 - Western Influence

Answer 8

Qing emperor saw potential profit from trade, but also danger of Western influence on China, an imperial decree issued in 1757 restricting Canton as the only foreign trading port

Question 9

Cause 1: 4 - Canton System

Answer 9

Canton System heightened tensions, British East India Company (EIC) desired free trade, merchants under the control of the Cohong and the Hoppo (custom official) who dictated all foreign trade in China, limited to operating out of a factory in the foreign quarter

Question 10

Cause 1: 5 - Macartney

Answer 10

Opportunity to expand trade to the interior of China, a market of over 300 million, Lord Macartney was sent in 1792 to present ‘tribute’ to the Qianlong emperor to gain Britain “favored trading nations status.”, his brief was to demand more trade ports, reduced duties and tariffs, and the ability to spread European religions to Chinese

Question 11

Cause 1: 6 - Macartney Fails

Answer 11

Macartney’s demands were unacceptable, they would weaken economic dominance of the Qing and undermine Confucius ideology, fundamental to their social and political order

Question 12

Cause 1: 7 - Domestic Interests

Answer 12

Keller & Shiue (2020) argue the narrative of China being arrogant and self-isolated is wrong, Qing were concerned about foreigners affecting domestic interests and national security

Question 13

Cause 1: 8 - Failed Embassies

Answer 13

Failed embassies of Macartney (1793) and Amherst (1819) confirmed to the British the futility of diplomacy and demonstrated force would be needed to achieve commercial goals

Question 14

Cause 1: 9 - Cultural Differences

Answer 14

Irreconcilable cultural differences were a main cause for Britain deciding to start the war in 1839.

Question 15

Cause 2: Short Term - Opium

Answer 15

Short-term cause was the opium trade, by the turn of the 19th century the British demand for Chinese tea was draining the nation of silver, opium seen as solution to the trade imbalance

Question 16

Cause 2: 2 - Opium Trade

Answer 16

British would export opium from India to China and use the profits to purchase tea, triangular trade set the stage for the Anglo-Chinese conflict

Question 17

Cause 2: 3 - EIC Monopoly

Answer 17

1834 EIC’s monopoly ended and the trade was opened to dozens of British companies, the amount of Opium being shipped into China rose from 300 tonnes to 3,500 by 1839 and a drug epidemic swept the nation

Question 18

Cause 2: 4 - Opium Addiction

Answer 18

Opium addiction destroyed the fabric of Chinese society, weakening the economic power and political authority of the imperial government, 20-30% of government officials consumed opium

Question 19

Cause 2: 5 - John Fairbank

Answer 19

Historian John Fairbank states, “the court was terrified at the thought that the entire government was rotten with addiction.”

Question 20

Cause 2: 6 - Commissioner of Canton

Answer 20

1839 the Daoguang Emperor appointed Lin Zexu as the new commissioner of Canton to curtail opium trade, Lin implemented harsh new policies, blockading British into their factories until they surrendered all opium

Question 21

Cause 2: 7 - First Opium War

Answer 21

Lin destroyed 20,000 chests as he believed the British had made the Middle Kingdom “overflow with that poison… merely to advantage themselves, they care not about injuring others.”, this situation dealt a severe blow to British pride leading to the First Opium War in September of 1839

Question 22

Prioritisation - Extension Reading

Answer 22

Multiple cases shows how difficult it is to analyse the past, in this case cultural conflict is at the heart of this war

Question 23

Prioritisation 2 - Inevitable War

Answer 23

Britain’s aims of dominating China economically conflicted with the Qing Dynasty refusing to make trade easier, making war inevitable

Question 24

Prioritisation 3 - Opium Catalyst

Answer 24

Lin’s response to restrict the opium trade in 1839 was the trigger, the catalyst was 50 years of political and economic tension between East and West, while opium was the immediate cause for conflict, the clash of cultures was the main cause of this war

Question 25

Prioritisation 4 - Cultural Factors

Answer 25

Cultural factors were the main cause of the response to the opium issue, China unwilling to consider making opium legal, as it conflicted with Confucian ideology, drug use disrespected both ancestors and descendants

Question 26

Prioritisation 5 - British Power Hungry

Answer 26

British were driven by a need to assert power and were unwilling to abandon the biggest selling global product or to back down from being disrespected

Question 27

Prioritisation 6 - Catalyst

Answer 27

Opium trade was the catalyst for the war, but the contrasting values was the most significant cause

Question 28

Conclusion 1 - Multiple Forces

Answer 28

Multiple forces at play, opium was the trigger, the main cause was the breakdown of Qing and British relationships

Question 29

Conclusion 2 - Differences

Answer 29

Keller & Shiue argue the conflict was mainly from the differences of “not just two nations, but two empires.” Neither was willing to accommodate the demands of the other, making war inevitable

Question 30

Conclusion 3 - Disrespect

Answer 30

Illegal opium trade disrespected the Qing’s power, the attack on the opium trade disrespected British Sovereignty

Question 31

Conclusion 4 - Gunboat Diplomacy

Answer 31

Clash of empires led to a conflict where ‘gunboat diplomacy’ decided the course of history, with devastating and unfair consequences

Question 32

Conclusion 5 - Trade Today

Answer 32

Relevant to consider these causes today as trade with China once again dictates global economies and is key to NZ’s own economic progress. Cultural and political differences must be acknowledged, respected and carefully negotiated as Western markets rely on Eastern resources