Causes Flashcards
Intro - War
First Anglo-Chinese war 1839-1842 defining moment, long term cause deterioration of Qing and British relationships, short term trigger opium trade
Context 1 - Battles
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
Context 2 - Yangtze
British targeted Yangtze river which was “like a throat, at which the whole situation of the country is determined,” Yilibu, viceroy of Nanking
Context 3 - British Technology
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
Context 4 - Treaty of Nanking
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.
Cause 1: Long term - Political / Cultural
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
Cause 1: 2 - British Expansion
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
Cause 1: 3 - Western Influence
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
Cause 1: 4 - Canton System
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
Cause 1: 5 - Macartney
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
Cause 1: 6 - Macartney Fails
Macartney’s demands were unacceptable, they would weaken economic dominance of the Qing and undermine Confucius ideology, fundamental to their social and political order
Cause 1: 7 - Domestic Interests
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
Cause 1: 8 - Failed Embassies
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
Cause 1: 9 - Cultural Differences
Irreconcilable cultural differences were a main cause for Britain deciding to start the war in 1839.
Cause 2: Short Term - Opium
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
Cause 2: 2 - Opium Trade
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
Cause 2: 3 - EIC Monopoly
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
Cause 2: 4 - Opium Addiction
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
Cause 2: 5 - John Fairbank
Historian John Fairbank states, “the court was terrified at the thought that the entire government was rotten with addiction.”
Cause 2: 6 - Commissioner of Canton
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
Cause 2: 7 - First Opium War
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
Prioritisation - Extension Reading
Multiple cases shows how difficult it is to analyse the past, in this case cultural conflict is at the heart of this war
Prioritisation 2 - Inevitable War
Britain’s aims of dominating China economically conflicted with the Qing Dynasty refusing to make trade easier, making war inevitable
Prioritisation 3 - Opium Catalyst
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
