preview

British Imperialism In China

Decent Essays

In the 19th and 20th centuries, various powerful nations sent colonizers to dominate weaker nations and expand their influence. This domination is called imperialism, which is still practiced today in moderation. Among the many countries shaped by imperialism were India and China. These two large countries were both colonized by the British who were one of the greatest imperialistic powers at that time. Although both India and China were colonized by the British, there were many differences between the countries and the impacts imperialism had on them. In the 1600s, the British East India Company gained trading rights for the Mughal empire. As the Mughal empire lost power, the East India Company gained more power in India. The British colonization …show more content…

In the 1700s, China had an imbalance of trade, which meant they were exporting more goods than they imported. The British valued the silk and porcelain that China produced, but they had to pay China with silver and gold instead of other goods. To balance trade, the British began to sell opium to the Chinese. This was very profitable for the British, so they continued it despite Chinese objections. British merchant William Jardines justified the trade by saying that opium was “absolutely necessary to give any vessel a reasonable chance of defraying her expenses”. The opium trade sparked the Opium War, which the British won easily with their superior weaponry and they gained control of Hong Kong. Besides the British, Japan also wanted domination of China. The Sino-Japanese war was a victory for the Japanese which awarded them the island of Taiwan. This victory opened the door for other countries, including Germany, Russia, and France to control parts of China’s coast, which benefited their trade and …show more content…

The British exported opium from India to China, causing many Chinese to be addicted to the drugs. This act was extremely unpopular among the Chinese. In a letter to Queen Victoria, commissioner Lin Tse-hsu wrote that England was “careful of your own lives, but careless of the lives of other people”. This resentment towards the British led to war, which was catastrophic for the Chinese because they were forced to sign the Treaty of Nanjing. The treaty caused China to lose Hong Kong and pay a large indemnity. Many more unequal treaties would follow harming China further and spurring the Taiping Rebellion, which lasted from 1850 to 1864. The Taiping Rebellion resulted in the death of 20 to 30 million people making it devastating. By this time, many Chinese realized the need for modernization. In 1898, emperor Guang Yu started the Hundred Days of Reform. During this time period, new laws were created and new industries were formed. Despite these reforms, China was still in disarray and Westerners were viewed as “foreign devils”. The Boxer Uprising began in 1900 when the Boxers attacked foreigners in China. The uprising was soon put down by a multinational force. After the uprising, China quickly modernized and a new leader emerged. Sun Yixian (Sun Yat-sen) rebuilt China and was named the president of the new Chinese republic. This republic

Get Access