1. What were the causes of the Opium Wars?
Imperialism in China
What were the causes of the Opium Wars? vs

2. China & The West p. 371
What was the basis of China’s self sufficiency?
What was China’s main crop & where was it grown?
What did the Spanish & Portuguese bring to China and how did it effect the Chinese?
What other resources did China have?

3. Stop selling drugs to our people!
The Opium Wars
Little trade between China & the West, except for silk & tea for silver which favored China
British bring technology gifts to China, Chinese are unimpressed
Next, British bring opium from India to China
1835: 12 million Chinese were hooked on the drug – Chinese Qing Emperor tries to ban opium
Emperor’s advisor complains to Britain’s Queen Victoria
Queen ignores him and Britain continues trading in Opium
Stop selling drugs to our people!
Poppy Plant
Deal with it!
1839: China tries to destroy British opium. Britain starts “Opium Wars”
Chinese lose the war
1842: Treaty of Nanjing gives 1) Britain island of Hong Kong & 2) extraterritorial rights (foreigners not subject to Chinese Law)

4. Geography App: The Opium Wars
What does each box in the graph represent?
How much did opium increase between 1770 & 1840?
Describe the route in which opium arrived in China?
Why was Singapore important to the British?
Why did the British government encourage opium trade?

5. 1861: Qing Emp. dies, wife Cixi & sister Ci'an share throne
Taiping Rebellion
1850: Hong Xiuquan recruits peasant army to remove Qing Government, starting the Taiping Rebellion
1861: Qing Emp. dies, wife Cixi & sister Ci'an share throne
1864: Empress Cixi asks British & French to help defeat Hong’s army - 20 million + killed during Taiping Rebellion
Empress Cixi “owes” Britain & France but rest of Europe & Japan want Spheres of Influence in China
Fearing another “Scramble for Africa”, the US negotiates the open door policy, which allowed all nations trade with China
Imperialism in China Pol Cartoon
1. What are the Europeans doing to China?
2. Which countries seem at odds with each other?
3. Who else is involved and what is the reaction of the Chinese?

6. The Boxer Rebellion
Tension grows between Cixi & C’ian over Open Door Policy
C'ian’s son becomes Emperor at age 18, wants to end the Open Door Policy
He is arrested & Empress Cixi returns
1900: Angry Chinese form the Boxers, began a revolt known as the Boxer Rebellion – Britain & US intervene
Although Boxers were beaten, Chinese know reform is needed