The First Opium War, often referred to as the Opium War, took place from June 28, 1840 to August 29, 1842. It was a large-scale war of aggression launched by Britain against the Qing Dynasty in the middle of the nineteenth century, and it was also the beginning of modern Chinese history.
In June 1840, the British sent an expeditionary force to invade China under the pretext of Lin Zexu's Humen cigarette sales, and the Opium War ended in the defeat of the Qing Dynasty, and China and Britain signed the first unequal treaty in Chinese history, the Treaty of Nanjing. In August 1842, the British withdrew from the area south of the Yangtze River, and the war ended.
The war was caused by the dumping of opium by Britain in China in order to open up the Chinese market. The Qing ** took a series of measures to ban smoking, which caused discontent and retaliation in the United Kingdom. In the course of the war, the British army relied on advanced equipment to wantonly invade the coastal areas, although the Qing army resisted, but due to backward equipment, army corruption and other reasons, it was ultimately difficult to resist the British attack.
As a result of the war, China and Britain signed the Treaty of Nanjing, and China was forced to open its coastal treaty ports, cede Hong Kong Island, pay reparations, etc., and lose a series of sovereignty. The war had a profound impact on China. As a result, China began to degenerate into a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society, and lost its independent status. At the same time, it has also promoted the awakening of the Chinese people and stimulated the patriotic spirit and resistance consciousness of the Chinese people.
For the world, the Opium War also marked the beginning of large-scale aggression and plundering of China by the Western powers, further increasing tensions in the Far East. In short, the First Opium War was a major event in China's modern history, which not only changed the course of China's history, but also had an important impact on the world.