POST 5 Background (Opium War)

The Opium Wars were two wars between the Qing dynasty and Western powers in the mid-19th century. The first opium war happened from 1839 until 1842 between the Qing dynasty and the United Kingdom. This war was a conflict triggered by the dynasty's campaign to impose an opium ban on British and American merchants who sold opium produced in India and Turkey. The second opium war was fought between the Qing dynasty and the Anglo-French (the UK and France) from 1856-1860. The European force took an easy victory in both wars by having modern military technology. As a result, the Qing government was forced to give the Europeans preferential tariffs, trade concessions, compensation, and territory. The wars and the treaties that followed destroyed the Qing imperial government and required China to open specific treaty ports (particularly Shanghai) that handled all commerce with imperial nations.