The Opium Wars were two conflicts between China under the Qing dynasty and Western powers, mainly Britain, in the 19th century. The first began over China's attempts to stop the British trade in opium from India, which was causing addiction and a drain of silver, and the destruction of opium by the official Lin Zexu. Britain's naval power forced China to sign the Treaty of Nanking in 1842, ceding Hong Kong and opening ports to trade. The second war, with France taking part, ended in 1860 with the occupation of Beijing and the burning of the Summer Palace. The wars weakened the Qing state and began what Chinese historians call a century of humiliation.
Before and after
- 19 April 1839Treaty of London
- 8 July 1839Birth of John D. Rockefeller
- 7 August 1839Founding of Pulkovo Observatory
- 19 August 1839The daguerreotype is announced
- from 4 September 1839 to 24 October 1860Opium Wars
- 1840Construction of Trafalgar Square
- 2 April 1840Birth of Émile Zola
- 25 April 1840Birth of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
- 1 May 1840The Penny Black, the first postage stamp, is issued
More in Wars, politics & history
- from 19 April 1775 to 3 September 1783American Revolutionary War
- 4 July 1776United States Declaration of Independence
- 17 September 1787United States Constitution
- from 1803 to 1815Napoleonic Wars
- from 12 April 1861 to 9 April 1865American Civil War
- from 1868 to 1889Meiji Restoration
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.