The treaty of Nanjing was signed on August 29, 1842. It marked the end of the opium war between the Qing Empire and the British Empire. The treaty heavily favored the British because of the fact that the British had won the won by the end. The British would obtain 21 million dollars when the treaty was signed and would gain another 15 million in the next three years. They would also gain control of numerous ports and cities in China including Hong Kong. The Chinese gained almost nothing from this treaty but it was the only way they could obtain peace. This picture shows the signing of the treaty.
Picture from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nanjingtreaty.jpg
Info from
http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/History/hits?docNum=BT3403700875&tab=4&locID=menlo_schlib&nav=1&origSearch=false&hdb=ALL&t=RK&s=1&r=d&items=0&secondary=false&o=&sortOrder=RE&n=10&l=dE&sgPhrase=false&c=1&tabMap=5&bucket=psm&SU=Treaty+of+Nanjing
In your blog you say that the only way that the Chinese could achieve peace was thorugh the treaty despite the british getting millions of dollars from them. Why didnt they instead invest the money in a better military that would benefit them by not only defeating the british but also warding off other potential attackers?
ReplyDeleteMarjory, it's quite possible that the Chinese had no where to go. I doubt that they would have the time to build up an army, especially when the British had such a strong hold on the world. This treaty is very similar to the one we signed with the British after the American Revolution. It was called the Paris Peace Treaty, and although the British gained nothing from this, they still signed it. They were backed into a corner, so what else were they to do?
ReplyDeleteYes, like Austin said the Chinese had already been defeated and were backed up agaisnt a wall. Their only option for not being slaughtered was to basically "sign" themselves over to the British. Even they the Chinese payed a great debt in terms of being owned by the British for the next couple years, this was the last possible option at the time
ReplyDeleteYou mean that the British acquired Hong Kong because of a war settlement based on Opium? The British occupancy of Hong Kong was based on the fight over a drug. Unbelievable. The whole Hong Kong/China/Britian current day independence can be traced to the 19th Century
ReplyDelete