First Opium War Explained (Great Britain v China)

The First Opium War 1839 - 1842 was fought between the Chinese and British Empires.

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The Opium Wars were two 19th century wars fought between China and Britain (and also France in the second one). Two mighty and proud empires fighting each other and all, ostensibly about the trade in opium.

The British were trying to export the narcotic into China and the Chinese authorities, unsurprisingly, wanted to stop them.

In this episode, I'm exploring the reasons behind the 1st Opium War 1839-1842, what happened during the war and how it resulted in the British ruling Hong Kong for over 150 years.

And the interesting thing is that despite the name (Opiums Wars), opium was not the only reason these two countries went to war.

Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:59 Opium Trade
4:38 Other Reasons For War
7:43 Chinese Clamp Down
9:58 Drunken Sailors
11:37 Arrival of HMS Volage
13:34 Battle of Chuenpi
14:19 Parliament Divided
16:43 War
18:55 General Hugh Gough
20:33 Battle of Chusan
22:03 2nd Battle of Chuenpi
23:46 War Resumes
24:19 Canton Captured
24:57 Elliot Replaced
26:04 Battle of Amoy
27:59 Shanghai Captured
28:33 Battle of Zhenjang
29:00 Treaty of Nanking
29:40 Hong Kong - British Colony
30:46 Century of Humiliation


Timeline - The First Opium War
Jan 1839 Viceroy Lin attempts to stamp out opium trade in Canton
Mar 1839 European stock of Opium surrendered & destroyed
July 1839 Kowloon Incident
Aug 1839 Arrival of HMS Volage
Sept 1839 Battle of Kowloon
Oct 1839 British parliament narrowly votes for military expedition
Nov 1839 Battle of Chuenpi
June 1840 British expeditionary forces arrives off coast of China
July 1840 Battle of Chusan
Jan 1841 Second battle of Chuenpi
Jan 1841 British & Chinese local officials agree peace treaty (repudiated by both governments)
Feb 1841 British capture Whampoa
May 1841 Chinese counter-attack in Pearl River theatre of war
June 1841 British capture Canton
July 1841 Elliot replaced by Henry Pottinger
Aug 1841 Battle of Amoy
Oct 1841 British re-occupy Chusan
March 1842 Battle of Ningpo
March 1842 British capture Zhapu
June 1842 British capture Shanghai
July 1842 British win battle of Zhenjang (Chin Kinag)
August 1842 Treaty of Nanking - first of the "Unequal Treaties".
British gain possession of Hong Kong (in perpetuity).
1856 Second Opium War starts
1900 Boxer Rebellion
1997 Hong Kong returned to China


Sources used to produce this episode include:
"Queen Victoria's Little Wars" - Byron Farwell
"Britain's Forgotten Wars" - Ian Hernon
The National Army Museum
Wikipedia






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My name is Chris Green and I love to share stories from British history. Not just because they are interesting but because, good or bad, they have shaped the world we live in today.

History should not be stuffy or a long list of dates or kings & queens.
So rather than lectures or Youtube animations, I tell stories that bring the past to life.

My aim is to be chat as if I were having a coffee or meal with you. Jean in Maryland, USA recently wrote: "Chris, is the history teacher I wish I had at school!"

Just for the record, I do have a history degree in Medieval & Modern history from the University of Birmingham.

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