Opium War Flashcards

Flashcards about the Opium War

Treaty of Nanjing (1842)

Treaty between Britain and China that ceded Hong Kong to Britain, established a 20 million ounce silver indemnity, abolished the Cohong system, and opened five more treaty ports in China.

Treaty of Bogue (1843)

Treaty between Britain and China that granted extraterritoriality, the most-favoured-nation clause, and low import tariffs.

Treaty of Wanghia (1844)

Treaty between the US and China that prohibited Americans from trading opium, granted extraterritoriality, and included the most-favoured-nation clause.

Treaty of Whampoa (1844)

Treaty between France and China that granted extraterritoriality and the most-favoured-nation clause.

Extraterritoriality

The right of foreigners to be exempt from the laws of the country they are residing in.

Most-Favored-Nation Clause

A treaty provision whereby a state promises to give another state the same treatment it gives to a third state

Canton Cohong System

A system that restricted foreign trade in China to the port of Canton and through designated Chinese merchants.

Unequal Treaties

A series of treaties signed with Western powers during the 19th and early 20th centuries by Qing dynasty China and, later, by the Republic of China after military defeats by foreign powers. These treaties often granted special privileges to foreigners at the expense of Chinese sovereignty.

Macartney Mission

A British diplomatic mission to China in 1793 that sought to expand trade and establish diplomatic relations.

Arrow Incident

An event in 1856 involving the Chinese seizure of the ship Arrow, which led to the Second Opium War.

Treaty Ports

Ports in China that were opened to foreign trade and residence as a result of unequal treaties.

Opium War Causes

Trade disputes (Canton System, tariffs), diplomatic inequality (tributary system), and legal conflicts (extraterritoriality) between China and Western powers.

Guangzhou (Canton) City Question

A dispute over whether the treaty of Nanjing had given british subjects the right of trade and residence within the walls of Guangzhou

Missionaries

Allowed in China after the opium war, some treaties such as Treaty of Wanghia permitted churches and others such as Treaty of Whampoa, free propagation of catholicism permitted.