What are some Legacies of Imperialism in China?
In the mid 19th Century, China and the European countries were not on good terms at all. At the root of all this conflict was economics. Due to the lack of interest in European goods, all of the European countries, specifically Britain were running a trade deficit with China. In order to reverse this trend, the British started exporting opium from India and into China. This had the desired effect as soon China began to run a trade deficit with the British. In order to stem the outflow of silver from China, Chinese officials began aggressively enforcing its laws against opium use and distribution. The actions of Chinese authorities against this lucrative trade infuriated British politicians despite the fact opium was illegal in Britain as well. This conflict resulted in two wars (1839-1842, 1856-1860) between the British and Chinese and would result in much hardship for the Chinese people in subsequent events. The Opium Wars would end up having lasting effects on China that are evident
