Analysis of the First and Second Opium Wars.

As the western world is quickly stepping into the industrial age during the 17th and 18th century, the Far East civilizations have still remained in a mostly feudal society. This unbalance of progress created an unbalance of world perspective, unbalance of trade and unbalance of military power. The result of this unbalance made India a colony of Britain, also completely changed the face of Southeast Asia and awakened Japan to become a world power. This …

…Wars turned out to be the starting point and one of the causes for almost one-hundred years of Chinese people's suffering and warfare. After the Opium Wars, China never really had a strong government that had any respect from the people. Bibliography: Beeching, Jack The Chinese Opium Wars Harcourt Brace, New York, 1977 Chesneaux, Jean China from the opium wars to the 1911 revolution Pantheon Books, New York, 1976 Holt, Edgar The Opium Wars in China Putnam, London, 1964