China before the war:

From the early Qing Dynasty to the eve of the Opium War, China was still an independent feudal country, and this powerful country showed a declining trend from the end of Qianlong.

The feudal system seriously hindered the development of new productive forces. In the middle of Ming Dynasty, the development of capitalism was very slow. Before the Opium War, the self-sufficient natural economy, which combined small-scale peasant economy with cottage industry, always occupied the dominant position in China's social economy. Land annexation is becoming more and more serious, which has become a common phenomenon in China. Bureaucratic corruption and feudal autocracy developed to the extreme. The Qing government used the "Four Books" and "Five Classics" to imprison people's thoughts and brutally suppress those who were dissatisfied with or commented on current politics. National defense is empty and armaments are slack. In terms of foreign relations, the long-term closed-door policy of Qing Dynasty seriously hindered China's foreign trade, social politics and economic development.

With the increasing corruption of the Qing dynasty and the intensification of exploitation and oppression of the people, domestic class contradictions have intensified day by day, and people's resistance struggles have broken out one after another. The rule of the Qing Dynasty is facing a profound crisis, and the feudal society in China has come to an end.

The expansion of power:

While the Qing Dynasty declined, capitalism in Britain, France and the United States was developing rapidly. From 65438 to the 1960s, Britain began the industrial revolution. In the 1930s and 40s of 19, the large machinery industry gradually replaced the workshop handicraft industry. With the development of British industry, industrial output has risen sharply. "The need to continuously expand product sales drives the bourgeoisie to run around the world."

France is a capitalist country next to Britain. On the eve of the Opium War, its industrial output value ranked second in the world. The capitalist industry in the United States was not developed on the eve of the Opium War, but it is on the rise. 19 In the 1930s, the American bourgeoisie plundered the land of Indians and Mexicans in the south, excluded the influence of European capitalism in Latin America, and completely controlled the market. Therefore, the United States did not have enough power to invade China in the middle of 19. The United States acted as the helper of the British invaders and followed the British invasion of China. 186 1 after the reform of Russian serfdom, capitalist industry and commerce developed rapidly. Russia is eyeing China from the north, ready to seize the territory of China.

19 in the 1940s, western capitalist countries flourished under the glory of the industrial revolution. In order to expand the commodity market, compete for the origin of raw materials and step up colonial conquest activities, countries and regions around China have become their colonies or spheres of influence. As an ancient country with a vast territory, China has naturally become a new target for colonialists' aggression and expansion.

Opium import:

After the Industrial Revolution, the British bourgeoisie tried to sell industrial products to China in an attempt to open the door to China through commodity trade. Until the twenties and thirties of 19, the trade between China and Britain still maintained the status of more than 23 million taels of silver per year. In order to change this unfavorable trade situation, the British bourgeoisie made strong representations through diplomatic channels, but failed to achieve their goal, so they took despicable measures to smuggle a large number of special commodities-opium to China by means of "extermination" to satisfy their infinite desire to pursue profits.

Opium trade has brought amazing profits to the British bourgeoisie, the British and Indian governments, the East India Company and opium dealers. It broke the long-term advantage of China's foreign trade, and changed China from a country that went abroad for more than 200 years into a country that went abroad.

"Poisonous crow smoke is a disaster that has not happened in China for 3,000 years". A large number of opium imports have led to an annual outflow of 6 million taels of silver in China, and a serious shortage of silver has occurred in China, resulting in the exhaustion of finance and the emptiness of the national treasury.

The import of opium has seriously ruined social customs and ruined people's physical and mental health. Drug abuse not only harms the physical and mental health of China people, but also damages social productive forces, leading to the depression and decline of industry and commerce in the southeast coastal areas.

The government forbids smoking;

Opium trade has brought serious harm to China society and attracted the attention of the Qing government and people. The Qing government issued eight prohibitions from1821-1834 for its own benefit. Some people in the ruling class witnessed the social crisis and demanded reform. Opium is strictly prohibited in China. In February, Daoguang appointed Lin Zexu as an imperial envoy and sent him to Guangdong to ban smoking.

1In March of 839, Lin Zexu, together with Deng Tingzhen, Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, and Guan Tianpei, Governor of Guangdong Navy, planned to ban smoking in Guangzhou. Lin Zexu vowed that "as long as opium is not eradicated and this minister does not return, he will be with this matter, and there is no reason to stop", which showed his determination to ban opium. With the support of the people, resolute measures were taken to force British businessmen to hand over more than 20 thousand boxes of opium one after another. Under the auspices of Lin Zexu, all the opium seized was publicly destroyed in Humentan. The urban and rural people in Guangzhou who watched the scene all applauded.

The destruction of opium in Humen was a great victory of China people's struggle against smoking, which dealt a heavy blow to the British invaders. It shows the whole world the firm determination of the people of China to safeguard national dignity and resist foreign aggression. The first giant relief of the Monument to the People's Heroes, which stands on Tiananmen Square in Beijing, is a true portrayal of the spectacular scene of "June 3rd" cigarette sales, and it will always be engraved in the hearts of China people.

After the war:

The news that China banned smoking spread to London, and the British bourgeoisie issued an arrogant war cry, and a war of aggression launched by the British bourgeoisie broke out.

1June, 840, the British army invaded Guangzhou for the first time. After being resisted by the Qing army, he turned to Xiamen and was repelled by Deng Tingzhen's army. 184 1 year 65438+1October 7th, British troops attacked Shajiao and Dajiao Fort. China's army hastily resisted and suffered heavy casualties, and the fort fell. British troops advanced on Humen. Qishan compromised and made peace, and Britain unilaterally announced the draft convention on nasal piercing.

Qishan's traitorous behavior aroused the dissatisfaction of the Qing court. Daoguang thought it was detrimental to China's dignity and decided to declare war on Britain. The British attacked Humen first, and then attacked. Guan Tianpei personally led the army to stick to the fortress and died in battle. 184 1 in may, the British army attacked Guangzhou, and the mud city and Sifang fort outside Guangzhou were successively lost. Yishan and others were driven out of their wits and surrendered with a white flag. On May 27th, China and Britain signed the Guangzhou Peace Treaty.

On August 26th, British troops captured Xiamen. 10 year 10 month 1 day, the British army fell into the sea again. 10, Zhenhai fell. 13, Ningbo fell. In order to save the defeat, Daoguang decided to send troops for the second time. After I ching led the troops to the front, he rushed to send troops and the whole army was defeated. 1June, 842, Chen Huacheng, the prefect of Jiangnan, died and Wusongkou fell. In July, Zhenjiang fell. In August, the British ship arrived at Xiaguan River in Nanjing. On 29th, under the threat of British gunboats, the Qing government signed the first unequal treaty in China's modern history-the Sino-British treaty of nanking.

Treaty signing:

1842 On August 29th, Sino-British treaty of nanking was signed. Main content: (1) Allocate Hong Kong Island to Britain. (2) Opening Guangzhou, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Ningbo and Shanghai as trading ports. (3) China paid 2 1 ten thousand silver dollars to Britain. (4) The British import and export goods in China should be taxed, and both sides have agreed. (5) British businessmen and China businessmen trade freely and are not restricted by "public banks". 1843, the British government forced the Qing government to conclude the Articles of Association for Trade with Five Ports and the Provisions on the Aftermath of Trade with Five Ports (Humen Treaty) as annexes to the treaty of nanking, adding provisions on consular jurisdiction and one-sided MFN treatment.

1844 July and 10/0 October, the United States and France took advantage of the fire to rob, followed the example of Britain, and coerced the Qing government to sign the Sino-American Wang Xia Treaty and the Sino-French Huangpu Treaty successively, and obtained the same privileges as Britain except land cession and compensation. Starting from 1845, Belgium, Sweden and other countries also coerced the Qing government to sign similar treaties, further damaging China's sovereignty. The failure of the Opium War and the signing of a series of unequal treaties, such as the treaty of nanking, caused fundamental changes in China society. Politically independent China, due to the destruction of territorial sovereignty and the disintegration of self-sufficient natural economy after the war, gradually became the world capitalist commodity market and raw material supplier, and China began to become a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society.

People's resistance to Britain;

During the Opium War, the broad masses of people along the southeast coast of China actively supported and cooperated with the Qing army and spontaneously persisted in the anti-aggression struggle. Wherever the invading army went, it was resisted by the local people. When the British army captured Xiamen, the local people organized to attack the British army and forced the invading army to retreat to Gulangyu. The British army invaded Zhejiang, and the people of Zhejiang organized the "Blackwater Party" to crack down on the British army. After the invading army invaded the Yangtze River, the people along the Yangtze River attacked the British in various ways to stop the British fleet from advancing.

The Guangdong people's struggle against Britain dealt the aggressor troops the heaviest blow. 1841On May 29th, British troops entrenched in Sifangbao in the northern suburb of Guangzhou broke into Sanyuanli to harass and rob. The local people rose up and killed several British soldiers. Later, the whole village, men, women and children, gathered in Sanyuan Ancient Temple, taking the Samsung flag as the flag, and "the flag goes in and the flag goes out." At the same time, they also contacted thousands of farmers and craftsmen nearby, armed with broadswords and spears, to meet the enemy in the rain. The British army was trapped in Niulangang and started hand-to-hand combat. British troops suffered heavy casualties. Niulangang's victory inspired people's fighting spirit. The next morning, more than 20,000 people held high the Samsung flag and surrounded the square battery. Only with the mediation of Guangzhou magistrate can the British army be eliminated. The people's anti-British struggle in Sanyuanli is the forerunner of China people's spontaneous resistance to foreign aggression, which shows the patriotic enthusiasm and heroism of China people. After Sanyuanli's resistance to Britain, the people of Guangdong organized armed forces in the form of "social studies" to fight against aggression.