The Opium Wars

During the 19th century, the Opium War broke out between Britain and China. China had traded many goods with Britain including tea, which is now very popular and important to Europe. Britain began to trade opium with China to prevent any problems in the future with the one sided trade. Opium is a highly addictive drug in which is made from poppy plants. The use of opium made much of China's population addicted, damaging China's economy when they tried to pay for all the opium using tea, gold and silver. In 1838, Chinese government started to regulate opium trade with Britain and would not allow opium into the country. China wouldn't back down to the pressuring British, leading to British attackings on China. This was known as the Opium Wars. Britain ended up victorious and China was forced to sign a treaty that allowed opium to be traded in its ports. The treaty made the sale of opium legal and caused the Chinese economy to weaken.