First Opium War (18 mars 1839 – 29 août 1842)

Description:

The first opium war started because of China's attempt to stop opium trade in the country. Then Britain Invades China with the intent of crushing China's opposition to their interference in the country’s economic and political affairs.
The attempts came after a large rise in foreign traders, who were mostly British, began illegally exporting opium into China, Causing widespread opium addiction in the country.

By 1838 the British were selling 1,400 tons of opium a year to China, by the spring of 1838 China had destroyed roughly 1,400 tons of opium

The first opium war ended after Chinese officials singed the treaty of Nanjing, at gunpoint of the British, which provided benefits to the British, Aswell as: a Port in Hong Kong, Compensation to be paid to the British government and new treaty ports in China.

The treaty included no benefits for China, and Opium imports rose for several decades before declining between the time after the first Opium war and the 1st World war and then almost completely dropping off. Resulting in a massive loss for China