History glossary
the Opium Wars
two nineteenth-century wars in which Western powers forced Qing China into wider trade and diplomatic concessions.
- Category
- War
- Region
- China
- Date range
- 1839-1860
What it means
The Opium Wars were two conflicts between Qing China and Western powers. Britain fought the First Opium War after the opium crisis at Canton, and Britain and France fought the Second Opium War to demand still greater diplomatic and commercial access. The wars produced unequal treaties that weakened Qing sovereignty and reshaped China's relationship with the world.
