Western Imperialism and Modern East Asia Essay example

Western imperialism in East Asia caused many tribulations for China, Japan, and Korea but also helped them to become contemporary nations. The East Asian countries were tremendously affected by unequal treaties, extraterritoriality, and above all, technology. Great Britain encroached upon China their greed for open trade with the Chinese empire resulting in the deterioration of the Chinese culture, which led to the emergence of a modernized civilization. Japan was co-subjugated by Russia and the United States so that the trade routes of these western countries could extend into the east, which resulted in the foundation of industrialization in Modern East Asia. Finally, the spread of western Christianity and influential neighbors,†¦show more content†¦McGuire 2 Chinese traders began exchanging tea and silver to The East India Company for a return of Bengali opium imports. Consequently, as the opium addicts rose, so did the supply and demand of exports from Great Britain to China. The ensuing drug trafficking accordingly corrupted many Chinese officials. The opium cartel held by The East India Company made other British agents unhappy, as they too wanted trading monopolies with China in areas such as industrialized textiles. By 1834, Great Britain directed Lord Napier to bypass the commerce authority in China, the Cohong, and negotiate matters of trade with China’s governor-general who declined any business agreements for the reason that the Chinese ‘saw no reason to sully their dignity by dealing with barbarians’. (pp. 298) Hence, in 1839, when Imperial Commissioner Lin Zexu arrived in the Chinese trading port of Guangzhou to suppress the opium transfer, war broke out between Great Britain and China. Commissioner Zexu was successful in eradicating the opium from the port, yet the Opium War was a defeat for the Chinese and their morality. Queen Victoria of Great Britain quickly retaliated on China and gained British compensation to their exported commodities and an agreement from China for the repayment to British peddlers for their destroyed property. Chinese officials were also forced to not only expand Western trade giving British merchants direct access to the Qing courtShow MoreRelatedJapan and The Influence of Imperialism Essay1006 Words   |  5 PagesOcean in East Asia, surprised the world when it first opened its doors to Western influence in 1854. While it had a strict policy about maintaining its isolation, it had no choice but to succumb to imperialism. When Commodore Matthew Perry visited, Japan realized that isolation had resulted in their inability to develop economically and militarily with the industrialized world. 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