First Opium War - Conflagration and Surrender - Extra History - Part 4
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 29 сен 2024
- 📜 The First Opium War - Part 4 - Extra History
Disappointed in the treaty, the Daoguang Emperor replaced Qishan with three new commanders. One of them wanted to buy time and modernize the army, but the Emperor insisted the British be repelled immediately. They assaulted Canton from across the river, firing cannons and sailing fireships at the British fleet. Their efforts fell far short, and soon the British controlled the river again. The Chinese were forced to pay them an indemnity to leave Canton, but in their wake riots and looting plagued the city anyway. Elliot still led the British forces, but upon returning to Hong Kong, he learned that he was now being replaced. His replacements had no interest in the compromises he'd tried to establish. They pushed immediately toward Beijing. In each new fort they captured, they found evidence that the Chinese resistance had ironically been weakened by crippling opium addiction. As the Chinese attacks grew more desperate, British retaliation grew more brutal. Finally, they stood ready to seize Nanking. With it would come control of the Yangtze River on which all of China depended, so the Emperor was forced to negotiate. They had no bargaining power, and gave the British nearly everything they wanted: a huge indemnity, new trade ports, no more Hong monopoly, generous tariffs, consulates, and sovereignty over Hong Kong. The only two matters they refused were Christian missionaries and legalizing opium, but the latter would only lead to the Second Opium War with similar results. These "unequal treaties" would go down in Chinese history as the beginning of what the Communist government later called "The Century of Humiliation." The specter of this shame and forced subservience to European interests continue to shape politics today, as this history is often invoked or used as a rallying cry during dealings with the West.
Learn about the disastrous Macartney Embassy that tried and failed to improve British trade relations with China: bit.ly/28Ro4B1
* Watch Extra History ad-free & get 1-week early access on NEBULA go.nebula.tv/e...
* Suggest & Vote on our next episodes, get exclusive content & 24-hour early access on PATREON bit.ly/EHPatreon
* Show off your fandom with MERCH from our store! extracredits.st...
Interested in sponsoring an episode? Email us: extracredits@standard.tv
TWITTER: bit.ly/ECTweet I FACEBOOK: bit.ly/ECFBPage
INSTAGRAM: bit.ly/ECisonIn... I TIKTOK: bit.ly/ECtiktokz
BLUESKY: bit.ly/ECBlueSky I TWITCH: bit.ly/ECtwitch
GAMING: / @extracredits
Miss an episode in our Opium War Series?
Part 1 - • First Opium War - Trad...
Part 2 - • First Opium War - The ...
Part 3 - • First Opium War - Gunb...
Part 4 - • First Opium War - Conf...
Series Wrap-up & Lies Episode - • First Opium War - Lies...
♪ "Waning Moon" by Sean and Dean Kiner - Available on Patreon! - • ♫ "Waning Moon" by Sea...
Thanks for the high-quality conversations & for following our community guidelines here: bit.ly/ECFansR...
Artist: Lilienne Chan I Writer: James Portnow I Voice: Daniel Floyd I Editor: Carrie Floyd I ♪ Extra History Theme by Demetori: bit.ly/1EQA5N7
#ExtraHistory #OpiumWar #History
So Elliott, how as your day?
"Well I was in a typhoon, shipwrecked, swam several miles, was nearly caught by my country's enemy, and when I reached shore I was told I had lost my position."
...And here I thought I had a bad day.
Lol
😂😂😂😂
Well aside from that how was the play Mrs. Lincoln?
Indeed.
GG, no re:
33.media.tumblr.com/76a31f9a1548133184a3a8dedd81389e/tumblr_n5zxkiT49G1tx6lb9o1_500.gif
I'm really looking forward to the Lies on this one. Seems like there are a lot of "lasting impact" details James could dig into.
Definitely agree. Any actually lies uncovered would be appreciated as well, 'cause, as you say, this has lasting impact, and judging the event fairly (or, I mean, as fairly as you can from a short web-series) seems important.
I found it funny that when talking about how the chinese tried to distract and delay, the pop-up for the wall scroll sale comes up right where chinese guy was pointing.
The emperor was way to arrogant for his own good. He should of accepted the good terms and followed his advisor's advise to modernize the army.
Do the taiping rebellion! Deadliest rebellion in the world's history
Please to a Boxer Rebellion series, or a Second Opium War series!
May you guys do an Extra History episode series on Alexander the Great? Please :)!
If I only did this in Victoria II and all these strategies.
At least someone showed Chinese their place.
That's the tea sis
I wondered why at 5:10 the Yangtze sounded familiar... It was recently flooded, according to Wikipedia "causing 186 deaths"
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_China_floods
2:09 manned fire-ships ? Wasn't the point of fire-ship that they didn't need men and thus were expendable
Yes, but they weren't steered to target ships, the original point of fire ships was to disrupt formations by forcing the enemy fleet to turn and scatter from the fire ships. Manned fire ships however, are like homing missiles since they know where to go and chase ships down. It's just like a suicide bomb.
And that’s the tea 👌
Moral of this story: When Britain is low on money, bad things happen. Everywhere.
You can say that for any Empire that has or will exist.
So, Brexit contributes to the resource wars?
Probably... NATO at least seems terrified of Russia trying to take advantage of a destabilisation of the EU... but being terrified of Russia is basically NATOs purpose so I try not to read too much into that :P
NATO is currently antagonizing Russia greatly in the Livonia.
VintageLJ The nature of these things is that both sides will accuse each other of being the aggressor... bickering between NATO and Russia is basically tradition at this point.
Everyone:"Pablo Escobar was the biggest and more dangerous drug dealer ever."
The British Empire: Hold my poppies.
Queen Victoria: hold my teapot.
Germany:Hold my armies
Pablo eskabare is one man
CIA: hold my guns and money that fund paramilitary terrorism and dictatorships to gain access to every drug imaginable.
@@Big.man.S almost as If that's the joke buddy...
All for tea.
Anwyll Music you do not mess with a British man and his tea
Well and money... and land i guess
Its in British culture!
All for opium 😂
tbf, the chinese shouldve opened up more.
Indian communities were effected by this too. Indian farmers were forced to farm only opium on their land, and not crops that they could eat. The British would trap them into predatory debt spirals to keep them dependent on Opium farming.
Because everyone was farming opium food prices skyrocketed and it caused famines.
People who couldn't pay would be forced to sell themselves into indentured servitude to the British. they would be taken on long harrowing voyages in terrible conditions to places like Marutius.
To experience more of the Indian perspective in the opium wars, I'd recommend the historical fiction novel Sea of Poppies.
sad that addictions lead to the destruction of many people
My sincerest sympathy and perhaps a bit of apology regarding the event.
This horrible, I’m sorry to hear that. I can’t believe that Opuim Gad ruin India as well.
@@ceasefire2825 Now I hope people understand why China practice capital punishment against junkies and dealers.
Weed will ruin the west too, but there is still hope.
Also many Indians themselves we after to pun especially in Calcutta
Because this is what happens when you fire a polite and civilized gentleman just like me.
Well, at least I survived the typhoon.
Welcome to the family, Charles old chap.
Well, at least you weren't thrown in prison.
It's an honour.
Oh my God, Walpole! Would like to have a cup of tea?
Charles: "Okay, so I worked out a pretty good deal for both us and the Chinese, how do you feel about that?"
Palmerston: "You're fired."
-
Qishan: "Okay, so I worked out a pretty good deal for both us and the Chinese, how do you feel about that?"
Emperor: "You're fired, and executed."
Qishan: "us and the Chinese"
..?
Also Qishan: does not die
He was never executed, but only exiled. Later he was pardoned.
@@modothegreat108 well the execution order suddenly makes sense.
@@modothegreat108 Qing leadership was Manchu, while the vast majority of the ppoulation was Han.
Both are considered Chinese today, but for the longest time they very much werent.
I've learned so much more on this channel then I have in school.
then = than
= )
You need to pay better attention then.
+LORD Eyehead 1st thing my college history prof said: the reason kids hate history is because public school dont know how to teach their students, they just place gym teachers in history classes and have they implant the dates into their head and call it a day.
extra credit does a good job but not great. all they do is summarize the best points in an event and present it to us, which is a great way to learn about event, but history isnt just about knowing the events, its about understanding the events to prevent its repeat
+LORD Eyehead nah dude, the EC folks are way better and engaging someone to learn than most of the teachers i had
+monky I love history
it's odd that, as a mixed race Hong Kong chinese/Scottish person, that I'm actually a product of these wars.
I'm probably a product of all sorts of Viking and Norman rape and conquest, no shame.
I'm a product of some Scot thinking Massachusetts Bay looked like a pretty cool place to settle.
Yeah, mine's not as interesting.
frenzygundam I think we may have a lot in common.
I'm a product of some Danish guy thinking a British woman looked pretty hot.
im the product of the big *bang*
Am I the only one reflecting on the fact that the entire reason this series exists is because some gamemakers decided their money was more wisely spent on teaching history related to their game? I mean, think about that for a second; if they had chosen not to do that, chances are we wouldn't know as much as we now do about the histories of Japan, China, the UK, of Germany and Korea, and in the Middle East! All told, it's pretty trippy to think about.
I never thought that I would say this but, I'm thankful to Creative Assembly for their infinite IQ decision
Extra history is the only reason I'm subscribed to extra credits
Whatever it takes!
7 years later and this post still ages like fine wine.
British man here.
Holy shit...we're dicks.
No, you're ancestors were; but then again it's natural for the strong to strong arm others to get what they want. I'm Chinese and I do not like the humiliation my people suffered but they did need some humbling, just wish the Communist didn't win.
+Brandon Ngo You're Chinese. I'm British. Let's get drunk together and whinge about our forefathers.
The world needs more people like you: people who learn from the past and want what's best for their country.
+Jim63071 ty but the sad thing is I'm Chinese American, so I doubt I can change anything
Everyone's a dick... especially cyanide...
Wish I could upvote twice for the last section. Few westerners realize how impactful the Opium Wars are on modern day Chinese politics. One of the major ways the communist party has been able to maintain control is by saying “it’s us against the world” and “last time they bullied us. This time, we can negotiate.” The opium wars are used as an example of how the greedy west values money over human suffering, and that the only countries that get a say are the ones with the biggest guns. This one of the reasons for china’s aggressive foreign policy. It is, more than anything, a show for the Chinese people that China cannot be trampled over again.
That has been a large part of conflict in history - 'I have the biggest/most of X so I have the most leverage to get what I want.'
It is truly tragic.
Bro said upvote as if this was Reddit
@@trinefanmelTrue. Just look at Roosevelt talking about the Big Stick.
It's weird. I get so excited for these episodes, and all I want to do during them is get to the end; to know it all... then it ends and I feel sad. Sad that it's over, and sad for all the people harmed in the events covered.
You guys are awesome. Thank you.
Everything the satanists in Britain have done throughout history is sad. Watch anyway. Know Thy Enemy.
The feeling is mutual! I love watching through their videos in full, but then feel I empty once it ends. Main reason why I rewatch their series so often.
4:38
Well that image aged like milk
Indeed.
Totally
I never knew the deep impact the losses the Chinese suffered during the Opium Wars still resonated to this day. Suddenly so much of Chinese policy towards the West and its efforts in the region make a lot more sense.
It basically set China's history on the path to the Sino-Japanese wars, the anti-imperial revolution, and the Chinese Civil War, not to mention a ton of territorial disputes.
Yes it does. Today after 150 years colonization, many Hong Kong Chinese were alienated by their confused status, some still think they are the natural subject of UK which again open the scar of many Chinese hearts. Good thing is that these separatists are few and will never succeed.
Honestly, before the british came, the "great" chinese empire did think it was prosperous and powerful beyond all other nations. the opium war broke that illusion. so did many other imperialist powers that came later to colonize. the silver and land we lost in those wars did blow a hole in the national wealth, but it was humiliation that taught a nation to learn.
+Lunarsong Sirohane If Hong Kong wants to be free from China, who are you to say that this is a bad thing.
In fact, we see today how horrible the current chinese government is, as we saw at Tiananmen square
@@thewanderinggamer2410 I'm sorry, but you sound like a chinese agent.
Fun fact: The Nemesis, the first ironclad steamship of the Royal Navy, had a 120hp steam engine.
Nemesis wasn't a Royal Navy ship, she belonged to the East India Company.
I misread that as 120 Health Points instead of Horsepower and got really confused, wondering if you were referencing a game.
TheBespectacledN00b whoops.
I saw Horse Power.
There were three Nemmises -es (?) Two Royal Navy ships and the EIC Ship, so it's not hard to get a bit confuzzled XD
See, this is why you should try to find compromise in your life. If you don't, you might start a war that disrupts the geopolitical landscape and sours intercultural relations for centuries.
...Okay, the consequences probably won't be _that_ bad in your everyday life, but still.
BUT I WANT MARIE TO WIN DAMNIT! *SHE* IS BEST SQUID *AND* BEST KID!!!
Only lesson i learned is that English people were money sucking dicks. Chinese had every right to do whatever they want on their land, and when English people didn't like it, they sold illegal drugs, started a war, and put the whole Empire into submission so their money can continue to flow.
I would be pissed too if i was Chinese
"I have resolved never to start an unjust war but never to end a legitimate one except by defeating my enemies". - Charles XII
I believe that is what is called a Space Whale Aesop. ;)
no they did not, rights are just privileges established by treaties that are enforced by power, the chinese did not have the power to enforce anything as you saw and they did not want to negotiate with the brits who at first only wanted to trade, which would be beneficial to both parties
The British have the upper hand, and will accept no less than complete Chinese capitulation. The Emperor must yield.
----- Support the show on Patreon and tell us what you'd like to learn about! bit.ly/EHPatreon
Another great series from you guys!
Since you explained the schism of Christianity could you do the schism of Islam. Maybe then will the world start to understand the continued religious rivalry and conflict between the Sunni and Shia sects and how it directly affects the world stage today. Thank you Extra Credits for always creating and distributing great programs.
Please do the schism of Islam as suggested by William Pon earlier in this thread, Please!! P.S. you guys rock!!
The eighty years war (or "68 years").
+Dan Ju-87 The Japanese were busy with their own business for a few more years, not being opened up by American ships until 1853. Then the Meiji restorations (1868-1912) kind of shook things up, so they missed the sequel war, as well.
Huh, probably explain why China is so tough on drugs. Even just weed.
Comment section stats:
65% hating on the British
30% hating on every other empire
3%random interesting point
2% China was also bad
Superior lol, and they crumble one by one and become a republic.
There is tragedy is those proportions.
Explosion Games I'm quarter British fight me
*laughs in imperialist*
Yeah, im full Indian and now one of our companies is the biggest private employer in your country and owns some of the more 'British' companies like Tetley and Jaguar.
Commemorate this series with the special, limited edition Opium Wars wall scroll by series artist Lilienne Chan! Available until July 27.
UPDATE: This wall scroll has sailed away! You can find other items from the Extra Credits store here: store.dftba.com/collections/extra-credits
You can also view the original artwork here: www.patreon.com/posts/first-opium-war-6046862
It's hard to tell there is a decimal on the price at first so it looks like it costs $2200 on the site lol.
+Extra Credits - As someone helping maintain the Wikipedia page on the list of EC episodes (and we've got a LOT of work to fully update the page for the main series episodes since Season 8); Is this the last episode on this part of the Opium Wars aside from the eventual Lies episode?
could you do a series abour the Franco-German war in1870-1871? That would be great
+ElNeroDiablo Yes, this is the last one of this series prior to Lies!
Extra Credits Thanks for the confirmation, I love these shows and the work the channel and group has done for years so far and hopefully years to come!
The message at the end is the mark of a good contant creator. Not taking sides, stating as things were and putting a healing touch on the wounds of history. Great job.
poo in the loo?
Official: "We should really just be careful and modernize rather than sending our levied troops with vastly inferior equipment and training. "
Emperor: "Shut up nerd."
Hong Konger here: I actually have some British coins when Britain colonised Hong Kong
The last part was so true. No one Chinese would ever forget about that century, and the humiliating feeling they experienceed when they first learned about this part of our history. It was the lowest of all the low points ever to exist in over 5000 years.
Hopefully the lesson they learn from it is to not be over-proud, arrogant and disdainful to another people just because tradition tells you that they owe you tribute, instead of taking the lesson that they should blame the West.
Lodatz
Although what you said is mostly true, I don't think blaming the Brits for ACTUALLY STARTING A WAR at the time was unreasonable? This of course doesn't apply to Brits or Europeans or the West as a whole that exist today, but I don't think there's anything wrong with blaming the West that existed at the time for literally shredding our country to bits physically and spiritually during those dark decades?
I can't really speak for all the Chinese to tell you what they have taken from this history, since everyone's gonna have different opinions on things. In spite of that though, I feel like the attitudes of China's youngest generations toward the West and the friendly diplomatic principles we have been taking in these years may act as an indicator to show you guys our good whishes and desire to communicate cultures rather than say......what we did to indirectly cause the first Opium War.
*"Although what you said is mostly true, I don't think blaming the Brits for ACTUALLY STARTING A WAR at the time was unreasonable?"*
I do agree it was unreasonable, because I am a product of the modern world, just that it was also unsurprising because the empires of the time (including that of the Qing) were products of the pre-modern world.
*"This of course doesn't apply to Brits or Europeans or the West as a whole that exist today, but I don't think there's anything wrong with blaming the West that existed at the time for literally shredding our country to bits physically and spiritually during those dark decades?"*
You're right, this was a bad time, and I'm sorry if I sounded too pissy in my first reply. I had just read my way through so many comments acting as though this was all Britain's fault, and I probably was snappier than I normally would be.
The events of the Century of Humiliation are indeed something to lament.
*"I feel like the attitudes of China's youngest generations toward the West and the friendly diplomatic principles we have been taking in these years may act as an indicator to show you guys our good whishes and desire to communicate cultures."*
I'm truly happy to hear that. :) I think if the East and the West can get over the past, we can be very good friends to one another.
I disagree. World war 2 and the years shortly after were much worse.
@@Lodatzor the western world is indeed to be blamed and shall suffer for it's crimes against humanity
this is what happened when you are not interested in trade agreement with England.
Lol, dont know if thats a civ 5 reference, but its cool of it was. 'would you be interested in a trade agreement with England ?' was the line
Like.today's US
I understood that reference
It’s also what happens when people are blinded by the profit and just start selling illegal drugs
When you finish the opium wars, can you do the Crimean war next???
Dude. Patreon. Vote on patreon. Unless you'd rather them starve. Even though they also create games. But don't actually own the game.
They do earn money through their videos right?
+Nobblk Praetorian With their consistent view count and staff, they wouldn't be able to even by groceries regularly for that advertisement revenue.
yes, advertisement
they get thousands of views every day...
Next time you're watching the news and think "China, why can't you just chill?".... here's part of it.
Actually, I find that a pretty poor excuse for their refusal to 'chill'. The Chinese leadership is pounding a distorted version of history into the people's heads in school, all to make it easier for them to manipulate popular opinion to support whatever the whim of the Party at the moment is. At this time, that whim is expansionism, much like the Japanese of the 1930s.
And yet, there are plenty of other countries who, after 150 years, have found that they can just "chill" despite whatever events may have transpired.
phoxxentswrath Yes, there are plenty f other countries who found they could 'chill'. Why does China refuse to do the same? Because they are arrogant beyond belief.
Last time I check, the Persians weren't chill with the British, they still called them the Great Devil. The Indians are planning suing the Brits for the crown jewels, the Polish are still upset at the Russians, the Jews still hunting the Nazis, Ukrainians are debating which one of their past they like the best, and Russians still celebrate their triumph over Germany in great fashion after so many years, So lets not pretend countries who suffered are all chill. Because they aren't, modern history are simply many of how we view ourselves, whether you are Russian or Chinese or Japanese or South Africans, all of them probably have a cause somewhere from the root of imperialism.
qiming zhang "Weren't chill with the British" -- they certainly are in favor of British support for the nuclear agreement. And they are eager to do business with British companies now the the embargo is being eased. I haven't heard them call the UK "the Great Satan" for a few years, now.
But you must have misread something very badly if you think I ever said "countries who suffered are all chill". But some of them know better than to behave the way China is behaving. Poland, for example, was getting along pretty well with Russia until this Ukrainian situation blew up in everybody's faces. Even despite that tragic accident in Russia that killed the Polish President and a lot of his cabinet, that some suspected at the time was no accident. But now few get along with Russia precisely because, like China in the West Philippine Sea, Russia used history as an excuse for violating international law in both seizing the Crimea and running a proxy war in Donbass and Lugansk (parts of Eastern Ukraine).
This is what happens when hubris and idealism takes over practicality and rationality. : / it’s sad that the British and Chinese removed the two guys who actually wanted peace
So the Second Opium Wars is going to be another series right? ...right? (get on it patreon voters!)
The Second Opium War and the Russo Japanese War
'The Unequal Treaties' - this is usually what happens with a defeated power, it's hardly a solely Chinese phenomenon.
'The Unjust Wars' is a better name.
It's not a solely Chinese thing but when a giant falls, it falls hard.
Brandon Ngo Of course, it's just that this is the comments section of, well, this video and this topic. You'll find me condemning plenty of other things in other videos.
Japan also had them too. They're called that because it isn't like the British completely occupied China or defeated the populace.
They burned British property, it ight have been uncouth, but it was hardly unjust
Persia, Rome, the Mongols, the Ottomans, the British... the lesson is simple and universal. Strong nations take advantage of weak ones.
Persia, Rome, the Mongols, the Ottomans, the British... all gone.
Just remember that now that the roles are switched.
Britain has sur- oh, wait. Brexit happened.
Uh, the empire may be no more, but the British still exist.
True, so if they ever spot some Chinese cruisers coming up the Thames, the British should run! And also be willing to hand over the Channel Isles to the Chinese in perpetuity, pay about 200 million Pounds, and legalize heroine and cocaine.
Growing up during up during the war on drugs, It's so bizarre for me to think of a war FOR drugs.
well... actually the war was for tea the DRUGS was thee way the brithish empire tried to solve the problem without a full scalle war, but that wont work out in the end
From the perspective of the average Chinese subject, it was indeed humiliating, and similar to something of a Viking Invasion and having your own country drawn and quartered. Considering that in the 40 years after this, nearly all existing European powers + Japan would pick a fight with China and carve out a chunk for themselves, it was 6-8 on one fight, and the worse part is that they are now the new world order. If you ever wondered how an ultra conservative, isolationist nation took the desperate path of communism, this is it~
Lin Zexu, the righteous minister (as called by the Extra History crew) was demoted, stripped of his high ranks, and sent out in exile and disgrace to appease the British. He would die in his exile and mourned by many who knew what he tried to do.
But the British would not stop with their demands and the expansion of their opium, in a decade the British would come back, this time with the French to invade China. Together, they would burn down the Summer Palace of the Qing Emperors~ I should point out that the Forbidden City is currently the largest palace by square miles in the entire world, X5 times the size of Versailles, the Summer Palace was X8 the size of the Forbidden City! It included thousands of cultural artifacts like Shang bronze vessels from 4500 years ago, and many bamboo scrolls (including copies of Sun Tzu's Art of War, and Histories of the Spring and Autumn period predating the rise Classical Greece) the entire palace was looted, then burned in a fire that lasted weeks. Aside from the Burning of Persepolis, Alexandria, of Rome, of Baghdad consider what kind of power does that to another's library and (living) cultural nexus.
1860 That same decade, the French Empire under Napolean III would make war on Vietnam (who was protected by China) and take it as a French colony, when Vietnam and China tried to liberate the territories because of shared Confucian affinity and anti- western expansion,, both would be crushed ending with the French demanding (and succeed) in carving out more of Southern China.
A decade later after 1870, the Germans, the Russians, and the Japanese~ would all declare war on China and take away chunks of it. The Russians would take giant portions of Manchuria~ ancestral land of the Qing emperors as their own de facto stumping ground, the Germans would take the Liadong penninsula~ home of Confucius as a coal station, the Japanese would try to take Taiwan, and Korea (another Chinese allied) as their own. While both the Russians and the British tried to detach the 13th Dalai Lama away from the Qing dynasty entirely.
By the beginning of the 20th century, Shanghai, Tianjing and Nanjing (Nanking) would all have been controlled by westerners where they could do as they please and not punished or held accountable to Chinese laws, in some areas, the Chinese were expressed forbidden from entering their zones of influence. The great majority of Chinese ports were in their hands the gunboats of European ships would prowl as they please in Chinese waters~ and protected by the same laws of exceptionalism and extradition. And through all of it, opium trade would continue unregulated.
All the allies of China: Vietnam, Korea, would all be absorbed by these colonial powers- who styled themselves as the ultimate evolution of man and the new world order. All this time, consider what had the Qing done to Germany, Japan, America, Italy, or Austria, that they would come and take chunks of China with pretension that these lands are theirs?
Unfortunate, but hot heads and egomaniacs on all sides, not just the British, led us to where we are today. China may have been spared, if they had been humble, and Britain would have likely been appeased. There is always the possibility that it would have gone down the same way, but I feel it was more China's arrogance that ultimately led to its downfall, take that out of the picture, and I think a much brighter future would have been in store.
NetherWalker They said no to British trade because they didnt want trade, there was no demand for British trade. It’s like a rapist coming in your home and raping your children who said “No” to the rapist and the rapist has the audacity to be called innocent and stating how arrogant your children were for saying “No”. We all know that the British Empire were pieces of shit that led to Communist Russia and Communist China. Who else created the first industries? Britain invented it.
Similar reasoning could be applied by saying the various foreigners were reasserting themselves after centuries of humiliation at the Mongol hordes. All nations today can justify their actions as a response to the people who pillaged them a century+ ago. Distinguishing exactly which nations and which tribes threw the first punch gets pretty blurry looking back in history.
Dragon's Armory that is one long comment
Nether Walker..oh please spared if they had been humble??!!! as if!! its the Britsh arrogance and superiority you are talking about old chap! Stop reading the revised accounts of history written by the British. Its just not cricket.
The British were pretty badass. Selling opium was a real dick move though.
To be fair, the Chinese diplomats basically treating Britain like the country equivalent of a dribbling toddler was a pretty dick move as well. Still, the Chinese got just deserts for their arrogance...
When will the UK get theirs?
They already have. No need to put salt in the wound.
+Andrew Parke (苑小安) The fall of their Empire seems like fairly straightforward "just deserts". Get over yourself.
Cabbadath B It was tongue-in-cheek. I'm English.
Now we need a series on Emperor Pedro II of Brazil, considered by many to be the best ruler of Brazil ever (and by some the best ruler in the americas)
Sounds like an interesting topic to discuss, mainly due to the troubling times he endured during his reign
Probably the most interesting part of Imperial Brazilian history is that Brazil basically managed to turn Portugal into a something very nearly resembling a puppet state, the only time in history that a former colony has managed to do that with a former coloniser. Of course this all had its roots in the relocation of the Portuguese court to Rio de Janeiro during the Napoleonic Wars, and one could argue that Portugal brought it upon itself, but it's interesting nonetheless.
You have my support.
objectively speaking the title of best ruler in the Americas goes to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, this comes from a place of knowledge of world culture as it is what my degree was in..I can defend that point to the end..and I know it sounds like American Jingoism, but it is statistically and point wise, a good contender for the title
and Pedro II had the power but didn't want it, he ruled out of obligation instead of passion... actually it makes me surprised that he didn't just let the country burn.
I feel like I understand Chinese culture a little better now. Thanks! =)
what did you learn?
I don't get what you can learn form the darkest time of my country.
You do know the video didn't really say much about chinese culture or even history right?? It's just about the opium war...
@E Vlog: that centuries of arrogance and racism will eventually catch up with you, as all the nations and peoples you consider 'inferior' will pass you by.
@Lodatz Touche. The irony is the same is almost happening to Britain today with her Brexit business. The Brits are dead set on a walking a path of irrelevance on the international stage.
Several things we learned from this particular war and the following 150 years of "age of humiliation":
1. Do NOT be isolated, be aware of the outside world or we will be letting behind on the world, and that would lead to being beaten and humiliated as a nation.
2. We shouldn't asking for war, however peace can only be granted when you have the power to defeat your opponents. Therefore do our best to make our country strong again.
3. Xenophobia is never a good thing, neither is stubborn. We should learn to compromise and learn from each other.
4. A country can not earn respect by invading other countries, but by successfully defeating invasion from other countries.
5. Do not just focus on your own personal benefit, think about the benefit of the whole nation. You and your little personal benefit will be certainly lost if the entire nation is under humiliation.
@@pingukutepro sorry mate, now you can't. Enjoy.
Bub Huynh there never _WAS_ a time when "you could". :p
and also dont mess with the british empires navy lmao
6. When in doubt lower tea prices for those brits
You are kidding right?
Thank you for the 和平 and the 不可能: I wish you did that more often!
What does that mean
first one means peace and the second means impossible
Wow that really is cool thanks for the translations
translate.google.com
You might find this site useful in future: just copy-paste in any text you want translated
Aj Meyers Google translate is incredibly inaccurate, unfortunately.
Chinese emperor was over confident with what he had. He underestimated UK and its supplement for war
Tbh the entirety of the qing dynasty seems like a lesson in hubris
The Opium wars,the wars whitch are most reponsible for the events that later lead up to today's China.
They are the reason why Japan saw China being weak whitch lead to Japan invading it.
They are the reason why China was spilit up and why the communist party was even able to take power in the long run.
These wars were pretty small,yet their impact was huge.
And so the question is if they affected history in a positive way or a negative one.
Negative
Is there even a question about that?
They led to hundreds of years of violence and hatred that is still going on today and had no positive effect on anything other than the pocket books of a handful of English elites.
How does one define positive and negative?
There isn't any good way to measure progress in either direction. We can guess, though. I'd imagine China would keep it's isolationism, stagnate, and then get drawn into world war 2 when they get inevitably invaded by their incredibly modernized neighbor in Japan. Either way, by the 19th century China would be weak.
It's hard to really answer that question well at all. It changes 100 years of social, political, economic and cultural history in Asia at the very least.
I want a series on the Second Opium War! This one was awesome!
agreed
The Chinese invented gunpowder, the Europeans perfected its use. This is not a cultural thing but a technological thing and a lesson in why one should not rest upon their laurels.
It's sad irony that at the very end, after obtaining all those concessions, the British finally got most of the Indian subcontinent not long after this conflict. That colony provided the coveted tea, many other resources, labor and much more wealth overall than what they got from China. In the grand scheme of things though, if not for this conflict and the later conflicts with foreigners, China wouldn't have pushed that hard to modernize.
England:we lost our little brother and his lunch money, let’s take the Chinese kid money
The annotation at the end of this video leads to Sengoku Jidai Ep 1 instead of the pictured Admiral Yi series.
This comment needs more visibility.
Funny comment coming from a handle called "Fade Away".
ricojes I work from within the shadows. Shhhh.
It was Charles Elliot.
Fixed!
2:23 That's hilarious
Didn't expect to see you here
Woah. Just another reason why china isnt the biggest fan of dealing with westerners.
This was part of what led to the boxer rebellion
they happily invest in western businesses to create monopolies though lol. scummy nation
@@tcw_6609 Is any Chinese companies violating any laws or going against the will of those western companies in those purchases? Do Chinese companies wage a war to force the sale, like the Brits did with opium?
Can you guys do the spanish inquisition
You shouldn't expect that.
+Yato Mc Shrineless - It is a shame that unlike the Spanish Inquisition, everybody expects Grammar Nazism, because I'm here to inform you that there is only one C in "expects".
You say the Spanish Inquisition, I say it's _The Walpole Inquisition._
Over 350 years only 3000 were sentenced to death.
It really is a non event.
They can only do that when no one is expecting it.
All of this because the British wanted some tea
"The century of humiliation"? No guys, I think it's called 100 years of shit
Can you do a extra history on war of the roses a war with the two royal families fighting to get the throne of England.
The morale of this story, Dont limit Britain's tea.
Amen
Good series of videos. However, it is rather problematic that you end the video stating that it had low casualties and don't really touch upon the more direct consequences of the first opium war. Because the first opium war pushed China into a civil war (the Taiping civil war) which is estimated to have had one of the largest casualties of any conflict in history: 20-30 million deaths!
Yes, the Unequal Treaties was a destabilizing factor in the Qing empire. Mostly because it led to high taxation on ethnic minorities in China such as the Miao. Which caused the Miao to rise up and rebel the Qing in 1854. Sadly, the rebellion was finally suppressed in 1873. Thousands of Miao fled South China into Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Burma. Look it up.
Also, due to the Europeans illegally trading opium, in most Asian nations. Drug addicts are frowned upon, their descendants are stigmatized of their poverty. Which ruins their social life.
remember kids, don’t do drugs
Anybody else have really mixed feelings about this? Like, you feel like this was definitely both sides' fault but that the ultimate total disregard of Chinese sovereignty on the part of the West was rather appalling?
Ya but the Chinese were and still are super xenophobic.
Same.
After this can you blame them.
Just about everything the West did during colonialism could be considered apalling. It's not like what happened in the Americas, Africa, or the rest of Asia was any more enlightened.
rasheedqe If you are always living in the past, then how can you learn to forgive.
Its easy to forget that this was a war between two empires. China was just as much an imperialistic power as the British, taking control over dozens of local ethnic regions and centralising them towards a single Manchu Emperor. In fact, it's deceptive to think of it as 'china' in this era rather than the Qing themselves, who ruled over China's vast array of cultures.
+Solar Prophet A pointless speculation, because if the roles were reversed, then we'd be living in an entirely different world today.
Erfan Moshtagh and the Chinese Oppression of the Tibetians and other Minorities
i'm a bit confused....how exactly is pointing out the savagery of the europeans excusing the savagery of the chinese?
China was just as mush an imperialistic power as Britain? Nopeity nope nope nope. One was consolidating power within their country, the other was projecting power across the globe. There is practically zero equivalence between the level of power here, which the video laid out clearly.
+Slippery Sea Goose:
*"One was consolidating power within their country, the other was projecting power across the globe."*
The Qing were expansionistic, militaristic and imperialistic. The only difference was that Britain had the actual ability to make this global, whereas the landmass of China was vast enough to keep the Qing occupied indefinitely.
*"There is practically zero equivalence between the level of power here"*
But there is nigh perfect equivalence between the nature of the power. So...
*"China was just as mush an imperialistic power as Britain? Nopeity nope nope nope."*
Yep yeppity yep yep. Read a book.
I love extra history so much! It somehow always covers something I don't know much about despite my love of history, and it aways does it in an easily understandable and enjoyable way. Keep up the good work guys.
Lol
this is all just because of tea goddam
dannz locker It's so fucking good though
I'm 20 and I still don't understand why ppl seem to like frikin leafs as much as gold, diamonds and other shiny rocks
"Self determination rights? FUCK DAT SHIT!!!" - The British Empire, 1841
The international date rapist of yore. :v
ironic considering the current state of affairs
date rapists? Dude, we didn't roofie people and leave them a mess on our sofa, we got all our friends together, went into someone's home and told them and their family to get on their knees.
+Streaky Haddock
Did you miss the bit about the Opium?
Streaky Haddock I meant the empire would get his way no matter what, even pummeling the other party into submission for having the balls of saying "no" to them. Usually saying "that's ok, I tried to be diplomatic first". The opium is but a detail.
The Riffster has a point, but at the end of the day, China needs to accept that they set themselves up to be abused. If you don't stay current in technology, industry and military strength, you will be victimized by the nations that did. The Emperors failed in their primary duty, to keep China strong and free, they did this by having a failure of vision and assuming that cultural superiority would be enough all by itself. News flash: it isn't.
that awkward moment when britian is a husk and China has only gotten stronger....
Any treaty: doesn’t accept opium
Brits: A C C E P T. I T
Terrorists: We use humans as hostages to get what we want.
The British: *We use fortresses as hostages to get what we want.*
actually, the brithish behavior was far too honorable in war, not humilliate the enemy by cutting their hair, dont plunder, do not sack (by death penalty) but... if the chinesse dosent behave honorably, then its time for piunishment.... every civilized army use to behave just like that...
@@Mitaka.Kotsuka "do not plunder, do not sack, British has an honourable army" what a joke 😂😂 Britain has the most disgusting history such a greedy selfish arrogant and ignorant country no shame
As a member of the Chinese diaspora, I always see this period as one of the darkest times of Chinese history, and the reason why China is so screwed up right now. Even today, a lot of mainland Chinese, particularly the hardliners, still feel justice has not been meted out over the so-called 'Century of Humiliation', which has its origins from the First Opium War. I do blame the British for their questionable behaviour with the opium, but I also blame the conservatives in the Qing court for slighting the British as well. If both sides had restrained themselves, who knows what China will look like today.
Well, in that case, Hong Kong would be a small fishing village outside Canton.
Bibliotheca suum Caesar which is good
But they took Tibet?
And act like it didn't happen
@@ashleyfromresidentevil4618 what do you mean they took Tibet? Tibet was already part of China long before the viking were British son.
@@pikopika6264 That's not even close to true, Qing rule in Tibet began around 1720.
Poor Elliot, he deserved none of this he was just trying to stop the war.
as a Chinese, I hate both invaders and tyranny .
So I've been watching Extra Credits for a while. I love both their gaming information videos and their history episodes, but I feel like there's still one easy thing to incorporate that's missing. You guys should add quiet background music that fits with the theme of the episode -- at least for your history episodes. This would make it much easier for a larger audience to enjoy as it kind of fills up the episode a bit more. Basically, I notice at the beginning of every episode only hearing someone talking, then the intro, then only talking makes me less attracted to the series. I hope you guys get to see this and take it into consideration. I want to see both this series and the channel succeed because this is one of my favorite channels to watch. Thanks for reading!
I remember a few months ago you said you'd love to cover the campaigns of Julius Caesar. Since then the series has transitioned from objective to much more narrative in its exposition and i think it would be a perfect way to cover the rich history of Rome.
Thanks for ally your hard work in making these episodes! Can't wait to see what happens next
God Emporer protects
Objective history is boring
Elliott seemed like a reasonable man.
But he was on the wrong side
Nope, Qing China was a nightmare to live in, a large reason why the opium was so popular
I'm glad that channels like you exist. I'm having a presentation on the opium wars tomorrow and this has helped me a lot
"The British Forces thought themselves the civilised force in the conflict and forbade looting on the pain of death and even prevented their soldiers cutting off prisoners qui's."
Me: Huh maybe the British Empire was OK (at least in this specific event) I mean this is a somewhat complicated issue so if they're conducting themselves ethically and honourably....
"But when one of their soldiers was kidnapped and beaten they had no problem burning several villages to the ground, as if they could train the Chinese civilians."
Me: (sighs) Nevermind.....
2:51
Charles: Can this day get any worse?!
Soldier: Your wife is cheating on you with a member of the House of Commons.
Ironic that the nation that think it's the most civilized is often the most barbaric.
Many British then opposed the opium war as pretty much a western bullying of a weaker power, but they went ahead because of the issue of prestige of the British empire. If the British backed down here, other powers might take advantage of them. Plus in Britain today, it's still remembered as one of the most shameful events in British history
How many shameful events in British colonial history can u count?
+StephySon ooh, let's see, Boer consentration camps, the great Bengali famine, screwing up the partition of India, destroying india's economy by banning them from producing textiles, brutalities in the Mai Mai rebellion, consentration camps in Cyprus, looting of Beijing in the second opium war, the Sykes-Picot agreement, trying to form a Jewish state in Palestine with disastrous results, exasperating the Irish potato famine by not giving the Irish any food when they were starving.
Even more when you include the modern age...
+Ilex paraguariensis true, I cutoff at 1965, which was pretty much when British decolonization was over. There was also the Iraq War and the Rhodesian bush war to a limited extent
Quite a few, but nowhere near as many as in Chinese history. What China apologists won't admit to you is that the Emperor was far more cruel to the people he ruled than even the worst of the British. They also won't tell you that China had many warlords in Manchuria and the rest of Northern China, who were even worse to the people, since they literally cared for nothing but their own power: they had no interest in the good of the State, nor in the Emperor, not the people they ruled over. They even captured Chinese girls from their own territories and forced them into sexual slavery for their troops -- just like the Japanese did. Yet somehow, no one is demanding the warlords or their descendants pay reparations, only Japan has to do that.
the fall of qing dynasty next, please...
3:11 haduken!
the history of the world: They kicked the reasonable people and started war.
(From what I've seen) The history of Britian: We da best, but we broke. So we make TTT (Tax, trade, terrorize) the hell out of everthing till they start to get mad
Ah what the British wont do for hot leaf water
I loved hearing about these wars from you guys because over a year ago I was learning about it in my high school history class. Great work and very accurate as far as I can remember!
Really loving the more oriental history, i never learn it in class. It is so interesting and important, thank you for broadening my horizons.
keep up the great work!
As an American, I don't know whether to congratulate or shame the British.
Wow a fair and deep way of looking and thinking the history. Totally contrast to common "western propaganda". Thanks again. Keep up the good work EH
I recall learning about this in my public school in much the same way in fact my teacher was even more harsh on the British then the EH team.
What do you mean western propaganda? EH went easy on the British. The British go harder on the British. I would know. China is known for having propaganda in its schools anyways. In fact, I'd wager that Eastern nations have much more propaganda than Western nations. Russia, China, N. Korea. Japan is probably the best in terms of their acknowledgement of their own history in Asia.
"Eastern nations have much more propaganda than Western nations" XD
Guys, sorry if I was wrong about what they teach in UK history class, I didn't mean that. Just to praise EH fairness, good to know that British is frank in their class!! And by no mean, the western has more propaganda (which is normal way of doing politic anyway) than eastern. Thanks!
The unequal treaties, that’s how losing a war works
Considering the modern geopolitics and its lingering effects on Chinese mentality, it must be noted that the Opium Wars have a much more significant effect that it appears to be. It is a shame that it is often a very neglected part of history and not many know about it, even though it is still so relatable to various present-day events.
It is indeed commendable effort to bring this matter to light! :-)
Can't really blame the modern day Chinese for building up a powerful military. Their ancestors suffered so much at the hands of the west and Japan. At least they didn't suffer the same fate as the Native Americans and the Australian aboriginals. Oh and they got Hong Kong back.
Well, maybe you can't blame them, but I can. Look what they are already doing with the "powerful military" they have. It is not justice they are after, they are after the 'right' to bully their neighbors the way Japan did in the 1930s.
+SpectatorAlius I wouldn't go so far as to call them bullies, maybe rather assertive in pursuing their claims of some rocks in the South China Sea. It appears to me the Chinese are a pragmatic people, they'd rather be diplomatic than spill blood in the pursuit of their interests. When was the last time they engaged in illegal wars and the overthrow of democratically elected governments anyway?
Rex Madrigal But why wouldn't you go that far? They really are acting like bullies -- and worse. It is by no means simply being "rather assertive". It is much more aggressive than that. They send warships out to the West Philippine Sea to keep the Philippines from exercising their rights in their own waters. They buzz American ships and planes when we are in international space. This is all much more aggressive than "rather assertive".
+SpectatorAlius If a Chinese or Russian military ship or aircraft is detected in international territory near Alaska or Hawaii what response are we going to expect, honestly? That's not even disputed territory. Do you see the double standard? With the looming ruling of the international court, and the new Philippine president, though somewhat a controversial figure, he seems to be more open to bilateral talks with China. So I guess we'll see how it plays out, and confirm whether China is a bully in the making or a more restrained and pragmatic regional power. Saw a Vice episode by the way about how China is investing in Africa for natural resources without interfering in the regional politics.
Rex Madrigal There is no double standard -- except in your imagination. Russian aircraft are detected in international airspace near Alaska all the time. But they do not interfere with fishing activities, so we pay no attention to them.
As for the Philippine President being open to bilateral talks, it is China that has been refusing that all along. Do try to keep up.
“Bruh.”
-Sun Tzu, The Art of War.
Please make this a dual weekly series!
as much as id love that, that would be a bit too much work for the EC folks and so quality would suffer.
+slendy9600 :/
+slendy9600 :/
Making this show takes some history books reading, summarizing it in easy to understand fashion, while still have respect for original story, writing a scrips and doing animations.
And you want it twice a week
I'm boored