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The European dominance of the Far East had its roots with the Subjugation of India. India had been heavily weakened since the 1730s with the decline of the Mughal Empire. The European powers could become more involved with India as a result. Another reason why European powers could have an easier time getting influence over India was India’s rapid decentralization. After costly wars and invasions, by the mid-1750s, the Mughal emperor lost much of his power. The British East India Company had used large amounts of its profits to start a private army—much later, historians would classify it as one of the first “corporatocracies” in history. British officials made deals with some of the Indian princes for trade and influence in exchange for protection. This would lead to the phrase “Mir Jafar” (synonymous for collaborator or traitor—named after an Indian general who sided with the British Empire). At least in the beginning, these deals were mutually beneficial for both the British East India company and the Indian princes. One reason Europeans wanted trade with India was for spices. The search for spices also brough them to the archipelagos of Southeast Asia, especially the area known as the “spice islands”. Pepper was one of the most important spices for preservation; it helped keep food from being infected by bacteri
By the 1760s, the British had largely driven the French out of India, leaving themselves as the main European power in India. As a result, other European countries decided to have their own Asian colonies elsewhere. For example, the Dutch took parts of Indonesia to form the “Dutch East Indies”, known best for the aforementioned spice production. The French also set up forts in southeast Asia in what would eventually become Thailand. Portugal had its own possessions in the “East Indies” which produced more spices
British expansion in India would continue as the 1700s ended and the 1800s began. British East India Company soldiers started to expand the dominion of their company throughout India as they destroyed the Indian substates that resisted British rule. This took a while, partially due to suspicion at the East India Company. Corruption scandals made it more difficult for the Company to expand since wealth that could have gone into making a bigger army was often diverted into the hands of the company’s “nabobs”. The British East India Company would have direct or indirect control of almost all of India by the early 1850s, but trouble started for the company due to financial problems. Corruption was one problem; another was difficulty in turning a profit due to the costs of keeping down rebellions. As a result, the British Raj replaced the British East India Company in managing India.
China was perhaps the greatest prize in Asia according to the Europeans. Many Chinese goods, like porcelain (called china because it came from China) and tea became very prized in Europe. However, China did not want most European goods, and wanted primarily silver. So long as the European countries had access to large silver reserves, this was not a huge problem. However, the collapse of European colonization in South America made it more difficult for the Europeans to get large amounts of silver. The British looked for a solution—they found it in the opium plant, which was often used for drugs.
Other countries did not want the British Empire to have a free hand in Asia. French, Russian, and even American policymakers wanted their own trade in China. As a result, they attempted their own trade with China, and were stymied by the same ineffective Chinese bureaucracy that was not interested in trade. Merchants often found themselves frustrated with their own governments at a supposed inability to open links to China; everyone was angry at the Chinese for not opening trade. The British Empire had large stocks of opium, which was imported and smuggled into China in exchange for trade goods, especially tea, silk, spices, and porcelain. There was a problem, though. Opium was highly addictive; the Chinese government knew this and banned the substance. In addition, the Chinese government often cracked down on users and dealers of opium. The British demanded the Chinese compensate them for the lost money; the Chinese refused, prompting the British government to send in the Royal Navy in 1842, shortly after the conclusion of the failed adventure in North America (which led to an independent Canada).
China in the 1830s and 1840s had stagnated for almost a century, and was unable to effectively contest the British Royal Navy. The Royal Navy easily destroyed Chinese ships (often called “junks”). To call this a naval war would be a misnomer; it was a naval massacre. The British forces easily destroyed their competition, sailed or steamed up the Chinese rivers, and threatened the Chinese cities, forcing the Emperor to sue for peace. Other European nations did not complain about British war crimes during this time period since they also wanted trade with China, and wanted to keep good relations with the British government. The stories of sacked Chinese cities and wrecked palaces may have circulated, but they did not affect European policy. The “Middle Kingdom” era, where China saw itself as the strongest power, would be over. China would have to make unfavorable trade deals (which benefited European powers, chiefly Britain). Other countries like France, Russia, and even the United States of America swooped in to get their own pieces of the China trade. All involved benefited with the exception of China. The situation in China was so untenable that many reformers seriously thought about overthrowing the Emperor in China. The reformers sought European help for the attempted westernization of China. In particular, the United States of America and its system of government would become important. Some Chinese reformers attempted to imitate the Republic system formed in the United States; the United States, who wanted to spread its “American system” around the world, approved of them. The stage was set for the Pan-China War.