Contem

• Opium War


  Conflict between China and Western powers (Britain, France) over trade, particularly the opium trade
• First Opium War (1839-1842)


  • Triggered by China's attempt to suppress the illegal opium trade, which was causing social and economic disruption
  • British traders were the primary source of the drug in China
• Second Opium War (1856-1860)


  • Provoked by further trade disputes and Western demands for more privileges, involving Britain and France against China
• Causes of the Opium Wars

  1. Opium Trade: British merchants illegally traded opium in China to balance trade deficits

  2. Chinese Crackdown: China's efforts to ban opium and curb addiction, including seizing and destroying opium stockpiles, escalated tensions
• Major Events - First Opium War (1839-1842)

  1. March 1839: Commissioner Lin Zexu arrives in Canton and initiates a crackdown on the opium trade

  2. July 1839: The "Kowloon incident" occurs, where a British sailor kills a Chinese villager

  3. September 1839: British trade with China is suspended

  4. June 1840: The Opium War begins with British attacks on Canton
• Major Events - Second Opium War (1856-1860)

  1. October 1856: The "Arrow War" incident sparks the Second Opium War

  2. December 1857: British and French forces capture Canton

  3. June 1858: The Treaties of Tianjin are signed, granting foreign powers increased access to Chinese trade and territory

  4. October 1860: Anglo-French forces capture Beijing, forcing the Qing dynasty to sign the Convention of Peking
• Effects of the Opium Wars

  • Treaties and Concessions: China signed multiple unequal treaties, ceding territories and granting extensive rights to Western powers
  • Economic Impact: Opened China to foreign trade, significantly weakening the Qing dynasty's control and economy
  • Social Unrest: Contributed to internal strife and rebellions, undermining China's sovereignty and stability
• The First Opium War (1839-1842) erupted from tensions between China's Qing dynasty and British Empire. The British sought to balance trade imbalances through opium sales, which China fiercely opposed. The war ended with China's defeat, forcing them to cede Hong Kong, open trade ports, and pay reparations.
• The Second Opium War (1856-1860) saw Britain join forces with France against a weakening Qing dynasty. Similar to the first war, Western powers aimed to expand trade and influence in China. Incidents like the seizure of a British ship by China sparked military action. The war concluded with the Treaty of Tientsin, further opening China to foreign powers and legalizing opium. This conflict highlighted the unequal power dynamics between China and the West, impacting China's relationship with Western nations for years to come.
• • Germany suffers setbacks at Stalingrad and El Alamein
  • Singapore falls to the Japanese in February – around 25,000 prisoners taken
  • American naval victory at Battle of Midway, in June, marks turning point in Pacific War
  • Mass murder of Jewish people at Auschwitz begins


  1942
• • Surrender at Stalingrad marks Germany's first major defeat
  • Allied victory in North Africa enables invasion of Italy to be launched
  • Italy surrenders, but Germany takes over the battle
  • British and Indian forces fight Japanese in Burma


  1943
• • Allies land at Anzio and bomb monastery at Monte Cassino
  • Soviet offensive gathers pace in Eastern Europe
  • D Day: The Allied invasion of France
  • Paris is liberated in August


  1944
• • Auschwitz liberated by Soviet troops
  • Russians reach Berlin: Hitler commits suicide and Germany surrenders on 7 May
  • Truman becomes President of the US on Roosevelt's death, and Attlee replaces Churchill
  • After atomic bombs are dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan surrenders on 14 August


  1945
• Allied Leaders


  • Winston Churchill (Prime Minister of Britain)
  • Franklin D. Roosevelt (President of the United States)
  • Dwight D. Eisenhower (Supreme Allied Commander)
• Other Significant Figures


  • Alan Turing (British mathematician and codebreaker)
  • Eleanor Roosevelt (First Lady of the United States)
  • The Tuskegee Airmen (African-American fighter pilots)
  • Rosie the Riveter (American women who worked in factories)
• Axis Leaders


  • Adolf Hitler (Chancellor of Germany)
  • Hirohito (Emperor of Japan)
• Treaty of Versailles


  Following World War I, the victorious Allied Powers met to decide Germany's future. Germany was forced to sign the Treaty of Versailles, under which Germany had to accept guilt for the war and to pay reparations, lost territory, and was prohibited from having a large military. The humiliation faced by Germany under this treaty paved the way for the spread of Ultra-Nationalism in Germany.
• League of Nations


  An international organization set up in 1919 to keep world peace, with the intention that all countries would be members and disputes between countries could be settled by negotiation rather than by force. The League of Nations was a good idea, but ultimately a failure, as not all countries joined the league and it had no army to prevent military aggression.
• Great Depression of 1929


  The worldwide economic depression of the 1930s took its toll in different ways in Europe and Asia. In Europe, political power shifted to totalitarian and imperialist governments in several countries, including Germany, Italy, and Spain. In Asia, a resource-starved Japan began to expand aggressively, invading China and maneuvering to control a sphere of influence in the Pacific.
• Fascism


  A wave of nationalistic, militaristic totalitarianism that promised to minister to peoples' wants more effectively than democracy and presented itself as the one sure defense against communism. Benito Mussolini established the first Fascist, European dictatorship during the interwar period in Italy in 1922.
• Nazism


  Adolf Hitler, the Leader of the German National Socialist (Nazi) party, preached a racist brand of fascism. Hitler promised to overturn the Versailles Treaty, restore German wealth & glory and secure additional Lebensraum ("living space") for the German people, who he contended deserve more as members of a superior race. In 1933 Hitler became the German Chancellor, and in a series of subsequent moves established himself as dictator. In 1941 the Nazi regime unleashed a war of extermination against Slavs, Jews, and other elements deemed inferior by Hitler's ideology.
• Policy of Appeasement


  Although Britain and France knew of Hitler's actions, they thought a stronger Germany would stop the spread of Communism from Russia. An example of appeasement was the Munich Agreement of September 1938, where Britain and France allowed Germany to annex areas in Czechoslovakia where German-speakers lived. Germany agreed not to invade the rest of Czechoslovakia or any other country. However, in March 1939, Germany broke its promise and invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia, and neither Britain nor France was prepared to take military action.
• Effects of World War II

  • Casualties and Destruction
  • Political Consequences
  • Social Impact
  • Economic Effects
  • Human Rights and Atrocities
  • Cold War
  • Technological Advancements
• The major causes of World War II were numerous. They include the impact of the Treaty of Versailles following WWI, the worldwide economic depression, failure of appeasement, the rise of militarism in Germany and Japan, and the failure of the League of Nations.
• Victors' stated aims in World War I had been "to make the world safe for democracy," and postwar Germany was made to adopt a democratic constitution, as did most of the other states restored or created after the war. In the 1920s, however, the wave of nationalistic, militaristic totalitarianism known by its Italian name, fascism, emerged.
• Hitler openly denounced the Treaty of Versailles and began secretly building up Germany's army and weapons. Although Britain and France knew of Hitler's actions, they thought a stronger Germany would stop the spread of Communism from Russia.