Why the British caused the war:
-they refused to stop trading opium with merchants in Canton
-they were first to attack (they did this to attempt to force China into making opium legal again)
-they did not express sympathy for Chinese people's health due to the consumption of opium and the many deaths because of it in China
-they only cared about the profit being made
Why China caused the war:
-they only cared about the profit being made
Why China caused the war:
-Commissioner Lin sent a letter to Queen Elizabeth using disrespectful words
-they burned most of the opium that belonged to Britain
-Commissioner Lin forced British merchants to sign pledges of good conduct agreeing to never trade opium
-Commissioner Lin forced British merchants to sign pledges of good conduct agreeing to never trade opium
My opinion:
I think that Britain caused the war as they only cared about the profit being made, not about how many people were addicted (10% of China's population) and harmed. The war was also unfair for China as many of the soldiers were affected from opium. We have evidence for this as pipes used to smoke the drug were found in Chinese war ships.
A recreation opium den in China