Characteristics of the First Opium War

From 1840 to 1860, it is the first stage of the development of the old democratic revolution, characterized by China becoming a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society, which is reflected in all aspects of China society from economic base to superstructure.

(1) Economically, the natural economy gradually disintegrated, and the foreign capitalist economic power became stronger and stronger, and China began to become a vassal of the capitalist world market.

(2) Politically, due to the failure of the two Opium Wars, China lost a lot of sovereignty; The accumulation of contradictions contributed to the outbreak of the peasant revolutionary movement in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom with the characteristics of the times.

(3) Ideologically, with the germination of "new thoughts", China people have a new understanding of the West.