The Second Opium War forced the Qing government to sign the Sino-Russian peace treaties, such as the Love Faint Treaty, the Tianjin Treaty and the Beijing Treaty, and the invasion of foreign powers deepened. As a result, China lost 1.5 million square kilometers in the northeast and northwest. After the war, the Qing government was able to concentrate on suppressing the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and maintaining its rule. Foreign aggression spread to coastal provinces and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

The influence of that second opium war

It made China lose more sovereignty and territory, and China lost more than 654.38+100,000 square kilometers of land. The Sino-Russian Beijing Treaty also created conditions for tsarist Russia to occupy more territory in western China. The degree of semi-colonial and semi-feudal society in China has further deepened; The rulers of the Qing Dynasty took refuge in foreign invaders and began to become their vassals and tools. Chinese and foreign reactionary forces openly colluded to suppress the resistance of the people of China.

During the Second Opium War, the British and French allied forces occupied the capital and burned the Yuanmingyuan, which dealt a heavy blow to China's culture and psychology. The landlord class was divided, and some Manchu rulers learned from their mistakes and decided to "learn from foreigners and master their skills to control foreigners", thus starting the "Westernization Movement" and welcoming the revival of Tongzhi. The foreign minister in Beijing strengthened his influence and control over the Qing government.

Baidu Encyclopedia-The Second Opium War