2: "The First Opium War: Technology, Power, and Transformation"

Summary: This article analyzes the military campaigns of the First Opium War, demonstrating how British technological superiority overwhelmed traditional Chinese defenses. It explores the specific battles and strategies that revealed China's military vulnerability and examines how the Treaty of Nanking reshaped China's relationship with foreign powers. The article shows how this initial conflict established patterns of unequal treaties and foreign privileges that would characterize China's international relations for the next century.