The Casualties Of Qing's Army And Anglo-French Allied Forces In The Second Opium War, Their Reasons And Impact

The second Opium War between 1856 and 1860 was another massive military offense again China conducted by western invaders since the first Opium War in 1840. This war lasted for the longest period of time among the five massive wars of defense against the capitalist-imperialist invasions. This war has had severe impact upon Chinese society.Specifically, the researches of the Second Opium War have lasted for about a century. Nevertheless, the publications about it at home and abroad are rare. The author of this essay has explored the Second Opium War from different aspects and has achieved convincing research findings. However, due to the constraints of various factors, there are still many questions that need to be further investigated, and plenty of controversial issues still remain.This essay explores the war from such aspects as the major battles in this war, the military strength of the two sides, the casualties of the two sides and their respective resultant impacts. The difference in the historical background, the cultural tradition, and the political and military system are especially discussed, due to which different strategies were unutilized on each side, which brought about totally different results. That is, China suffered a great loss while Britain and France gained a lot from the war. What deserves more attention is that British and French army suffered light casualties than Chinese army. This essay, through exploring the historical resources, discusses the above questions, illustrates the outcome of the war in an attempt to remind Chinese people to continue forging ahead, to keep people-orientated, to promote patriotism, and to devote to the advancement of our country.