I am doing a research paper on the opium wars in China. Any suggestions for key points for thesis statement?

Britain learned that the Chinese were interested in the opium they could get. And opium is a drug. However, what happens is the government soon learns about this, and they figure out that opium is actually hurting their people.

So they demand that the British stop selling opium. But they don't. So then what occurs is the war, or the Opium War. And it happens in 1839. Chinese troops surrounded the port at Guangzhou and demanded traders surrender their opium. They also went onto the ship and dumped over 20,000 different cases of opium into the ocean. So this very much angered the British. British warships then destroyed the forts on the coasts and rivers of China. And the Chinese emperor then ends up having to surrender in 1842.

This site will help you develop a thesis statement.

http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/thesistatement.html

I was talking about thesis for the topic not really how to write a thesis statement.

What position have you taken on the Opium Wars?

That site helps students decide on their point of view.

You'll need to do a substantial amount of research to become knowledgeable enough to form opinions.

Certainly! When developing a thesis statement for your research paper on the Opium Wars in China, it is important to focus on a specific aspect or argument that you want to explore further. Here are a few key points that you can consider:

1. The Opium Wars as catalysts for China's decline: Explore how the Opium Wars contributed to China's economic, political, and social decline, leading to the weakening of the Qing dynasty.

2. Causes and motivations behind the Opium Wars: Investigate the various factors that led to the outbreak of the wars, such as British economic interests, Chinese resistance to opium trade, and disputes over trade imbalance and sovereignty.

3. Impact of the Opium Wars on China's relationship with the West: Analyze the long-term effects of the Opium Wars on China's foreign relations, specifically the power dynamics between China and Western colonial powers.

4. Opium trade and social consequences in China: Examine the effects of the opium trade on Chinese society, including addiction, social disruption, and the emergence of anti-opium movements.

Remember, these points are just suggestions to give you a starting point. You should choose the one that aligns best with your research interests and develop a strong thesis statement around it. As you conduct your research, gather evidence and analyze different perspectives to support and strengthen your argument.