Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Would The Ships Have Mattered?
During our discussions of the Ming voyages, we discussed why the Chinese decided to destroy there gigantic navy and numerous ships when the voyages came to an end. In the Opium War now, it was mostly a naval battle and the British dominated. Do you think China would have been the one dominating/won the war if they still had there ships?
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No I do not, for two reasons. First of all those ships made by the Ming dynasty were from the 1600's. Compared to the steam ships of the 1800's, the old ships were not nearly as technologically advanced as other ships. Therefore they would have had a severe disadvantage. My second reason is the Bristish Nvay was arguably the best in the world. Wether the Chinnese had more ships or not, the British would have still won. Their military is just too advanced to be overcome by other powers during that time.
ReplyDeleteYes, but we are not just talking about a couple ships. During the Ming Dynasty, China has 3,500 ships, atleast 5 times the size of the British. Regardless of the skill and advancements of the British, China could have simply overpowered them.
DeleteBut how many ships were in the British Navy compared to the Chinese Nvay?
DeleteI couldn't find the number at the time of the opium war, but at the start of WW1, they had. Little more than 300 ships on books.
DeleteSo basically 10 Chinese ships to British ship.
DeleteYou have a valid point...
DeleteI think it is possible that, had the Chinese kept their ships, there wouldn't have been an opium war. Although the Chinese ships were made in the 1600s, it is highly unlikely that they would not have been modernized by the time of the opium wars. With a stronger Chinese navy, the British might have been somewhat more reluctant to even attack China. Or it might also be possible that with a more powerful navy, China could have been a more powerful nation, making Britain less likely to attack them without considering defeat.
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