Os tratados desiguais como ferramentas do imperialismo informal inglês: um estudo comparativo entre o Tratado de Comércio e Navegação de 1810 e o Tratado de Nanquim de 1842

Abstract

The formal existence of an empire in England was only established in the final years of the 19th century. Even so, before that the British collected exclusive privileges around the globe, expanding their power; such privileges were obtained through bilateral treaties that established almost unilateral advantages for the British crown. These agreements were called unequal treaties and emerged in the first half of the 19th century through the implementation of so-called “free trade imperialism”. In view of this, the present work sought to analyze the differences and similarities between the development process and consequences of two international treaties: the Treaty of Commerce of 1810 and Navigation and the Treaty of Nanjing of 1842, both established by the British. The results show a pattern followed for the establishment of these treaties, and at the same time, divergences in their consequences in each country (Brazil and China). Through the inductive method combined with comparative history, within a qualitative analysis, it was possible to point out characteristics that correspond to the structure of unequal treaties in both cases, but especially in the Treaty of Nanjing; there was also a great similarity in the implementation of the treaties in both countries, with similar consequences such as the opening of ports and the right of extraterritoriality to the British, but which were much more serious in China, which was forced to bear commercial sanctions and cession of territories.