Unequal treaty

An unequal treaty is like when you and your bigger, stronger friend make a deal. Your friend says, "I will give you this cookie if you give me all of your toys and let me have your bike." You really want the cookie, so you say yes, even though you know you're not getting a fair deal.

In real life, this happens between countries. A bigger, stronger country (often called the "imperial power") makes a deal with a smaller, weaker country. But the deal is not equal. The bigger country gets a lot of benefits, like being able to trade freely in the smaller country, or get cheap resources. But the smaller country doesn't get much in return.

Sometimes, these "unequal treaties" happen because the smaller country was forced to sign them. This could happen if the bigger country has a stronger military, or if it threatens to go to war. Other times, the smaller country might think that the bigger one will be a good friend and give it help, but later realizes that it really just wants to control the smaller country.

Overall, an unequal treaty is when one country gets a lot of benefits from another country, but doesn't give much in return. It's not a fair deal, and it can be really tough for the smaller country.