Part 1 of 5 · freeIntroduction
Between 1839 and 1860, Britain waged two wars against China to protect a drug trade. Its navy forced open Chinese ports and swept aside the empire's trade rules. The prize was opium, a highly addictive substance made from the poppy plant, and one of the British Empire's most profitable goods.
These Opium Wars devastated China. British power shattered its self-confidence and subjected it to unequal treaties. Millions of Chinese became addicted to a drug that British guns had forced into their ports. For London, it was a victory for unfettered trade. For China, it was the start of a century of defeats and humiliations.
The rest is in the Sophia app.The remaining parts, the open-book quiz and the full glossary. Free to start; Premium unlocks everything.
- 2Canton, free trade and opium smuggling
- 3Lin Zexu and the First Opium War
- 4The second war and the legalization of the trade
- 5The start of the "Century of Humiliation"
Open-book quiz8 questions whose answers are in the text.
Glossary7 terms explained in a tap.
30 languagesThe same course, from French to Japanese.
