The Opium Wars episode artwork

EPISODE · Mar 19, 2025 · 19 MIN

The Opium Wars

from History Dispatches · host Matt and McKinley Breen

In the mid-1800s, Great Britain fought two wars against China. The reason was not to conquer territory. Or get gain valuable resources. No, this was to force Chinese officials to allow British-grown opium to be imported into their country. So perhaps we can call this the story of the ruthless English drug lords. Sources "Imperial Twilight: The Opium War and the End of China's Last Golden Age" by Stephen R. Platt "The Opium Wars in China" = https://asiapacificcurriculum.ca/learning-module/opium-wars-china Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opium_Wars Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Destroying_Chinese_war_junks,_by_E._Duncan_(1843).jpg The Explorers Podcast is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on the Explorers Podcast? Email us at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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