Misfortunate Monday: The Chinese Opium Wars

     Hello everybody and welcome back to another edition of Nations Made Fun! I'll be your host, Mr. Nations, your tour guide to this massive world we all call home! Today we'll be taking a look at the Chinese Opium Wars, the worst war of China's history caused by the weirdest reason. Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get straight into it!

     The opium wars were mostly caused by the British. The Chinese made several specialty products that the British wanted to get their hands on. Unfortunately, the Chinese refused to buy any products from the British, so tons of silver was flowing out of England, but nothing was flowing back in.

     To combat this, the British began to smuggle Indian opium into China illegally and demanding that they pay silver for the goods.

     The Chinese wanted to end the opium trade, but they saw the medicinal qualities. It could ease pain, improve sleep, and reduce stress. By the 1840s, millions were addicted to the medicine and the once favorable system of trade began to erode.

     The war officially ended on August 17th, 1842. The treaty of Nanking was created and stated that basically, anyone could trade what medicine they pleased.

     Fun Facts: 

• The country of Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997.
• Rusian gained land from China as a result of the Second Opium War.
• The United States became involved in the Second Opium War after the Chinese attacked a U.S. Navy officer.

     Picture of an 1840s opium pipe:

     

     Sources: https://www.factinate.com/things/41-facts-historys-greatest-tragedies/

     https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/opium-war-1839-1842