How_britain_went_to_war_with_china_over_opium

He wrote a famous letter to Queen Victoria appealing to her morality (which she likely never saw) [4, 5]. He blockaded foreign merchants in Canton [1, 3].

Silver began flowing out of China to pay for the drug, crippling the Chinese economy [2, 6]. The Breaking Point: Commissioner Lin Zexu how_britain_went_to_war_with_china_over_opium

In 1839, the Daoguang Emperor appointed to end the opium trade [1, 5]. Lin took drastic measures: He wrote a famous letter to Queen Victoria

To reverse this deficit, the British East India Company began smuggling , grown in British-colonized India, into China [1, 3]. Although opium was illegal in China, the trade was incredibly lucrative [4, 6]. The Breaking Point: Commissioner Lin Zexu In 1839,

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Britain had an insatiable demand for Chinese goods, particularly , silk , and porcelain [1, 4]. However, China operated under the "Canton System," which restricted trade to a single port and required payment in silver [3, 4]. This created a massive trade deficit for Britain, draining its silver reserves [1, 6]. The Solution: Opium

China was forced to pay 21 million silver dollars for the destroyed opium and war costs [1, 5].

He seized and destroyed over (roughly 1,200 tons) [1, 5]. The Outbreak of War