Opium Wars: China's Ban vs Free Trade (1839)
by Anonymous
Commissioner Lin Zexu destroyed 20,000 chests of British opium, choosing a hard ban over regulated trade. Britain declared war, defeated China, and forced open ports and Hong Kong's cession in the Treaty of Nanking.
Total Ban and Destruction
1839
year
Destroy all opium, expel traders
policy
War — Opium Wars
british response
Chosen — morally right but militarily catastrophic
outcome
Regulated Trade
1839
year
Tax and control opium imports
policy
Likely acceptance
british response
Not chosen — Emperor viewed opium as existential threat
outcome
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