The Opium Wars - Part 1

Hello! :D

Moving back to the mid-1800s, and to one of the most controversial conflicts in the history of the British Empire, as in their bid to seek economic dominance of the Far East, various political and military powers within the UK's ruling class opted to engage in an undeclared war with Imperial China due to its pushback against a crippling epidemic of opium addiction among the Chinese population as supplied by British traders.

The result was a primarily naval based conflict, in which the Royal Navy, armed with technologically advanced designs and modern strategies, faced off against the numerically superior but extremely outdated forces of the Qing Dynasty, leading to a decidedly one-sided outcome with China ceding many of its vital ports, and sowing the seeds of the nation's ultimate abandonment of its royal household and eventual turn to communism.

The views and opinions expressed in this video are my personal appraisal and are not the views and opinions of any of these individuals or bodies who have kindly supplied me with footage and images.

If you enjoyed this video, why not leave a like, and consider subscribing for more great content coming soon.

Thanks again, everyone, and enjoy! :D

References:
- Historic UK (and their respective sources)
- History Today (and their respective sources)
- British Battles (and their respective sources)
- Wikipedia (and its respective references)

[DaveSCameron]

This was brilliant, I hadn't got round to reading anything about this issue and, with respect to our motorcycle industry, is something that is more up my street. Thanks again Rory.

[Sir_David_Beatty]

I joined the war on drugs... on the side of the drugs.