[ngold]

England didn't force Chinese citizens to become drug addicts. That came from mass poverty. And the English were happy to get all that silver back for all the tea they had been buying.

As for the miserable poverty England had, they were happy to have their own citizens drink themselves to death.

And when the emperor said enough is enough, the british took a page out of Americas playboy with dealing with japan and trade. But went step further.

And now we have the second largest economy pulling out victimhood, and Americas grand old party is using the same playbook.

Get in power, play a victim, and crush hard working people under your heel.

[billyhoffman]

I think you have your dates wrong.

The Chinese, after repeated requests through diplomatic means and appealing directly to Queen Victoria, seized all the opium the foreign merchants were bringing into Canton, destroyed it, and then refused to compensate them. This lead to the British Navy interceding. This happened in 1839, 13 years before US Admiral Perry opened Japan with gunship diplomacy.

Don’t get me wrong, both of these actions are abhorrent. But mid 19th century Britain needed no guidebook on how to impose its will