HIST 1007 Chapter : HIST 10 29 14
Document Summary
China didn"t want anything british had to offer, especially in terms of manufactured goods, except for silver. British trading companies got excited when realized chinese people wanted opium. They put lin zexu in charge of deterring drug trafficking. While tea trade continued, things went south when british prime minister was put on spot to pay opium smugglers: tea became a national british beverage in 19th century through this system. Factors that gave rise to trade and use of drugs: (columbian exchange, industrial. Revolution: british world expanded because of the market created by psychoactive substances. Opium was mechanism that facilitated expansion of labor in colonial territories: alcohol was given to soldiers as rewards for extremely hard duties in colonial areas. Tobacco became source of comfort for soldiers on front lines. Drugs were mechanism to control labor: taxation: trade in psychoactive substances provided strong tax revenue for colonial powers helps when market is addicted to product.
