Silver began flowing out of China to pay for the drug, crippling the Chinese economy [2, 6]. The Breaking Point: Commissioner Lin Zexu
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]. how_britain_went_to_war_with_china_over_opium
He seized and destroyed over (roughly 1,200 tons) [1, 5]. The Outbreak of War Silver began flowing out of China to pay
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]. crippling the Chinese economy [2