Скачать или смотреть The Empire That Got Rich Selling Addiction

The British Empire’s industrial strength is often highlighted, but what’s rarely discussed is its reliance on the illicit opium trade.
In the early 19th century, Britain faced a financial crisis of massive proportions. The British public had become addicted to Chinese tea, but China refused to buy British goods in exchange. Instead, they only accepted silver, creating a trade imbalance that drained the Bank of England’s reserves and put the nation’s economy at risk.
To solve this, the East India Company (EIC) didn’t turn to innovation; instead, they created a drug trade.
The EIC industrialized the production of opium in India, auctioned it to private smugglers, and flooded the Chinese coast with the illegal substance. This created the perfect "black market" loop: The Chinese paid for the opium in silver, the smugglers gave the silver to the EIC, and the EIC used that silver to buy tea for Britain.
By the 1850s, this illicit trade had become the backbone of the British economy, funding the Royal Navy and the occupation of India.
In this video, we break down:
• The "Silver Drain": How Britain's addiction to tea nearly led to national bankruptcy and why China held the upper hand in trade.
• The "Triangular Trade": Visualizing the money-laundering loop: Indian opium – Chinese silver – British tea – London’s wealth.
• The "Cartel Structure": How the British government kept its hands clean by allowing private smugglers to handle the dirty work while reaping the tax benefits.
• The "Narco-War": Why the First Opium War (1839) wasn’t about land—it was about forcing China to keep purchasing opium, saving Britain’s economy from collapse.
⚠ Disclaimer: This video was created with the assistance of AI tools and is for educational purposes only. It explores the economics of the Opium Trade as part of a historical case study.
#BritishEmpire #OpiumWars #QueenVictoria #HistoryDocumentary #Geopolitics #DrugTrade #EastIndiaCompany #HiddenHistory #ChinaHistory