logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2009
19m 37s

How the Opium Wars Worked

iHeartPodcasts
About this episode
In the 19th century, Britain tried to remedy a trade deficit with China by hooking the country on opium. Tensions rose as more and more Chinese citizens became opium addicts, eventually leading to war. Learn more about the Opium Wars in this episode. 
Up next
Today
Charles Sumner, Revisited (part 1)
<p>The first installment of the deeper examination of Charles Sumner's life begins with his early years, including his close relationships with Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Samuel Gridley Howe.</p> <p><strong>Research:</strong></p> <ul> <li>"Sumner, Charles (1811-1874)." Encycl ... Show More
35m 52s
Nov 22
SYMHC Classics: Thomas Cook
<p>This 2019 episode covers Thomas Cook, a pioneer of the idea of a travel agency to manage tourist holidays. But Cook was initially motivated by his support of the temperance movement and his deeply held religious beliefs.&nbsp;</p><p>See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener ... Show More
28m 33s
Nov 21
Behind the Scenes Minis: Balloons and Cat Trees
<p>Tracy and Holly talk about the proclivity for destruction that was part of the balloon craze. They also discuss cat trees and how hard it is to find one that's cute.&nbsp;</p><p>See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.< ... Show More
24m 47s
Recommended Episodes
May 2024
The Opium Wars
<p>2/2. The British Empire aggressively pursued the opium trade well into the 19th century, fueling an addiction epidemic within China. The Qing government was determined to stamp out this destructive trade, leading to the First and Second Opium Wars. But the British Royal Navy w ... Show More
37m 58s
Sep 2021
Taliban Heroin Gang and the Failed War on Afghanistan's Opium
Over the last two decades, the Taliban have moved from simply taxing Afghanistan's opium farmers to controlling every link in the chain of the world's biggest heroin supply. In Afghanistan's Opium Nation, we took you through the history of Afghanistan's opium and heroin industry ... Show More
59m 20s
Sep 2021
Afghanistan's Opium Nation: Drug Lords, Warlords, and Drug Wars
For decades, starting a few years even before the Taliban took power the first time around, Afghanistan has dominated the world’s opium and heroin market, in some years producing up to 90% of the global supply. It’s also provided hundreds of millions of all dollars for all sorts ... Show More
44m 48s
Jan 2018
How Similar Is the Opioid Epidemic to the Crack Epidemic?
<p>The War on Drugs being waged against opioids is very different than the one that was fought against crack. Learn more about the politics of race and addiction in this episode of BrainStuff.</p><p> </p> Learn more about your ad-choices at <a href="https://www.iheartpodcastnetwo ... Show More
5m 34s
Jun 2021
Afghanistan's poppy problem
Laila Haidari set up Kabul's first independent drug rehabilitation centre in 2010. Having helped her own brother to quit his heroin addiction she wanted to help others. More than 80% of the world's illegal opium and heroin comes from Afghanistan. International criminal groups hav ... Show More
11m 28s
Jun 2021
The war on drugs
<p>US President Richard Nixon declared illegal drugs 'public enemy number one' in 1971 and launched a worldwide 'war' on the narcotics trade. 50 years on we revisit key moments in the ongoing fight against the powerful criminal groups involved from Columbia to Afghanistan. We'll ... Show More
50m 47s
Aug 2021
Benjamin T. Smith, "The Dope: The Real History of the Mexican Drug Trade" (W. W. Norton, 2021)
For over a century Mexico has been embroiled in a drug war dictated by the demands of their neighbor to the north. In The Dope: The Real History of the Mexican Drug Trade (W. W. Norton, 2021), Benjamin T. Smith offers a history of the trade and its effects upon the people of Mexi ... Show More
44m 39s
May 2024
Histoire du trafic de drogue - L'ère des empires (1/6)
<p>Au XIXe siècle, l’opium se répand à travers toute l’Asie, sous l’impulsion des puissances coloniales.<br/><br/>Parallèlement, l’industrie pharmaceutique occidentale découvre des produits miraculeux : morphine, cocaïne, héroïne. L’addiction devient un fléau mondial et un enjeu ... Show More
24m 25s
Jul 2022
The first Vietnam War
Historian Christopher Goscha explores the decade-long conflict between the French empire and Ho Chi Minh’s communist Vietnamese forces that followed the Second World War. Speaking to Rob Attar, he argues that the Vietnamese triumph was unlike any other anti-colonial struggle of t ... Show More
44m 27s