#319 - Opium War 4: Peddling the Drug Peddlers' War

Britain and China both saw the opium crisis clearly enough to know it would end in disaster. Each believed it understood the situation, and the other, well enough to keep events from spinning out of control. And yet... it happened anyway. Time Period Covered: Late 1839 – April 1840 Major Historical Figures: The Qing Empire: The Daoguang Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Minning) [r. 1820–1850] Lin Zexu, Imperial Commissioner and Governor-General of Huguang [1785–1850] The British Empire: Queen Victoria [r. 1837–1901] Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, Foreign Secretary [1784–1865] Charles Elliot, Chief Superinten...