Episodes

  • 3: "The Second Opium War and Its Legacy: Remaking the Global Order"

    3: "The Second Opium War and Its Legacy: Remaking the Global Order"
    Dec 4 2024
    Summary: The final article examines how unresolved tensions from the First Opium War led to renewed conflict, this time involving multiple Western powers. It analyzes the Arrow Incident, the war's military campaigns, and the increasingly harsh treaties that followed. The article concludes by exploring the long-term consequences of both wars, including their profound impact on Chinese society, governance, and national identity, as well as their influence on modern international relations.
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    30 mins
  • 2: "The First Opium War: Technology, Power, and Transformation"

    2: "The First Opium War: Technology, Power, and Transformation"
    Dec 4 2024
    Summary: This article analyzes the military campaigns of the First Opium War, demonstrating how British technological superiority overwhelmed traditional Chinese defenses. It explores the specific battles and strategies that revealed China's military vulnerability and examines how the Treaty of Nanking reshaped China's relationship with foreign powers. The article shows how this initial conflict established patterns of unequal treaties and foreign privileges that would characterize China's international relations for the next century.
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    25 mins
  • 1: "Origins and Causes of the Opium Wars: The Collision of Empires"

    1: "Origins and Causes of the Opium Wars: The Collision of Empires"
    Dec 4 2024
    Summary: This article examines the complex factors that led to the First Opium War, exploring how Britain's trade deficit with China led to the deliberate expansion of the opium trade. It details the Canton System's structure, the East India Company's role in opium cultivation and distribution, and the devastating social and economic impacts of widespread opium addiction in Chinese society. The article reveals how fundamentally different worldviews and approaches to international relations made conflict almost inevitable.
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    24 mins