PhD Thesis: Episode 2.2 (Patreon)

[PATRONS]

Welcome back to Chapter 2 of the thesis! In this episode we continue our analysis of the First Opium War, by looking at the ongoing debates in Britain over strategy and morality. Was the very act of making war on China, and thus selling it more opium, inherently dishonourable, or did Britain have no choice but to repel this insult, and teach the Qing Empire a lesson? Furthermore, looking further afield to the conflict in Afghanistan, contemporaries were able to compare and reflect upon the government's decision to make these simultaneous wars, all in the name of national honour. But was there more to the story than this? These were relevant questions in the early 1840s, and they inform much of what we know today about how contemporaries viewed the conflict, so I hope you'll join me! Thanksss for the support history friends, and happy listening!