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Empire of Addiction: Opium, Tea, and the Secret Economics of the Triangular Trade: How the British Empire Used Narcotics, Silver, and Commerce to Resh
Paperback
Series: The Salt Empire Chronicles, Book 5
EconomicsChinese HistoryBritish History
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Jun 4 2026
Pages: 252
Weight: 0.68
Height: 0.63 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
The British Empire had a problem.
Britain loved tea.
China wanted silver.
And Britain was running out of money.
To solve this crisis, the British Empire built one of the most profitable and controversial trading systems in history. Using the vast resources of India and the power of the East India Company, Britain transformed opium into a global commodity, flooded China with narcotics, reversed the flow of silver, and reshaped the balance of world power.
The consequences would be catastrophic.
Millions became addicted.
China's economy destabilized.
Wars were fought to protect commercial interests.
And an empire found a way to finance its global ambitions.
Empire of Addiction is a gripping narrative history of the Opium Wars, the East India Company's narcotics monopoly, and the hidden economic engine that helped sustain British imperial expansion.
From the poppy fields of Bengal to the trading houses of Canton and the corridors of power in London, this book follows merchants, politicians, reformers, smugglers, soldiers, and ordinary families caught within a system built on profit and dependency.
Inside you'll discover:
- How Britain's obsession with tea created a financial crisis
- The rise of the East India Company's opium monopoly in Bengal
- The secret smuggling networks that flooded China with narcotics
- Commissioner Lin Zexu's dramatic campaign against the opium trade
- The First and Second Opium Wars
- The Treaty of Nanjing and the birth of the treaty-port system
- How opium profits helped fund imperial expansion
- Why the Opium Wars remain central to China's modern worldview
Combining documentary-style storytelling with rigorous historical research, Empire of Addiction reveals the hidden economics behind one of history's most influential empires.
This is not simply the story of a drug trade.
It is the story of how addiction became imperial policy.
And how that policy changed the world.
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