-Corsair-
10/14/2017, 20:03:57
Author Profile | Edit
|
The British did not force opium onto China. Chinese people voluntarily bought British opium. The Qing government noticed the social effects of mass addiction but was unable to do anything about it militarily due to a combination of institutional decay and technological backwardness. The British triumph was indeed a drug pusher's victory, but it was also the victory of modernity over backwardness. China lost the opium wars because of her own backwardness. This is something that all Chinese should ponder, instead of boastful Indian-like crowing about supposed Chinese might. China is still very vulnerable to foreign-sponsored social engineering efforts.
|