Author: John H. Halpern
Publisher: Hachette Books
ISBN: 0316417653
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 331
Book Description
From a psychiatrist on the frontlines of addiction medicine and an expert on the history of drug use comes the "authoritative, engaging, and accessible" history of the flower that helped to build (Booklist) -- and now threatens -- modern society. Opioid addiction is fast becoming the most deadly crisis in American history. In 2018, it claimed nearly fifty thousand lives -- more than gunshots and car crashes combined, and almost as many Americans as were killed in the entire Vietnam War. But even as the overdose crisis ravages our nation -- straining our prison system, dividing families, and defying virtually every legislative solution to treat it -- few understand how it came to be. Opium tells the "fascinating" (Lit Hub) and at times harrowing tale of how we arrived at today's crisis, "mak[ing] timely and startling connections among painkillers, politics, finance, and society" (Laurence Bergreen). The story begins with the discovery of poppy artifacts in ancient Mesopotamia, and goes on to explore how Greek physicians and obscure chemists discovered opium's effects and refined its power, how colonial empires marketed it around the world, and eventually how international drug companies developed a range of powerful synthetic opioids that led to an epidemic of addiction. Throughout, Dr. John Halpern and David Blistein reveal the fascinating role that opium has played in building our modern world, from trade networks to medical protocols to drug enforcement policies. Most importantly, they disentangle how crucial misjudgments, patterns of greed, and racial stereotypes served to transform one of nature's most effective painkillers into a source of unspeakable pain -- and how, using the insights of history, state-of-the-art science, and a compassionate approach to the illness of addiction, we can overcome today's overdose epidemic. This urgent and masterfully woven narrative tells an epic story of how one beautiful flower became the fascination of leaders, tycoons, and nations through the centuries and in their hands exposed the fragility of our civilization. An NPR Best Book of the Year"A landmark project." -- Dr. Andrew Weil"Engrossing and highly readable." -- Sam Quinones"An astonishing journey through time and space." -- Julie Holland, MD"The most important, provocative, and challenging book I've read in a long time." -- Laurence Bergreen
Opium
Author: John H. Halpern
Publisher: Hachette Books
ISBN: 0316417653
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 331
Book Description
From a psychiatrist on the frontlines of addiction medicine and an expert on the history of drug use comes the "authoritative, engaging, and accessible" history of the flower that helped to build (Booklist) -- and now threatens -- modern society. Opioid addiction is fast becoming the most deadly crisis in American history. In 2018, it claimed nearly fifty thousand lives -- more than gunshots and car crashes combined, and almost as many Americans as were killed in the entire Vietnam War. But even as the overdose crisis ravages our nation -- straining our prison system, dividing families, and defying virtually every legislative solution to treat it -- few understand how it came to be. Opium tells the "fascinating" (Lit Hub) and at times harrowing tale of how we arrived at today's crisis, "mak[ing] timely and startling connections among painkillers, politics, finance, and society" (Laurence Bergreen). The story begins with the discovery of poppy artifacts in ancient Mesopotamia, and goes on to explore how Greek physicians and obscure chemists discovered opium's effects and refined its power, how colonial empires marketed it around the world, and eventually how international drug companies developed a range of powerful synthetic opioids that led to an epidemic of addiction. Throughout, Dr. John Halpern and David Blistein reveal the fascinating role that opium has played in building our modern world, from trade networks to medical protocols to drug enforcement policies. Most importantly, they disentangle how crucial misjudgments, patterns of greed, and racial stereotypes served to transform one of nature's most effective painkillers into a source of unspeakable pain -- and how, using the insights of history, state-of-the-art science, and a compassionate approach to the illness of addiction, we can overcome today's overdose epidemic. This urgent and masterfully woven narrative tells an epic story of how one beautiful flower became the fascination of leaders, tycoons, and nations through the centuries and in their hands exposed the fragility of our civilization. An NPR Best Book of the Year"A landmark project." -- Dr. Andrew Weil"Engrossing and highly readable." -- Sam Quinones"An astonishing journey through time and space." -- Julie Holland, MD"The most important, provocative, and challenging book I've read in a long time." -- Laurence Bergreen
Publisher: Hachette Books
ISBN: 0316417653
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 331
Book Description
From a psychiatrist on the frontlines of addiction medicine and an expert on the history of drug use comes the "authoritative, engaging, and accessible" history of the flower that helped to build (Booklist) -- and now threatens -- modern society. Opioid addiction is fast becoming the most deadly crisis in American history. In 2018, it claimed nearly fifty thousand lives -- more than gunshots and car crashes combined, and almost as many Americans as were killed in the entire Vietnam War. But even as the overdose crisis ravages our nation -- straining our prison system, dividing families, and defying virtually every legislative solution to treat it -- few understand how it came to be. Opium tells the "fascinating" (Lit Hub) and at times harrowing tale of how we arrived at today's crisis, "mak[ing] timely and startling connections among painkillers, politics, finance, and society" (Laurence Bergreen). The story begins with the discovery of poppy artifacts in ancient Mesopotamia, and goes on to explore how Greek physicians and obscure chemists discovered opium's effects and refined its power, how colonial empires marketed it around the world, and eventually how international drug companies developed a range of powerful synthetic opioids that led to an epidemic of addiction. Throughout, Dr. John Halpern and David Blistein reveal the fascinating role that opium has played in building our modern world, from trade networks to medical protocols to drug enforcement policies. Most importantly, they disentangle how crucial misjudgments, patterns of greed, and racial stereotypes served to transform one of nature's most effective painkillers into a source of unspeakable pain -- and how, using the insights of history, state-of-the-art science, and a compassionate approach to the illness of addiction, we can overcome today's overdose epidemic. This urgent and masterfully woven narrative tells an epic story of how one beautiful flower became the fascination of leaders, tycoons, and nations through the centuries and in their hands exposed the fragility of our civilization. An NPR Best Book of the Year"A landmark project." -- Dr. Andrew Weil"Engrossing and highly readable." -- Sam Quinones"An astonishing journey through time and space." -- Julie Holland, MD"The most important, provocative, and challenging book I've read in a long time." -- Laurence Bergreen
A State Built on Sand
Author: David Mansfield
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190694602
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 418
Book Description
Oscillations in opium poppy production in Afghanistan have long been associated with how the state was perceived, such as after the Taliban imposed a cultivation ban in 2000-1. The international community's subsequent attempts to regulate opium poppy became intimately linked with its own state-building project, and rising levels of cultivation were cited as evidence of failure by those international donors who spearheaded development in poppy-growing provinces like Helmand, Nangarhar and Kandahar. Mansfield's book examines why drug control - particularly opium bans - have been imposed in Afghanistan; he documents the actors involved; and he scrutinizes how prohibition served divergent and competing interests. Drawing on almost two decades of fieldwork in rural areas, he explains how these bans affected farming communities, and how prohibition endured in some areas while in others opium production bans undermined livelihoods and destabilized the political order, fuelling violence and rural rebellion. Above all this book challenges how we have come to understand political power in rural Afghanistan. Far from being the passive recipients of violence by state and non-state actors, Mansfield highlights the role that rural communities have played in shaping the political terrain, including establishing the conditions under which they could persist with opium production.
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190694602
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 418
Book Description
Oscillations in opium poppy production in Afghanistan have long been associated with how the state was perceived, such as after the Taliban imposed a cultivation ban in 2000-1. The international community's subsequent attempts to regulate opium poppy became intimately linked with its own state-building project, and rising levels of cultivation were cited as evidence of failure by those international donors who spearheaded development in poppy-growing provinces like Helmand, Nangarhar and Kandahar. Mansfield's book examines why drug control - particularly opium bans - have been imposed in Afghanistan; he documents the actors involved; and he scrutinizes how prohibition served divergent and competing interests. Drawing on almost two decades of fieldwork in rural areas, he explains how these bans affected farming communities, and how prohibition endured in some areas while in others opium production bans undermined livelihoods and destabilized the political order, fuelling violence and rural rebellion. Above all this book challenges how we have come to understand political power in rural Afghanistan. Far from being the passive recipients of violence by state and non-state actors, Mansfield highlights the role that rural communities have played in shaping the political terrain, including establishing the conditions under which they could persist with opium production.
Opium
Author: Martin Booth
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
ISBN: 1466853972
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 397
Book Description
Known to mankind since prehistoric times, opium is arguably the oldest and most widely used narcotic. Opium: A History traces the drug's astounding impact on world culture--from its religious use by prehistoric peoples to its influence on the imaginations of the Romantic writers; from the earliest medical science to the Sino-British opium wars. And, in the present day, as the addict population rises and penetrates every walk of life, Opium shows how the international multibillion-dollar heroin industry operates with terrifying efficiency and forms an integral part of the world's money markets. In this first full-length history of opium, acclaimed author Martin Booth uncovers the multifaceted nature of this remarkable narcotic and the bittersweet effects of a simple poppy with a deadly legacy.
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
ISBN: 1466853972
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 397
Book Description
Known to mankind since prehistoric times, opium is arguably the oldest and most widely used narcotic. Opium: A History traces the drug's astounding impact on world culture--from its religious use by prehistoric peoples to its influence on the imaginations of the Romantic writers; from the earliest medical science to the Sino-British opium wars. And, in the present day, as the addict population rises and penetrates every walk of life, Opium shows how the international multibillion-dollar heroin industry operates with terrifying efficiency and forms an integral part of the world's money markets. In this first full-length history of opium, acclaimed author Martin Booth uncovers the multifaceted nature of this remarkable narcotic and the bittersweet effects of a simple poppy with a deadly legacy.
Milk of Paradise
Author: Lucy Inglis
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1643130951
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 401
Book Description
Poppy tears, opium, heroin, fentanyl: humankind has been in thrall to the “Milk of Paradise” for millennia. The latex of papaver somniferum is a bringer of sleep, of pleasurable lethargy, of relief from pain—and hugely addictive. A commodity without rival, it is renewable, easy to extract, transport, and refine, and subject to an insatiable global demand. No other substance in the world is as simple to produce or as profitable. It is the basis of a gargantuan industry built upon a shady underworld, but ultimately it is an agricultural product that lives many lives before it reaches the branded blister packet, the intravenous drip, or the scorched and filthy spoon. Many of us will end our lives dependent on it. In Milk of Paradise, acclaimed cultural historian Lucy Inglis takes readers on an epic journey from ancient Mesopotamia to modern America and Afghanistan, from Sanskrit to pop, from poppy tears to smack, from morphine to today’s synthetic opiates. It is a tale of addiction, trade, crime, sex, war, literature, medicine, and, above all, money. And, as this ambitious, wide-ranging, and compelling account vividly shows, the history of opium is our history and it speaks to us of who we are.
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1643130951
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 401
Book Description
Poppy tears, opium, heroin, fentanyl: humankind has been in thrall to the “Milk of Paradise” for millennia. The latex of papaver somniferum is a bringer of sleep, of pleasurable lethargy, of relief from pain—and hugely addictive. A commodity without rival, it is renewable, easy to extract, transport, and refine, and subject to an insatiable global demand. No other substance in the world is as simple to produce or as profitable. It is the basis of a gargantuan industry built upon a shady underworld, but ultimately it is an agricultural product that lives many lives before it reaches the branded blister packet, the intravenous drip, or the scorched and filthy spoon. Many of us will end our lives dependent on it. In Milk of Paradise, acclaimed cultural historian Lucy Inglis takes readers on an epic journey from ancient Mesopotamia to modern America and Afghanistan, from Sanskrit to pop, from poppy tears to smack, from morphine to today’s synthetic opiates. It is a tale of addiction, trade, crime, sex, war, literature, medicine, and, above all, money. And, as this ambitious, wide-ranging, and compelling account vividly shows, the history of opium is our history and it speaks to us of who we are.
The International Cultivators Handbook
Author: William Drake
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781453816295
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
Second Edition: Revised & Expanded 2010 2010-2014 Reviews by Amazon.com Buyers "Bill is ... an expert incredibly versed in the uses and cultivation, both historically and in modernity in a myriad of other entheogenic plants and substances. Take for example his recently revised manual: The International Cultivators Handbook: Hashish, Coca, and Opium. One quick look at this book will reveal to you the breadth of Bill's valuable Shamanic knowledge and how it can be adapted the times of crisis that are soon and sure to come to our country. Throughout the book Bill places a deep emphasis on focusing solely on the raw product of these historic "Third Eye Opening" plants as opposed to the highly concentrated derivatives or low quality drug dealer/government cartel supply derived thereof, and for good reason; it's time that both the laws were changed via the flow of information and time we realize just where the cartels make their connections. Bill also does a fantastic job of highlighting historical texts in each chapter discussing the legitimate medical research and medical uses of each substance on the list with information which will absolutely blow your mind!." "I found the book a very good source of information. From the scientific to the poetic." "Quick shipping and a great read!" "Anyone who has an interest in medicinal herbs, Shamanism, or Ethnogens ... would do well to add this one to their collection. It is a fantastic addition to the library of the supernaut, historian, shaman, or survivalist. 5 of 5." (Excerpt from the 1974 Rolling Stone review) Hundreds of thousands of people have become experts in the most joyful of horticultural pursuits thanks to Bill Drake's classic and indispensible "Cultivators Handbook of Marijuana". Chances are that no matter who is growing it or where they are growing it, Bill Drake not only told them how - but told them why they should go to the bother. And, if that wasn't enough, he made the same vast audience sophisticated in Cannabis lore through that dazzling compendium of knowledge - the first and still the best coffeetable dope book - "The Connoisseur's Handbook of Marjiuana". Now with the International Cultivators Handbook, the seeds are flung much much further in both time and space. Drawing from his great respect for the ancient traditions surrounding these three great therapeutic medicinal plants, Bill Drake offers the reader broad, bold insights into worldwide traditional cultivation practices and medicinal uses of Coca, Opium and Hashish that they will find nowhere else.
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781453816295
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
Second Edition: Revised & Expanded 2010 2010-2014 Reviews by Amazon.com Buyers "Bill is ... an expert incredibly versed in the uses and cultivation, both historically and in modernity in a myriad of other entheogenic plants and substances. Take for example his recently revised manual: The International Cultivators Handbook: Hashish, Coca, and Opium. One quick look at this book will reveal to you the breadth of Bill's valuable Shamanic knowledge and how it can be adapted the times of crisis that are soon and sure to come to our country. Throughout the book Bill places a deep emphasis on focusing solely on the raw product of these historic "Third Eye Opening" plants as opposed to the highly concentrated derivatives or low quality drug dealer/government cartel supply derived thereof, and for good reason; it's time that both the laws were changed via the flow of information and time we realize just where the cartels make their connections. Bill also does a fantastic job of highlighting historical texts in each chapter discussing the legitimate medical research and medical uses of each substance on the list with information which will absolutely blow your mind!." "I found the book a very good source of information. From the scientific to the poetic." "Quick shipping and a great read!" "Anyone who has an interest in medicinal herbs, Shamanism, or Ethnogens ... would do well to add this one to their collection. It is a fantastic addition to the library of the supernaut, historian, shaman, or survivalist. 5 of 5." (Excerpt from the 1974 Rolling Stone review) Hundreds of thousands of people have become experts in the most joyful of horticultural pursuits thanks to Bill Drake's classic and indispensible "Cultivators Handbook of Marijuana". Chances are that no matter who is growing it or where they are growing it, Bill Drake not only told them how - but told them why they should go to the bother. And, if that wasn't enough, he made the same vast audience sophisticated in Cannabis lore through that dazzling compendium of knowledge - the first and still the best coffeetable dope book - "The Connoisseur's Handbook of Marjiuana". Now with the International Cultivators Handbook, the seeds are flung much much further in both time and space. Drawing from his great respect for the ancient traditions surrounding these three great therapeutic medicinal plants, Bill Drake offers the reader broad, bold insights into worldwide traditional cultivation practices and medicinal uses of Coca, Opium and Hashish that they will find nowhere else.
Opium Poppy Garden
Author: William Griffith
Publisher: Ronin Publishing
ISBN: 9781579510930
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 80
Book Description
A complete guide to cultivating and harvesting the beautiful opium poppy. The opium poppy is a potent plant that has been cultivated and used for thousands of years to alleviate suffering. The use of plant substances as alternatives to synthetic medicines is resurging due to their beneficial properties and less-toxic side effects. For example, many cancer and HIV sufferers are growing opium for personal use. Opium Poppy Garden is the only book available that describes the cultivation, harvest and pharmacology of opium in a format that combines literary and instructional writing. The heart of the book is the tale of Ch'ien, a young Chinese man who travels from Costa Rica to Columbia to grow an opium garden in the manner his Taoist grandfather taught him. The story, in conjunction with "The Cultivator's Diary" and the technical appendix, provide the reader with a working knowledge of this plant.
Publisher: Ronin Publishing
ISBN: 9781579510930
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 80
Book Description
A complete guide to cultivating and harvesting the beautiful opium poppy. The opium poppy is a potent plant that has been cultivated and used for thousands of years to alleviate suffering. The use of plant substances as alternatives to synthetic medicines is resurging due to their beneficial properties and less-toxic side effects. For example, many cancer and HIV sufferers are growing opium for personal use. Opium Poppy Garden is the only book available that describes the cultivation, harvest and pharmacology of opium in a format that combines literary and instructional writing. The heart of the book is the tale of Ch'ien, a young Chinese man who travels from Costa Rica to Columbia to grow an opium garden in the manner his Taoist grandfather taught him. The story, in conjunction with "The Cultivator's Diary" and the technical appendix, provide the reader with a working knowledge of this plant.
Poppies, Politics, and Power
Author: James Tharin Bradford
Publisher: Cornell University Press
ISBN: 1501738348
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 296
Book Description
Historians have long neglected Afghanistan's broader history when portraying the opium industry. But in Poppies, Politics, and Power, James Tharin Bradford rebalances the discourse, showing that it is not the past forty years of lawlessness that makes the opium industry what it is, but the sheer breadth of the twentieth-century Afghanistan experience. Rather than byproducts of a failed contemporary system, argues Bradford, drugs, especially opium, were critical components in the formation and failure of the Afghan state. In this history of drugs and drug control in Afghanistan, Bradford shows us how the country moved from licit supply of the global opium trade to one of the major suppliers of hashish and opium through changes in drug control policy shaped largely by the outside force of the United States. Poppies, Politics, and Power breaks the conventional modes of national histories that fail to fully encapsulate the global nature of the drug trade. By providing a global history of opium within the borders of Afghanistan, Bradford demonstrates that the country's drug trade and the government's position on that trade were shaped by the global illegal market and international efforts to suppress it. By weaving together this global history of the drug trade and drug policy with the formation of the Afghan state and issues within Afghan political culture, Bradford completely recasts the current Afghan, and global, drug trade.
Publisher: Cornell University Press
ISBN: 1501738348
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 296
Book Description
Historians have long neglected Afghanistan's broader history when portraying the opium industry. But in Poppies, Politics, and Power, James Tharin Bradford rebalances the discourse, showing that it is not the past forty years of lawlessness that makes the opium industry what it is, but the sheer breadth of the twentieth-century Afghanistan experience. Rather than byproducts of a failed contemporary system, argues Bradford, drugs, especially opium, were critical components in the formation and failure of the Afghan state. In this history of drugs and drug control in Afghanistan, Bradford shows us how the country moved from licit supply of the global opium trade to one of the major suppliers of hashish and opium through changes in drug control policy shaped largely by the outside force of the United States. Poppies, Politics, and Power breaks the conventional modes of national histories that fail to fully encapsulate the global nature of the drug trade. By providing a global history of opium within the borders of Afghanistan, Bradford demonstrates that the country's drug trade and the government's position on that trade were shaped by the global illegal market and international efforts to suppress it. By weaving together this global history of the drug trade and drug policy with the formation of the Afghan state and issues within Afghan political culture, Bradford completely recasts the current Afghan, and global, drug trade.
Opium for the Masses
Author: Jim Hogshire
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781559501149
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 132
Book Description
"Opium. Known as 'The Mother of All Analgesics,' it's probably the greatest pain killer ever discovered. Opium is the parent of morphine, heroin, laudanum, Darvocet, Darvon, and many other pain relievers. Opium causes poets to rhapsodize and nations to go to war. 'Religion... is the opium of the people,' said Karl Marx, but some people insist on the real thing. In Opium for the Masses, Jim Hogshire tells you everything you want to know about the beloved poppy and its amazing properties [...] As he reveals the secrets of the seductive opium poppy, he tells the sad story of prescription drugs: doctors, drug makers and governments prohibiting natural remedies in favor of harsh synthetic derivatives. Opium for the Masses includes rare photographs and detailed illustrations that bring this magnificent plant to life."--From cover.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781559501149
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 132
Book Description
"Opium. Known as 'The Mother of All Analgesics,' it's probably the greatest pain killer ever discovered. Opium is the parent of morphine, heroin, laudanum, Darvocet, Darvon, and many other pain relievers. Opium causes poets to rhapsodize and nations to go to war. 'Religion... is the opium of the people,' said Karl Marx, but some people insist on the real thing. In Opium for the Masses, Jim Hogshire tells you everything you want to know about the beloved poppy and its amazing properties [...] As he reveals the secrets of the seductive opium poppy, he tells the sad story of prescription drugs: doctors, drug makers and governments prohibiting natural remedies in favor of harsh synthetic derivatives. Opium for the Masses includes rare photographs and detailed illustrations that bring this magnificent plant to life."--From cover.
Handbook on Opium
Author: Vasanth Kumar
Publisher: Academic Press
ISBN: 0323909043
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 246
Book Description
Handbook of Opium: History and Basis of Opioids in Therapeutics traces the history of poppy from its prehistory, its use in Greek and Egyptian medicine through the European Renaissance, and the opioid epidemic of the present day. The book explores the discovery of morphine and its alkaloids, reviews its biosynthetic process, and covers the evolution of synthetic opioids. Further, it reviews the biological effects of opium and the molecular basis of its actions, including future perspectives in clinical applications with therapeutic targets. The book is interspersed with numerous notes on the events and great minds in history and medicine who advocated, analyzed and advanced opium through history. The book is a comprehensive review on opium, covering a breadth of topics, including its history, botany, chemistry, trade, physiology, clinical use and molecular biology, with numerous references, tables, vignettes and illustrations included for additional understanding. - Presents a comprehensive review on opium, covering a range of topics - Filled with historical vignettes, tables and illustrations to aid understanding - Authored by practicing clinicians who integrate clinical information in the context of history and pharmacology
Publisher: Academic Press
ISBN: 0323909043
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 246
Book Description
Handbook of Opium: History and Basis of Opioids in Therapeutics traces the history of poppy from its prehistory, its use in Greek and Egyptian medicine through the European Renaissance, and the opioid epidemic of the present day. The book explores the discovery of morphine and its alkaloids, reviews its biosynthetic process, and covers the evolution of synthetic opioids. Further, it reviews the biological effects of opium and the molecular basis of its actions, including future perspectives in clinical applications with therapeutic targets. The book is interspersed with numerous notes on the events and great minds in history and medicine who advocated, analyzed and advanced opium through history. The book is a comprehensive review on opium, covering a breadth of topics, including its history, botany, chemistry, trade, physiology, clinical use and molecular biology, with numerous references, tables, vignettes and illustrations included for additional understanding. - Presents a comprehensive review on opium, covering a range of topics - Filled with historical vignettes, tables and illustrations to aid understanding - Authored by practicing clinicians who integrate clinical information in the context of history and pharmacology
The Opium War
Author: Julia Lovell
Publisher: Abrams
ISBN: 1468313231
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 349
Book Description
This “crisp and readable account” of the nineteenth century British campaign sheds light on modern Chinese identity through “a heartbreaking story of war” (The Wall Street Journal). In October 1839, a Windsor cabinet meeting voted to begin the first Opium War against China. Bureaucratic fumbling, military missteps, and a healthy dose of political opportunism and collaboration followed. Rich in tragicomedy, The Opium War explores the disastrous British foreign-relations move that became a founding myth of modern Chinese nationalism, and depicts China’s heroic struggle against Western conspiracy. Julia Lovell examines the causes and consequences of the Opium War, interweaving tales of the opium pushers and dissidents. More importantly, she analyses how the Opium Wars shaped China’s self-image and created an enduring model for its interactions with the West, plagued by delusion and prejudice.
Publisher: Abrams
ISBN: 1468313231
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 349
Book Description
This “crisp and readable account” of the nineteenth century British campaign sheds light on modern Chinese identity through “a heartbreaking story of war” (The Wall Street Journal). In October 1839, a Windsor cabinet meeting voted to begin the first Opium War against China. Bureaucratic fumbling, military missteps, and a healthy dose of political opportunism and collaboration followed. Rich in tragicomedy, The Opium War explores the disastrous British foreign-relations move that became a founding myth of modern Chinese nationalism, and depicts China’s heroic struggle against Western conspiracy. Julia Lovell examines the causes and consequences of the Opium War, interweaving tales of the opium pushers and dissidents. More importantly, she analyses how the Opium Wars shaped China’s self-image and created an enduring model for its interactions with the West, plagued by delusion and prejudice.