1: "Origins and Causes of the Opium Wars: The Collision of Empires"

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.