Deadly Dreams: Opium and the Arrow War (1856-1860) in China
Author(s): J. Y. Wong
The Arrow War (1856-60) involved all the world's major powers, and could almost be called a world war because of the global economic and diplomatic issues driving it. For twenty-five years Dr John Wong has been trying to discover the true origins of the war. What began as a study of an alleged insult to the British flag supposedly flying over the boat Arrow led to an analysis of complex Chinese and British diplomacy; of the even more complex Chinese tea and silk exports; of British India's jealously guarded economic strategies and opium monopoly; of cotton supplied to the Lancashire mills by the Americans, who thereby made up their trade deficit with China occasioned by their heavy purchases of tea; of intricate Westminster politics and British global trade; of French pride and cultural priorities; of Russian intrigues and territorial designs; and of America's apparent aloofness and real ambitions.
Product Information
Part I. The Confusion of Imperialism: 1. An attempt to peel the onion of confusion; Part II. The Pretext for Imperialism: 2. An international incident: 'that wretched question of the Arrow'; Part III. The Personalities of Imperialism: 3. Harry Parkes: 'if you would read a little international law.' - Punch; 4. Sir John Bowring: possessed by a monomania; 5. Commissioner Yeh: a 'monster'?; 6. Rule, Britannia and vox populi, vox Dei; Part IV. The Rhetoric of Imperialism: 7. Marx, Punch, and a political press: the debate among the British newspapers; 8. The Arrow incident and international law: the debate in the House of Lords; 9. Triumph of the liberal conscience: the debate in the House of Commons; 10. 'Johnny is on his knees': the 'Chinese Election'; Part V. The Mechanics of Imperialism: 11. Behind the scenes: the diplomacy of imperialism; 12. Behind the scenes: the politics of imperialism; 13. In the wings: the lobbies of imperialism; Part VI. The Economics of Imperialism: 14. Anglo-Chinese trade: the Chinese should buy more; 15. China's maritime trade: the Chinese could buy more; 16. The problem of India: the Chinese should and could buy more; 17. The balance sheet: the Chinese are now buying more; Part VII. The Dynamics of Imperialism: 18. Conclusion.
General Fields
- :
- : Cambridge University Press
- : Cambridge University Press
- : 0.84
- : 07 November 2002
- : 228mm X 152mm X 33mm
- : United Kingdom
- : books
Special Fields
- : J. Y. Wong
- : Paperback
- : 327.51
- : 576
- : 19 b/w illus. 59 tables