The Opium WarsBertrand Russell once said: power is soft; it is a drug whose desire increases with habit. Addiction to power is like a drug, once you get used to the same amount, you want more. In 1840, England and China had two different ideas about what trade and power meant to them. England wanted China to view them as equal trading partners and China was the main exporter at the time. Before the opium trade began, Britain exchanged silver for silk and tea; however, after a while, England had no more money to give to China. In order to remain close to the main empire and to be considered an equal trading partner, England traded in opium grown on the Indian subcontinent and then shipped to China. The opium trade intensified the violent confrontation between China and Britain, which led to both short- and long-term effects. After receiving the drug for a while, the Chinese government and society began to pay attention to the effects of addiction. The effects of the drug have affected most of China, including the government and the entire society. How can a drug have the capacity to cause so much damage? According to Frank Dikötter, "opium could be alternately or simultaneously a medical product, a recreational item, a badge of social distinction and a symbol of elite culture [and then transformed into the most addictive narcotic with the capacity to destroy a nation whole]” (46). The drug changed the way China was viewed, with opium now seen as a sign of wealth and power. If you could get this medicine, then you had the upper hand in society. Just like in trade, Britain wanted to have the upper hand in trade with the rest of the world. In Travis Hanes' study of mid-paper countries, the little drug that is opium still managed to leave its traces for the whole world to learn about. Works Cited Dikötter, Frank, Lars Peter Laamann and Xun Zhou. Narcotic culture: a history of drugs in China. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2004. Print, accessed February 17, 2014. Hanes, William Travis, and Frank Sanello. Opium Wars: addiction of one empire and corruption of another. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks, 2002. Print. Accessed February 23, 2014. Lin Wen-chung kung cheng-shu, vol. 2, roll 3. This letter was dated August 27, 1839. Merwin, Samuel. Drugging a Nation, Chinese History and the Opium Curse; a personal investigation, during an extensive tour, into the current conditions of the opium trade in China and its effects on the nation. New York: FH Revell Company, 1908. Print, accessed March 4 2014.