More News
- Page Two
- News Links
Anarchives
Radio/TV
- Declare Your Independence with Ernest Hancock
Letters To Editor
- List of Letters
- Write a Letter
Join Us
Marketplace
- Buy Stuff - Sell Stuff
- Store on CafePress.com
Special Editions
RSS Feeds
About Us
Log-In

Make a Comment • Email Link • Send Letter to Editor

IPFS News Link • History

Silver and Opium

02-20-2011 • Professor Antal E. Fekete

The opium wars do not belong to the glorious episodes of Western history. Rather, they were instances of shameful behavior the West still has not lived down. Mercantilist governments resented the perpetual drain of silver from West to East in payment for Oriental goods (tea, silk, porcelain) that were in high demand in the Occident, facing low demand in the Orient for Occidental goods. From the mid-17th century more than 9 billion Troy ounces or 290 thousand metric tons of silver was absorbed by China from European countries in exchange for Chinese goods.

Read Full Story

Reported By Ryan Gauger

Make a Comment • Email Link • Send Letter to Editor