23 August 1839
Opium War

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Foreign Secretary Viscount Palmerston, a staunch believer in using military might to uphold British interests, takes the country to war with China over the opium trade. The East India Company grows opium in India and exports it to various countries, including China. However, China is a protectionist nation and blocks imports. It is also alarmed by the effects of opium on its citizens.

In 1839, the Chinese authorities seize a shipment of East India Company opium in the port of Canton. Palmerston sends British warships, and for three years, they attack and blockade Chinese ports. The Chinese eventually capitulate and sign the Treaty of Nanking (1842), which opens up six Chinese ports to British trade, and gives Britain the island of Hong Kong as a trading base.

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