Peter Thilly, "The Opium Business: A History of Crime and Capitalism in Maritime China" (Stanford UP, 2022)Peter Thilly, "The Opium Business: A History of Crime and Capitalism in Maritime China" (Stanford UP, 2022)
New Books in Drugs, Addiction and Recovery
An interview with Peter Thilly
39:53•8 Jun 2023
The Opium Trade in Maritime China: Crime, Capitalism, and Controversy
Episode Overview
- Explore the evolution and nuances of the opium trade in Maritime China
- Gain insights into the legal and illegal aspects of the trade's operation
- Understand the profound impact of the opium trade on Chinese society and politics
- Discover the interplay between commerce, politics, and societal dynamics during this period
“The opium trade had built up illegally, at least on the import end, into China for decades and really expanded just incredibly in the 1830s before the war.”
What if the opium trade wasn't just a dark chapter in history but a complex web of crime and capitalism? In this episode of 'New Books in Drugs, Addiction and Recovery', host Marshall Poe chats with Peter Thilly, Assistant Professor of History at the University of Mississippi, about his book 'The Opium Business: A History of Crime and Capitalism in Maritime China'.
Thilly peels back the layers of this intricate trade, revealing how it operated in a murky space between legality and illegality. This conversation takes you through the evolution of the opium trade, from its early days to its persistence through World War II. You'll hear about the surprising sources of illicit drugs and the socio-political forces that kept this trade alive.
Whether you're a history buff or someone curious about the global impact of drugs, this episode offers a compelling look at how commerce, crime, and politics intertwined in Maritime China.
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