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Extra History Vote: What Would You Like to See?

🕑 Added 2016-01-16 18:31:57 +0000 UTC

Comments

Christina Maria Jessen

You give Jardine, Matheson and Co way too much credit. The whole thing was a complete mess and they were making it up as they went along and the local representative of the British in Canton ended up being the one instigating the whole thing and the opium smugglers just had to adapt. Also, the British East India Company wasn't really involved, parliament had banned the sale of opium to China in response to Chinese protests, so most of the smuggling was carried out by private businessmen sailing under American flag. Now, the British did very little to stop them other than ask them to not fly a British flag and they still reaped the benefits to the balance of trade, but by the time the war rolled around, any formal body of the empire was uninvolved in the opium trade. If you want to see villainy by the British East India Company, the Great Mutiny in India or, really, much of how India became a British colony would be a better place to look.

Christina Maria Jessen

The whole thing is far too messy to ask that question about. It's ultimately a case of crossed wires, limited communication due to long travel times and people on the ground overriding their superiors by not waiting for those long travel times. Neither the British nor the Chinese come off looking very well, though there are people on both sides who do, but given the surge in racism and the fairly harsh measures imposed after the peace, it's hard not to sympathize more with the Chinese.

JVR

Still voting for Cincinnatus.

CarolineHan

They all rock. I can't choose!

Stephen

I'd have been putting an American topic into the bowl, now that Mary Seacole has been done, had I not been ridiculously busy this past week and missed the call for nominations for the bowl.

Stephen

Though some may be voting tactically - voting for all four is equivalent of not voting at all in approval voting, which imo is it's primary flaw. I tend to vote for one or two, and calibrate the divide between giving something 0 and 1 point based on that...

Stephen

Oh, please tell me that pun was deliberate (that you approve of the voting methodology they use, which is known as approval voting)

Christina Maria Jessen

Given the significance of the South Seas bubble in the development of modern banking, I'd say it's a pretty big topic too. It's a major, structural issue. Not sure you can find a lot of individuals who can measure up in significance to that, even if you're willing to attribute innovations more to individual innovators than to structural issues of its times.

Christina Maria Jessen

The first opium war is kind of an amazing story, really. In addition to imperialism, it also includes really bizarre myths about ethnic differences, the delusions of grandeur of two empires and a completely ridiculous example of low-ranking people on the ground deciding policy for an entire country. It's not the first topic of Chinese history I'd choose, but it's probably on the top five. Late Qing, the Republican period and Communist China are all immensely interesting periods, even if the last two are too late for coverage here.

Timothy McLean

A few notes. All of these are fairly "big" topics. I was hoping for another South Sea bubble on the list. I approve of your voting methodology. The First Opium War almost has a supermajority behind it—62% at the time I voted, with second place at only 46%. I think we have a winner.

Alan Haskayne

Every time I get to put in my ticket for the raffle (Had to skip last month sadly) I always try to get the Dutch East India company in for their supervillain like ideals

RMS Oceanic

All of these are great topics, though I didn't vote for Elizabeth because I know a lot about her already.

GooGhoul

Is there a good side in the Opium Wars?

GooGhoul

Of the three people, Catherine the only one I've heard interesting things about. And those where just sexist trashtalk passed down from the snubbed nobles of the time.

GooGhoul

Of the three people, Catherine the only one I've heard interesting things about. And those where just sexist trashtalk passed down from the snubbed nobles of the time.

paul staber

You guys really should do a series on the East Indies Company in general the Opium Wars being just one of there many supervillain esk business ventures.

Extra History

I knooooooow! D:

Extra History

I agree!

Extra History

They can come back, even if they don't win!

Extra History

Yeah, the percents in this one mean "what percent of people who voted at all, voted for this topic" - so for example, 24% of people who have voted would be interested in a series on Elizabeth I.