This episode, we dive into the deeply unhinged saga of the Opium Wars; the time Britain decided that if China wouldn't buy enough British goods, it would simply get millions of Chinese people addicted to opium and then declare war when China tried to stop it.

From the Treaty of Nanjing and the forced cession of Hong Kong, to extraterritorial rights and humiliating indemnities, this episode unpacks how gunboats and capitalism worked hand in hand. We also zoom out to India, where peasants were trapped in coercive opium contracts, pushed into debt cycles, and forced to prioritise poppy cultivation even during famine. Empire, it turns out, was extremely organised.

As always, this isn't a dry history lecture. It's comedy commentary layered over uncomfortable facts, offbeat learning about trade policy turned military aggression, and quirky insights into how "free markets" somehow keep arriving on warships. If you've ever heard someone romanticise the British Empire as a civilising force, this episode exists to ruin that narrative, politely, but thoroughly.

Important links:

1. The Opium Wars in China - https://asiapacificcurriculum.ca/learning-module/opium-wars-china

2. How Britain's opium trade impoverished Indians - https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-49404024

3. The paper by the National Bureau of Economic Research, USA on the Opium Wars - https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w11355/w11355.pdf

4. Extract from Bodies and Structures 2.0: Deep-Mapping Modern East Asian History - https://bodiesandstructures.org/bodies-and-structures-2/patna-the-coastal-opium-trade.2

Don't Know, Do Care is the brainchild of Ashmita, Sandy, and Prakhar, three friends from different backgrounds and interests. Ashmita works in sustainability, Sandy's an entrepreneur (puke) who'd rather not be, and Prakhar works with Sandy and is just trying to make sense of it all.

Three mildly confused friends, one weirdly specific topic each week. We don't know much, but we care just enough to talk about it for up to an hour each week.

Don't Know, Do Care is produced by "Ghar Pe Productions", edited by Prakhar and Sandy, critiqued (thoroughly) by Ashmita, and enjoyed mostly by our friends. Thanks for giving us a listen!