ABSTRACT
Most historical interpretations of the Opium War, focusing on the significant economic interests involved in the opium trade, assume Britain's decision to wage war on China was a foregone conclusion. The decision to wage war depended upon how the ministry could 'bear' the embarrassing circumstances surrounding the surrender of the opium. John Cam Hobhouse, who agreed with Auckland's assessment, immediately recognized the political implications of the opium question. Hobhouse sympathized with Lord Auckland's position; to divert men, ships and supplies from India to China at the beginning of September would certainly have jeopardized the Afghan expedition. The situation in China created a political as well as a commercial crisis, increasing the pressure on the British cabinet. For a successful defence of British honour in China the change in the cabinet's policy had to overcome the distance between two countries and the extent of the Chinese coast. The decision to wage war on China represented a drastic change in British policy.
