Jan. 8, 2026
The Opium Wars: Animated Documentaries
In our Tea, Drugs, and Jesus series on the persistent American misunderstanding of China, we discuss the First Opium War of 1839–1842 and briefly mention the Second Opium War of 1856–1860 (Episode 202: Conflict Follows Trade). The History Matters channel on YouTube has brief and entertaining animated 2019 documentaries about each of these conflicts. You can watch the First Opium War documentary here and the Second Opium War documentary here.
Upcoming Episodes!
Episode 203 (coming January 21!): As the Manchu dynasty weakens during the 19th century, U.S. missionaries arrive. Christian evangelization leads to the outbreak of the long, bloody, brutal, and genocidal Taiping Rebellion, whose leader claims …
Ishaan Tharoor's Washington Post column on Sparta and Athens
Washington Post columnist Ishaan Tharoor's December 30, 2025, column from the newspaper's Today's WorldView newsletter discusses how right-wing politicians in the United States and globally are embracing an ethos based on the militaristic myth …
