Tea trading exerted fundamental influences on the greatness of the British Empire

The current status of Britain was indisputably influenced by the glory of the British Empire, during which consecutive conquering of foreign lands was witnessed while the country’s cultural practices achieved unprecedented universal reputation. However, such extraordinary accomplishments would be synonymous with fictional fantasies without an exotic delicacy named tea, a scenario indicating the significance of these herbs to the British Empire's greatness. Firstly, the period that Britain and British East India Company, the acclaimed organization that initiated the tea dynasty, surged to admirable political and economic status remarkably paralleled: While colonial conquests of the British Empire commenced in the 16th century, achievements during the initial two decades were negligible in comparison with the accomplishments dated from the middle of the 1700s to the early 1900s; meanwhile, despite being established in 1600, the British East India Company was barely acknowledged until the 17th century, when its tea business was among the principal financial generators for colonial expansion. Since tea-trading businesses were in their infancy, implemented tax obligation on one pound of tea was already an astounding five shillings, which currently corresponds to an equivalent of roughly sixty dollars, thus the exorbitant price for the commodity. Paradoxically, an insatiable demand for these exotic herbs was observed. The realization of tea’s potential economic value sharpened the British East India Company’s determination to institute a tea trading empire. This aspiration, however, was hindered by formidable obstacles: while commercial relationships with China, the only known provider of tea, could solely be approved using precious metals as currency, ongoing wars demanded substantial amounts of metals, inevitably leading to a significant lack of gold and silvers for business purposes. Consequently, Britain was incentivized to deduce alternative exchanging commodities, the search for which concluded with opium cultivation in India. Confronted with protests from the heavily exploited Indians, the British East India Company imposed military oppression. With its intimidating armed force of 260, 000 soldiers, which overshadowed several national armed forces, and the assistance from the government, the British East India Company fluidly settled continual unrest. The corporation, subsequently, established the tea empire of Britain. By 1800, with a notable 10% of Britain’s import tax income obtained from tea trading, the fates of the British Parliament, the glory of the British Empire, and the lucrative tea commerce were tightly entwined. Substantial profits from tea commerce facilitated successful colonization establishments across the globe. Prominent among territorial possessions of Britain, the majority of which were conquested in the 19th century, were India and Hong Kong in Asia, Australia in Oceania, and Egypt in Africa. Therefore, it is justifiable to assert that provided the oblivion towards tea, the saying "the Empire on which the sun never sets" would not have been devised. Secondly, the significance of tea was proven with contemplated interference of the British government into tea commerce and its dismissal of international regulations. In 1758, the legitimacy of the British East India Company’s monopoly on opium cultivation in India was approved by the country's government. Henceforth, the political strength of the corporation increased substantially, rendering the forceful transformation of agricultural lands in India into opium farms. 1784 marked the announcement of the Pitt’s India Act, which was named after the British prime minister William Pitt, and the consequent institution of a dual system in which the administration on the corporation’s political matters was reserved to the British governors. This official declaration, which allowed the legal recruitment of military forces to settle violent conflicts and establish peace, was compelling evidence of Britain’s disrespect towards international agreements regarding restrictions on governmental activities. In 1842, upset by the Chinese authorities' antagonism towards opium imports due to its devastating consequences, the British government ignited wars and subsequently gained their predictable victory, prompting the Treaty of Nanjing in which the Eastern nation conceded to the continuation of tea trading with Britain. Notably, provided the awareness that using opium as a commercial commodity violated international laws, it was explicit that the British government was consciously breaching its commitment to construct the disgraceful greatness of the British Empire. In the 1860s, despite the dissolution of the British East India Company, Britain was determined to preserve the established tea dynasty due to its monumental contribution to the British Empire's prosperity. Consequently and unsurprisingly, Queen Victoria was proclaimed the Empress of India in 1877. From cultural perspectives, the considerable influence of tea was reflected on multiple aspects, noteworthy among which were habitual tea-consuming practices and arts. Within the first half of the 19th century, the exotic herbs ascended to be the symbolic representation of Britain, a remarkable process attributed to the appearance of afternoon tea. In the early 1800s, Anna Maria Stanhope, a noble duchess and a favored lady-in-waiting of Queen Victoria, started organizing a small meal accompanied with tea during the prolonged interval between lunch and dinner. Initially relishing the meal in solidarity, the lady began sending invitations for comrades who subsequently inhibited immense enthusiasm for the event. By 1865, the passion of Queen Victoria towards the practice led to Buckingham Palace witnessing streams of noble guests gathering for a cup of tea in the afternoon. Another decade passed when tea faded to be an exclusive treat for the affluent. By 1878, tea was consumed indiscriminately by social classes: while the noble enjoyed afternoon tea in lavish palaces, modest tea clubs were organized by village women. In addition, innumerable artworks inspired by this exotic refreshment emerged. Businesses that imported or manufactured exquisitely designed ceramic tea products, a remarkable quantity of which are currently appreciated as artifacts that portray the 18th and 19th centuries, thrived. Meanwhile, the appearance of tea was reflected ubiquitously in paintings illustrating Britain, well-known among which was “A cup of Tea” by Mary Cassatt. Identically, references to tea in literature could be perceived effortlessly, a fact exemplified by multiple prominent works such as the novels “Pride and Prejudice” and “Emma” by Jane Austen or the essay “A nice cup of tea” by George Orwell. In conclusion, the greatness of the British Empire is reasonably attributed to the established tea-trading dynasty. This statement is grounded in the parallel of tea trading’s prosperity and political and economic advancements of the British Empire, purposeful interference conducted by the British government into tea commerce, and the universal acknowledgment of tea as a cultural symbol of Britain.