The determining significance of tea trading to the admirable achievements in colonization and cultural influence of the British Empire

The current status of Britain was indisputably influenced by the glory of the British Empire, during which consecutive conquerings of foreign lands were witnessed whilst the country’s cultural practices achieved unprecedented universal reputation. However, such extraordinary accomplishments would have been perceived as fictional fantasies without the discovery of an exotic delicacy named tea, a scenario that indicates 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 the colony conquests of Britain were generally believed to commence in the early 1600s, achievements during the initial decade 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’s existence was barely acknowledged until the 17th century, when its tea trading business was among the principal financial generators for colonial expansion. Since the tea-trading businesses were in their infancy, tax obligation on one pound of tea was implemented at an astounding five shillings, which currently corresponds to an equivalent of 60 dollars. The recognition of tea’s potential economic value sharpened Britain’s determination to institute a tea trading empire. This aspiration, however, was hindered by paramount obstacles: while approvals for commercial relationships with China, the only known provider of tea, could solely be sought 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 optimum cultivation in India. Confronted with protests from the Indians, who were heavily exploited, and the Chinese, who acknowledged the devastating impacts of drugs, the British East India Company imposed military oppression. With its intimidating armed force of 260, 000 soldiers, which overshadowed several national militaries’ strength, and the assistance from the government, the British East India Company fluidly settled continual unrests. The organization, subsequently, established the tea empire of Britain. By 1800, with a notable 10% of the country’s import tax income obtained from tea trading, the fates of the British Parliament and tea commercials were inseparable. This financial contribution facilitated consecutive submissions of numerous nations across the globe. Prominent among Britain’s territorial possessions, the majority of which were conquested in the 19th century, were India and Hong Kong in Asia, Australian colony settlements 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 interferences of the country's government into tea trading and its dismissal of international regulations. In 1758, the British National Assembly approved the legitimacy of the British East India Company’s monopoly on opium cultivation in India. Henceforth, the political strength of the corporation increased substantially, rendering the forceful transformation of agricultural lands in India into optimum farms. 1784 marked the announcement of 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 company’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 governments’ activities. In 1842, to effectively eliminate China’s resistance to optimum imports, the British government ignited wars and gained their predictable victory, prompting the Treaty of Nanjing in which the Eastern nation conceded the continuation of trading relationships with Britain. Notably, provided the awareness that using optimum as a commercial commodity violated international laws, it was explicit that the British government was consciously breaching its established commitment to construct the disgraceful greatness of the British Empire. In the 1860s, despite the dissolution of the reputational British East India Company, Britain was determined to preserve the established tea empire due to its monumental contribution to the country's prosperity. Consequently, 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 that was 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 of 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: whilst 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 tea ceramic products flourished. Meanwhile, the appearance of tea was reflected ubiquitously in paintings illustrating Britain, well known among which was “A cup of Tea” by Mary Cassett. Identically, tea references 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 constructed in contemplation of tea being fundamental to the Empire’s economic and political prosperity, purposeful interferences conducted by the British government into tea commerce, and tea being universally acknowledged as the cultural symbol of Britain.