text: The dominance of silver lasted into the nineteenth century; only the California gold rush dislodged it and created the destructive gold standard that crushed American farmers and workers into poverty.  Silver also caused the most immoral war in history, the First Opium War.  The Chinese would accept nothing but silver for tea; they had no interest in British manufacturers.  British silver drained into China.  Ending their tea addiction wasn't an option for the British, so they cranked up the opium trade from India to China, demanding payment in silver.  Opium was known but not widely used in China.  The British pushed it like corporate drug dealers (backed by warships) and the plague spread.  The First Opium War started when the governor of Canton forbade further importation of opium and seized British cargoes in violation.  The opium scourge continued throughout the century.  Toward its end, it was estimated that about 25% of the male population was addicted to opium.  Rule Britannia.