WI- A British Monarch Opposed Opium Trade to China

Could the Opium Wars have been prevented had either William IV or Victoria become appalled with the East India Company's factories and put pressure to shut them down or, failing that, opposing Parliamentary support for the above-named wars? I realize that the later Hanoverians were by no means absolute monarchs and did indeed have it spelled out that their remaining rights could be revoked by Parliament. However; William IV and especially Victoria were occasionally willing to go against the grain.
 
William IV is more toothless than you think. Queen Victoria provided support for the "moralists" who quietly put pressure on the EITC to shut it down. Note that the "moralists" were silent until Indian tea was consumed three times as much as Chinese tea for the British consumer. I think the Opium trade was an elephant in the room thing among the aristocrats (whose power had been declining since the 1300s anyways but aren't powerless yet). Most of the people knew it was immoral and opium was regulated in Britain in a way to (theoretically) limit it to medical use and avoid addiction. However, they also knew it was the only alternative to giving silver to the Chinese for the tea. Queen Victoria might have been able to force the issue just by mentioning it in a meeting. I bet for every one who supported the trade whole-heartedly, there were 7 that felt the Chinese "forced" them into the situation by not buying the stuff made in British India or their African colonies.

Again, you have a cool name
 
The opium trade started up because the Chinese insisted on payment in silver, which the British didn't have an endless supply of. Cutting opium, without a similar replacement, will lead to Britain either unable to trade with China, or a much larger Opium war for trade rights (on British terms).

- BNC
 
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