Do you know anything about British Empire and their background and please don’t Google it?
36-40, M
ArishMell · 70-79, M
Like the other European* empires it grew initially out of trade and discovering these "new" lands had produce valuable to the Imperial country - tragically including slavery.
They they became more straightforwardly territorial.
All these powers' collective technical developments and complicated political and economic systems, gave them an overweening sense of being "civilised", "advanced" and having the only "real" religion in the world, so they treated the conquered natives (and yes, that is a genuine term not an insult - look at its root word!) with anything from oppression to a sort of patronising benevolence.
They could also be highly racist, but the level of that varied considerably, with perhaps the worst and longest in lingering effects being the South African apartheid attitudes and laws used by the descendants of that nation's Boer colonialists from Holland. Besides, being racist was and still is by no means limited to white European colonialists and their descendents. Two wrongs do not make a right, though.
Britain was perhaps the first to start divesting herself of her empire, voluntarily or by war (as what became the USA) or other insurrection (as with India).
She was also the first European imperial power to outlaw the slavery and the slave trade, though at considerable cost in compensating the former slave-owners.
After World War Two the urge to let these countries run themselves but if they wished, autonomous but still nominally British within the "club" called the "Commonwealth of Nations", strengthened within the UK.
That was one of various reasons that Winston Churchill was deposed as Prime Minister in a huge defeat for the Conservative Party in the first post-War General Election. This result baffled the rest of the world given his leadership of the War-time, coalition government in which Churchill (Cons, strongly right-wing) and Clement Attlee (Labour so left-wing) were close political allies "for the duration".
Churchill, still titled plain "Mister" then, was also very strongly imperialist and greatly saddened by the Sun setting on the Empire after all. (Britons had previously boasted of it being the Empire on which the Sun never sets.)
Attlee visited India and was so shocked by what he learnt that he was no more an imperialist even if he ever was.
It is important to know the Empire and its future were not the only reasons for Winston Churchill's defeat. Domestic matters were likely to have been far more important than Imperial ones, to an electorate worn down by the War and its ensuing Austerity period. They wanted a new start and brighter future in daily work and life; and despite his undeniable Wartime leadership, back in peace-time Churchill's pre-War ideology was increasingly out-dated and irrelevent, even inimical, to many people's wants and needs.
The idea of an Empire did not go overnight. Many people seemed to have still called the Commonwealth the Empire (wrongly). Even in the 1960s a medical charity kept its "British Empire Leprosy Relief Association" name, but though it still exists it has long since omitted the E-word. "Empire" lingers in certain honours given for meritorious service in many walks of life, but in their names only.
=====
*Geographically "European" - a continent of many, very different (and sometimes fractious) countries, languages and cultures.
They they became more straightforwardly territorial.
All these powers' collective technical developments and complicated political and economic systems, gave them an overweening sense of being "civilised", "advanced" and having the only "real" religion in the world, so they treated the conquered natives (and yes, that is a genuine term not an insult - look at its root word!) with anything from oppression to a sort of patronising benevolence.
They could also be highly racist, but the level of that varied considerably, with perhaps the worst and longest in lingering effects being the South African apartheid attitudes and laws used by the descendants of that nation's Boer colonialists from Holland. Besides, being racist was and still is by no means limited to white European colonialists and their descendents. Two wrongs do not make a right, though.
Britain was perhaps the first to start divesting herself of her empire, voluntarily or by war (as what became the USA) or other insurrection (as with India).
She was also the first European imperial power to outlaw the slavery and the slave trade, though at considerable cost in compensating the former slave-owners.
After World War Two the urge to let these countries run themselves but if they wished, autonomous but still nominally British within the "club" called the "Commonwealth of Nations", strengthened within the UK.
That was one of various reasons that Winston Churchill was deposed as Prime Minister in a huge defeat for the Conservative Party in the first post-War General Election. This result baffled the rest of the world given his leadership of the War-time, coalition government in which Churchill (Cons, strongly right-wing) and Clement Attlee (Labour so left-wing) were close political allies "for the duration".
Churchill, still titled plain "Mister" then, was also very strongly imperialist and greatly saddened by the Sun setting on the Empire after all. (Britons had previously boasted of it being the Empire on which the Sun never sets.)
Attlee visited India and was so shocked by what he learnt that he was no more an imperialist even if he ever was.
It is important to know the Empire and its future were not the only reasons for Winston Churchill's defeat. Domestic matters were likely to have been far more important than Imperial ones, to an electorate worn down by the War and its ensuing Austerity period. They wanted a new start and brighter future in daily work and life; and despite his undeniable Wartime leadership, back in peace-time Churchill's pre-War ideology was increasingly out-dated and irrelevent, even inimical, to many people's wants and needs.
The idea of an Empire did not go overnight. Many people seemed to have still called the Commonwealth the Empire (wrongly). Even in the 1960s a medical charity kept its "British Empire Leprosy Relief Association" name, but though it still exists it has long since omitted the E-word. "Empire" lingers in certain honours given for meritorious service in many walks of life, but in their names only.
=====
*Geographically "European" - a continent of many, very different (and sometimes fractious) countries, languages and cultures.
rinkydinkydoink · M
When Prince Andrew attended school in Ontario as a lad (16 or 17 I believe), he was known as Randy Andy even then...
FloorGenAdm · 51-55, M
YoMomma · 41-45
I know a few things.. like how they invaded and starved the Irish raided their food and sold them into slavery like they did to other places and people in the world 😤
iamthe99 · M
does you what?
Minniemixer123 · 36-40, M
@iamthe99 Thanks I will fix it.
Minniemixer123 · 36-40, M
@Minniemixer123 Now you can answer if you want.
Achelois · F
Never trust google lol 😂
SunshineGirl · 36-40, F
The Indian part of it was known as The Raj.
DDonde · 31-35, M
British companies/charters establish colonies -> things go awry -> Crown takes over
Something like that. Also Cecil Rhodes.
Something like that. Also Cecil Rhodes.
This comment is hidden.
Show Comment
RachelLia2003 · 22-25, F
