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I'm Indian, and I have given the subject a lot of thought and British colonialism wasn't all bad and as far as overlords go, the British were preferable over the French, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, etc. With the British came modern technology and education, liberalism, capitalism, and Western science. Without these things, India wouldn't be devoloping the way it is; and unlike Japan, India didn't have a strong central authority at this point in history to modernize on its own. Furthermore, the British basically left the nature of Indian culture intact( whether it was just due to pragmatism, I'm not entirely sure). The Spanish, Portuguese, and French had a history of excessive cultural imperialism in their colonies.
Ultimatley, seeking independence was the right thing to do though, Indians would have always been 2nd class citizens in the British Empire. Ironically, it was many of the ideas that the British brought that led to the undoing of their Empire.
There was colonialism practiced by the Brits who in general viewed random massacres and displays of brutality as inefficient and unprofitable. Then there was COLONIALISM practiced by the likes of Leopold II of Belgium, the guy was a freaking monstrous psychopath comparable to the likes of Pol Pot and Stalin. Needless to say, results were mixed depending on who was behind the policies.
There is colonialism and colonialism. Britain, France, Spain, Belgium, Portugal, the Netherlands, and even the USA briefly were part of the colonialism wave.
Perhaps, the most brutal and repressive among the colonizing nations was Belgium. They basically made the Congo (known at the time as the Belgian Congo) as a mining colony that was totally based on slave labor of the indigenous population. The capitol of the colony--Leopoldville--was really nothing other than a mining town. The white houses of the mining magnates and colonizers stood on top of a hill surrounded by block after block of shanties and shacks in which the natives lived. Belgian soldiers and police would hack off the limbs of natives who refused to do their bidding. Its thought that some rebel armies in West Africa today engage in this horrific practice because of what the Belgians taught the people in the Congo.
Well the German occupation of what is known as Nambia from the late 19th century tilll the very early part of the 20th century was very brutal and they did commit genocide against the native population there.
I'm Indian, and I have given the subject a lot of thought and British colonialism wasn't all bad and as far as overlords go, the British were preferable over the French, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, etc. With the British came modern technology and education, liberalism, capitalism, and Western science. Without these things, India wouldn't be devoloping the way it is; and unlike Japan, India didn't have a strong central authority at this point in history to modernize on its own. Furthermore, the British basically left the nature of Indian culture intact( whether it was just due to pragmatism, I'm not entirely sure). The Spanish, Portuguese, and French had a history of excessive cultural imperialism in their colonies.
Ultimatley, seeking independence was the right thing to do though, Indians would have always been 2nd class citizens in the British Empire. Ironically, it was many of the ideas that the British brought that led to the undoing of their Empire.
Yes, Tyler, we call that the Stockholm syndrome
Make no mistake, the British were just petty thieves. While the Islamic invaders settled down in the country and added to an already diverse culture, the redcoats were shipping things back to Missus Brown, so people in England could eat bread. They didn't call India the Jewel in the crown just for adulation. It was a constant and consistent and even alarmingly increasing drain of wealth and resources - food, raw materials and in some cases even man power for their stupid wars. And they perpetrated a kind of holocaust which came close to the Jewish holocaust, in terms of numbers, though not brutality. Amartya Sen documents how British policies during the great Indian famines led to millions of death, when available food was simply shipped out of the country and extortion of taxes was rife from the local farmers.
That's why these days I have an evil grin whenever I read about sad things in British society. Some thought pundit was once lamenting about how only one in six British kids in Britain's schools, is actually of original British origin, with the Indians, Pakistanis and Chinese literally overruning their demographics. That's colonization for you, grasshoppers, hope those samosas and gulab jamuns taste good
But the British influence had far reaching effects, true. I speak English, and am catholic, though my ancestors were Hindu
I'm Indian, and I have given the subject a lot of thought and British colonialism wasn't all bad and as far as overlords go, the British were preferable over the French, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, etc. With the British came modern technology and education, liberalism, capitalism, and Western science. Without these things, India wouldn't be devoloping the way it is; and unlike Japan, India didn't have a strong central authority at this point in history to modernize on its own. Furthermore, the British basically left the nature of Indian culture intact( whether it was just due to pragmatism, I'm not entirely sure). The Spanish, Portuguese, and French had a history of excessive cultural imperialism in their colonies.
Ultimatley, seeking independence was the right thing to do though, Indians would have always been 2nd class citizens in the British Empire. Ironically, it was many of the ideas that the British brought that led to the undoing of their Empire.
Anyway, before you blindly express your love for the British, do some reading. I don't like wiki, but it's a good starting point.
.That's why these days I have an evil grin whenever I read about sad things in British society. Some thought pundit was once lamenting about how only one in six British kids in Britain's schools, is actually of original British origin, with the Indians, Pakistanis and Chinese literally overruning their demographics. That's colonization for you, grasshoppers, hope those samosas and gulab jamuns taste good
Only 1 out of six ??? That seems ridiculously, insanely low. Are you sure of that number?
Only 1 out of six ??? That seems ridiculously, insanely low. Are you sure of that number?
It's complete rubbish like the rest of his racist bile. There may be the odd school in certain suburbs of a big city that has a high incidence of students from other countries but to equate that to the whole country is ridiculous.
Only 1 out of six ??? That seems ridiculously, insanely low. Are you sure of that number?
I read it on the BBC and it was quoted by several other newspapers, notably the hindu.
It's no secret that there is a growing Indian/Pakistani population in Britain. And add the rest of the influx from the rest of the world, the middle east in particular.
Recently the BBC conducted their sort of pet poll to pick the greatest Briton. And to their chagrin, the Indians and Pakistanis warped the poll and Churchill finished second to Issac Newton
Proceeds to show the state of things in Britain today, where pandering to the Islamic and other minority votebank is becoming the norm. The same place where the likes of Disraeli and Pitt once walked. If Kipling had lived, there will be a new Jungle Book, set in the East End LMAO History has a funny way of coming one full circle.
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??? That seems ridiculously, insanely low. Are you sure of that number?
