However, this is a dated view that has been widely challenged. Many modern historians argue that it is unacceptable to say that colonialized peoples did not have or would not have developed their own entirely valid forms of government, laws, and infrastructures without the influence of the British Empire.
Furthermore, many historians argue that you cannot examine the British Empire without examining the more shameful aspects of Britain's past. Britain was heavily involved with the Transatlantic slave trade in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.
The British Empire also stripped many colonies and indigenous peoples of their land and vibrant cultures, for example, the Aboriginal in Australia and the indigenous peoples of the United States. From India, further expansion was undertaken through Asia, and by the British Empire was the largest to have ever existed. While proponents say it brought various economic developments to the parts of the world it controlled, critics note the massacres, famines and the use of concentration camps by the British Empire, The Independent writes.
For good or ill, it brought new language, sport and religion to different parts of the globe. They did that every day for a couple hundred years and then left her to treat her own burns. The campaigns it waged in Europe, Asia and Africa virtually bankrupted the UK and the subsequent debt it acquired severely comprised its economic independence; the foundation of the imperial system.
Start your trial subscription today ———————————————————————————————. In India became independent following a nonviolent civil-disobedience campaign spearheaded by Mahatma Gandhi. Britain had lost the jewel in its crown, and this kickstarted a domino effect across the Empire. Ghana became Britain's first African colony to reach independence in By more than 20 British territories were independent.
Little remains of British rule today across the globe, and it is mostly restricted to small island territories such as Bermuda and the Falkland Islands. Slavery made Britain incredibly wealthy. It provided slave owners with unpaid labour to farm expensive items like sugar , tobacco and cotton , which they could sell for huge profits — at the expense of the enslaved people and their homelands.
Britain banned the trading of enslaved people in its empire in , known as Abolition but it was a further 26 years until it outlawed slavery altogether known as Emancipation. People considered them less important than white people, and used these beliefs to help them justify the former trading of enslaved people. No compensation was paid to the enslaved people themselves! The compensation sum was vast , and in fact, the loan taken out to pay for it was still being paid off by British tax payers as recently as !
Many former slave owners went on to invest their compensation money in businesses — some of which still exist today — or in development projects like the British railways. Therefore, even though slavery had ended, its legacy continued to live on. In fact, you can still see evidence of the profits of slavery in Britain today. Just take a look at the impressive 18th and 19th Century buildings that line cities like London , Liverpool and Bristol and the grand, stately homes in the British countryside.
So, why were these countries given independence first? Well, by this time these countries had large white populations of European descent , living under the rule of formal governments. Over the next decades, however, the remaining colonies continued to push for independence.
After the Second World War, Britain no longer had the wealth or strength to manage an empire overseas. Many colonies had fought for the British during the war although people of colour were mainly given low-rank positions , and were making their own plans for independence.
In , India won its independence , and from the s to s, African colonies also fought for and won their independence. The last significant British colony, Hong Kong, was returned to China in What had taken hundreds of years to build, was broken down far quicker! These are mainly self-governing countries separate to the United Kingdom, that continue to share a bond with Britain. In their efforts to free themselves from British rule, many people were treated cruelly — and, in some cases, demands and protests were met with violence from British forces.
In , for example, in an event known as the Amritsar Massacre , the British imprisoned and killed thousands of Indian people taking part in a peaceful independence protest. In response to protests and violent riots, the British executed Kenyans and imprisoned many in camps , where they were forced to live in inhumane conditions — and even tortured.
Estimates on the number of Kenyans affected varies hugely, but many believe that thousands were executed, tens of thousands imprisoned and over a million were forced from their homes and made to live elsewhere. The truth about what happened in Kenya was hidden for many years , and only truly came to light in , after a group of Kenyan victims won a court battle that forced the British government to apologise and pay them compensation for their sufferings.
As the British Empire began to fall, it was replaced by what is today called The Commonwealth or The Commonwealth of Nations — an organisation that countries can choose to join, or leave. Today, it is made up of over 50 countries who work and trade together. They also share a common set of values, including fair political elections , the respect of human rights and working towards international peace.
Did you know? The Queen is the head of the Commonwealth. By the time the British Empire came to an end, it had truly left its mark on the world.
Countries had experienced huge social , economic and political changes under British rule. But what the British Empire left behind is a complex topic that is questioned and discussed to this very day….
When the empire was being built, British people largely believed they were doing the right thing. Today, those British attitudes are changing. People are learning more about the wrongs that the Empire forced on indigenous peoples and the long-lasting damage that it left on its overseas territories, long after the empire was over.
While empire made Britain richer, its lands overseas became poorer , as much of the wealth was taken and sent back to Britain, or enjoyed by British landowners. This created vast differences in wealth — not only between countries, but between people of different races , too. In fact, following European imperialism, people of colour have had to work incredibly hard for equal rights and opportunities.
Sadly, this struggle is still ongoing in countries around the world, including the United Kingdom.
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