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Lets have a real debate!
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Every post on this thread must be assert its argument intelligently and where necessary with evidence, personal insults, references to past poster history or throw away and flippant comments are banned utterly........
Right then, this refersto a trailer for a history prgramme that i recently saw.
Did the British empire improve the world?
IS the US an imperial power?
If so does the presence of such imperial power improve the world today?
Right then, this refersto a trailer for a history prgramme that i recently saw.
Did the British empire improve the world?
IS the US an imperial power?
If so does the presence of such imperial power improve the world today?
0
Comments
No. From what I've read of the history of Burma and India around that time we simply marched in, decided we were right and they were wrong and set about changing the bases of entire civilisations.
We didn't do much better in America... and we inadvertently created the USA. Dammit.
No. The only territory they own outside the USA is Puerto Rico. Thus, not an empire.
Although I argued it's not an empire, I think the Americans' attempts to control other countries (cited in the same trailer: Vietnam, Korea, Iraq) are totally uncalled for. What right do the "western democracies" have to impose our ideals on other countries? None. What right do we have to kill innocents in order to do so? Well, what's less than none...?
Yes , insofar as it brought order and the rule of law to a vast section of the globe. It exported democracy to a large number of countries as well.
No , but it should be.
Questionable: Britain's colonial actions in Sri Lanka did much to ensure the ethnic conflict between the Tamils and Sinhalese would continue long after they'd gone home.
Sure they established the tea plantations that have been the foundation of Sri Lanka's economy, but at what cost? Was it really a wise idea to import even more Tamils in from Southern India when there was an existing workforce on the island?
And now the enthic conflict that British imperialism fuelled has ensured that another valuable asset to the Sri Lankan economy - tourism, will never be what it could have been in a peaceful state.
And do we do anything to help? Do we bollocks!
Yes and No. The British empire was at the forefront of the industrial revolution and that it was Britain that helped shape the modern world. BUT as it was an Empire it did so by subjecting large populations now known as the third world, to colonial rule this has led to the currrent unequal status which now exists and is the basis to the problems that these countries face such as third world debt and problems with primary commodity trade.
Also the arguement that Britain exported democracy can be questioned as it exists it some countries which were part of the empire such as India but others countries especially in Africa still are under authoritarian rule.
I dont think it can be classified as an Imperial Power as the US does not follow the same pattern as the British Empire and does seize terriority which the old imperial powers did.
I'd say the neo-con doctrine of using America's power to shape the world in thier favour is imperialsm, or at least corporate imperialism.
Yes, there were many bad points but the citizens of 1800's Africa led a much better life than they did before or after the empire.
The British Empire successfully enslaved people, oppress others and all due to the 'white man's burden'!:rolleyes:
Tell some slave from West Africa how 'great' the British Empire was. Tell some person who died in the Boxer Rebellion how 'great' the British Empire was.
Surely such acts cannot be ethically condoned.
there'll be civil war in iraq even after the handover.. you shouldn't try to impose western values no matter how virtuous the intention we have no right... respect for human rights of course... pluralism wont work.
democracy aint god given. so we force them to have a voting system ...what would YOU do should they decide to vote for osama bin laden and his mates? invade them all over again?
Says who?
We have just assumed that's what they want.
May I ask what the examples are of the countries that we brought democracy and wealth to are?
With regards to the US, they do not directly control many countries, only Puerto Rico, Iraq and kind of Afghanistan but they have military bases in most countries on earth I believe, an imperial precense surely?
Whowhere I think it would be very highly questionable as to whether the lives of the average African were any better under the British than they were before..........