[BretLudwig]

The Truth about the British Empire

History
America's Founders Not Diverse At All

Celebrate and learn

"The British Empire takes a lot of stick these days. Our government
generally tells us that it was a bad thing and our government seems to
view it as something that we shouldnt really celebrate. In fact, some
politicians think it is something to be ashamed of and think that we as a
country should apologize to the nations that were once ruled by the
Empire.

But was the British Empire a bad thing? Does it deserve the bad publicity
that it is given in our schools and in the press? Was it wrong that a tiny
little Island in the northern part of Europe went on to eventually rule one
quarter of the surface of the Earth?

Well firstly, you are able to read this essay because you can understand
the English language. This is to be expected if you were born in Great
Britain, as this is our natural language, obviously. But this essay will
be understood by millions of people, in all countries, all around the
world.

This is because English is the language of the world. It is the main
language used in things like communications, science and business. 300-400
million people have it as their first language and about 600 million have
it as their second language. It is estimated that by 2030, half of the
worlds population will be proficient in speaking English.

All of this is because of the British Empire. When the British went to
other parts of the world, they took their language with them and the
nations that were under British rule came to learn the language as well.

Imagine if there wasnt an international language, like English. How
would anyone from different countries communicate with each other? With so
many different languages across the globe, such things as conducting
business with other countries would be pretty impossible as everyone would
have to learn each others language before they could interact.

And the world itself would be a very different place as well if it
wasnt for the British Empire. Modern nations like Australia, Egypt,
India, New Zealand, South Africa and of course America, were largely built
by the British Empire. These countries wouldnt have the standard of
living or civilisation they enjoy today if the Empire hadnt existed.

When Britain went to the land that was to become India, the country was
made up of more than 400 independent principalities that waged constant
warfare on each other. The British helped bring these warring tribes
together to eventually form the independent nations that are today known
as India and Pakistan. The area was always prone to famine and disease but
the British helped reduce this on a massive scale thanks to their advanced
irrigation methods. The British also founded Indias most prosperous and
famous cities, Calcutta, Bombay and Madras.

Africa too benefited enormously from the British Empire. Prior to the
arrival of the British, Africa also had numerous tribes that constantly
fought against one another. When one African tribe was victorious over
another, the losing tribe would then be sold into slavery by the victors.
The British put a stop to this by bringing to an end the tyranny and
bloodshed that had been normal across Africa. The Empire saw law and order
brought to Africa and the notion of all men being equal before the law.

The British put into place the modern sovereign African states that we
know today. These nations governments were designed on the British
parliament, which gave Africa all the checks and balances that made sure
corruption and dictatorship would be a thing of the past in Africa.
Unfortunately, the Africans themselves chose not to learn the lessons the
British had taught them and modern Africa has largely shunned the many
positive innovations the British left behind for them.

There have been many empires throughout history: the Roman Empire, the
Persian Empire, the Mongol Empire, the Macedonian Empire, the Mogul
Empire, the French Empire, the Portuguese Empire and the Egyptian Empire
amongst others. Most races of the world have at some point ruled others
through an empire. So the British Empire isnt special because it was
the only empire in the world. But it is special in the way in which it
dealt with those who lived under its rule.

As opposed to many empires in history, Britains Empire was a benevolent
Empire, motivated by noble ideas and intentions, based on Christian
compassion and not one that treated it subjects badly or with malice, like
many other Empires. Britain wasnt interested in forcing the Imperial
colonies to change their cultures and religions. What they did do was try
to bring a system of stable governments and economies to their colonial
dominions.

Compare countries that were part of the British Empire in the modern world
with countries who were ruled by other Imperial powers. Haiti, which was
once ruled by France, is one of the most backward and violent nations in
the world. Yet the Bahamas, which was part of the British Empire, is a
modern, stable democracy. In Asia, Singapore, which was once a British
colony, is a booming, technologically advanced country whereas Indonesia,
once ruled by the Dutch Empire, is a hotbed of instability, dictatorship
and violence.

These countries are stable and prosperous because Britain cared about
these nations and put time and effort into building them up. They left an
infrastructure there for these countries to build on when the British
left. Some countries have chosen to dismantle this infrastructure,
countries like Zimbabwe which was called Rhodesia when it was part of the
Empire, but the failure of these countries is down to corrupt and inept
governments run by the Africans themselves, not the British Empire.

When British genius put in place the building blocks for the Industrial
Revolution, this was then exported to the rest of the world through the
Empire. Imagine if Britain hadnt had taken their invention of the
railways to other nations. In India, Britain laid 35,000 miles of railway
by the start of World War I. Imagine if they hadnt laid telegraph lines
across the ocean that form the basis of the worlds modern
telecommunications industries. Imagine how different the world would be
today if Britain had just kept these inventions for themselves. The world
would be a very different place indeed!

The British Empire not only built the world but it largely educated it as
well. In India, Britain built many universities to educate what would
become the countrys rulers when they left. In Africa too, the British
took great pains to give a good education to the people of Africa.

It really is inconceivable to imagine a world without the British Empire.
It has brought so much to the modern world in the way of language,
education, technology and economics that the world would be a much poorer
place without it. Was it perfect? Of course not. But given the importance
of the Empire to the modern world, why do our schools try and give it such
a bad name and ignore all of its achievements?"

MORE
http://www.britishpride.org/?p=951
http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=6162

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