Amazon UK Book Review: A Little Advice
Amazon UK
06/27/2008
If the authors of this publication wanted to be taken seriously and try and educate through their writings they should have written 2 books
101 ways The British Empire Ruined the Modern World
and 1001 ways The British Empire benefited the Modern World.
The Book centres on the whole issue of slavery and the Slave trade, but it neglects to mention how Britain abolished slavery and the slave trade in the early 1800's before any other nation and how the Royal Navy tried to enforce an end to slavery in East and Central Africa by intercepting slave ships and fighting against the Arabs and south American nations (even threatening to go to war with Brazil) over the injustice of slavery.
Nor do they mention the gains in equality that the Empire made in India, the earnings of the average Indian peasant farmer rose 9% during early era of British rule.
British expatriates learned to even embrace Indian culture especially after the Indian mutiny in 1857 (where unrest broke out when Indian soldiers felt their British rulers were trying to impose their own religion and culture upon them) Also any reputable Historian will tell you of how during both World Wars (although at a much higher degree in WWI) the majority of Colonial soldiers fighting in the war were not conscripted but volunteered to fight for the crown, most colonies enjoyed and took pride in the fact Britain had active influence in their nation, India and Australia are prime examples, in fact Australian soldiers were so committed to their duty to Britain that fighting in Gallipolli can only illustrate too well.
Of course the famines in Ireland and India (although measures were taken to counter famine and drought in the case of India it was just Britain by far under-estimated the problem) remind us that British rule wasn't without it's drawbacks, but the fact is with other powers like France, Spain and later in the 19th and early 20th centuries Germany and Japan lurking the colonies would have faired much better under British rule than under the callous Kaiser or disgustingly inhumane Japanese (we've all seen Bridge over river Kwai and heard about how they treated the Chinese 'Rape of Nanking')
Another fact is almost every nation who came from the colonial era whom is now democratic became independent from Great Britain, almost half of Britain former colonies now enjoy democratic elections.
Aside from the 'genocide' that occurred in Australia against the Aborigines and other 'isolated' incidents Britain treated her subjects in the dominions very well, racial prejudice wasn't a big problem (certainly not in the infancy of empire) British officers were taking Indian wives and Caribbean wives, the native population in India were not held back from achieving great heights in terms of career (for example they were not made exempt from th difficult Indian Civil Service exam) and later in the 19th century the present viceroy gave Indian judges the right to preside over trials involving white defendants.
The British also made strides to stamp out deep rooted cultural and religious practices like infanticide (the killing of a new-born daughter) and sati (the idea that when her husband dies the wife should self immolate in a burning pyre where the man's body lays)
Also the British government and the British public did not tolerate deplorable behaviour from high ranking military officers. one officers actions against protester in the West Indies caused so much uproar he was tried and lost his job.
By:Dannycrisp "El Danno" (Manchester)
