A QUICK VIEW OF BRITISH
IMPERIALISMOR HOW ONE COUNTRY NEARLY RULED THE REST OF
THE WORLD
WHAT DOES BRITISH IMPERIALISM HAVE TO DO WITH ENGLISH?
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A GOOD QUESTION! IT IS INEVITABLE FOR WRITERS TO BE AFFECTED BY THE TIMES IN WHICH THEY WRITE. FICTION IS A REFLECTION OF THE PAST, THE PRESENT, AND THE POSSIBLE FUTURE.
SCIENCE FICTION IS OFTEN A REFLECTION OF THE ERA IN
WHICH THE STORY WAS WRITTEN. ONE CONCERN OF MANKIND HAS
BEEN TO TRY AND “CONQUER THE STARS,” OR IN OTHER
WORDS, TO TAKE OVER THE UNIVERSE, JUST AS BRITAIN ONCE
WAS ON TRACK TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD.
THE FOUR SCIENCE FICTION STORIES YOU WILL READ HAVE TO DO WITH THE COLONIZATION OF OTHER PLANETS, SO IT’S IMPORTANT TO KNOW HOW COLONIZATION
WORKED ON OUR PLANET.
HERE IS A MAP OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE.
AT ITS HEIGHT IT COVERED THE ENTIRE
WORLD, AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE
AREAS IN RED, INCLUDING THE
THIRTEEN COLONIES IN NORTH AMERICA,
MUCH OF AFRICA, THE AUSTRALIAN
CONTINENT. HOW WAS ENGLAND ABLE
TO MAINTAIN SUCH CONTROL OVER SO
MUCH OF THE GLOBE?
IN THIS IMAGE, ENGLAND IS SHOWN AS A
HUGE DEVILFISH, OR SOME SORT OF
OCTOPUS. WHY DID THE ARTIST CHOSE TO
PORTRAY ENGLAND IN THIS WAY. WHAT IS
THE TOP HAT FOR?
BRITAIN’S VICTORY OVER FRANCE AT THE
BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR GAVE IT A LEAD
OVER OTHER NATIONS WITH REGARD TO
NAVAL POWER. HOW DOES THIS CARTOON
SHOW THAT CONTROL OF THE OCEANS IS
IMPORTANT?
A LOT OF THE COLONIES IN THIS CARTOON
WERE TAKEN BY ENGLAND IN ORDER TO
MAINTAIN THEIR POWER IN THE SEAS:
MALTA, GIBRALTAR, CYPRUS, FOR EXAMPLE.
SEE HOW IT IS REACHING OUT FOR EGYPT IN
THIS CARTOON. THE REASON THEY WANTED
EGYPT WAS IN ORDER TO SECURE THE NAVAL
ROUTE TO INDIA.
WHAT HAPPENS TO A
COUNTRY AFTER IT IS COLONIZED?
LET’S TAKE BRITAIN’S COLONIZATION OF INDIA AS AN
EXAMPLE
British territories: blueStates under British protection: yellow
British India: pinkHindu states: yellowMuslim states: green
British India: pinkPrincely states: yellow
HOW DID THE BRITISH COME TO RULE INDIA?
FIRST OFF, IT WASN’T A SUDDEN PROCESS; IT TOOK A HUNDRED YEARS FROM THE
BEGINNING OF BRITISH ENTRY INTO INDIA IN THE MID 18TH CENTURY (AROUND
1750) UNTIL THEY FINALLY HAD COMPLETE CONTROL. 1857 IS OFTEN MARKED AS
THE DATE OF FULL BRITISH CONTROL OVER INDIA.
IN THE 16TH AND 17TH CENTURIES
THE AREAS OF PRESENT DAY PAKISTAN,
INDIA, BANGLADESH, AND AFGHANISTAN.
WERE A SINGLE COUNTRY AND THE WEALTH
IT AMASSED ATTRACTED TRADERS FROM
EUROPE. INCLUDING ENGLAND. IN 1600,
QUEEN ELIZABETH GAVE THE EAST INDIA
COMPANY EXCLUSIVE TRADE RIGHTS WITH
INDIA. AND IT WAS THIS TRADING COMPANY
WHICH EVENTUALLY BEGAN THE INDIAN
TAKE-OVER.
AT FIRST THE RELATION WAS JUST ONE OF TRADE.
THE EAST INDIA COMPANY WOULD BRING
GOODS [MAINLY THE HIGHLY DESIRED
SPICES AND TEXTILES] FROM INDIA INTO
EUROPE, AND THEN ENGLAND WOULD PAY
SILVER TO INDIA. THIS WAS ONE OF THE
REASONS THE BRITISH WERE NOT HAPPY
WITH THIS TRADE RELATIONSHIP;
BECAUSE SILVER WAS LEAVING ENGLAND
AND GOING TO INDIA. SO THE EAST INDIA
COMPANY WANTED TO HAVE MORE DIRECT
CONTROL OVER INDIA, AND THERE WAS A
SHIFT FROM TRADE DOMINATION TO
ACTUAL POLITICAL DOMINATION.
AT FIRST, BRITISH RULE IN INDIA WAS IN
THE HANDS OF THE PRIVATE EAST INDIA
COMPANY, WHOSE PURPOSE WAS JUST TO
CARRY ON TRADE. BUT BECAUSE OF
RIVALRY BETWEEN ENGLAND AND FRANCE,
THE COMPANY BEGAN TO EXTEND ITS
CONTROL OVER MORE AND MORE OF INDIA,
AND THEN THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT
TOOK DIRECT CONTROL OVER INDIA IN
1857.
The Battle of Plassey was a decisive victory of the British East India Company over the Nawab of Bengal and his French allies on 23 June 1757. The battle established the Company rule in Bengal [India] which expanded over much of India for the next hundred years.
AT ONE POINT, 100, 000 BRITISH SOLDIERS WERE RULING A COUNTRY OF MORE THAN 200 MILLION. SOME OF THE OFFICERS IN INDIA WERE CRUEL, AND SOME WERE HONEST AND FAIR. BUT WHATEVER THE CASE, THERE WAS A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE LIVES OF THE BRITISH IN INDIA AND THE LIVES OF THE NATIVE INDIANS, AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THESE PICTURES.
A FEW RESULTS OF BRITISH COLONIZATION
• INDIANS WERE BARRED FROM OWNING LAND AND FROM HIGH OFFICE IN THEIR OWN LAND. THE BRITISH CONSIDERED THEM INHERENTLY CORRUPT AND UNTRUSTWORTHY
• HEAVY TAXATION AND OTHER POLICIES LEFT MILLIONS OF BENGALIS IMPOVERISHED. WHILE BRITISH SOLDIERS AND TRADERS MADE THEIR FORTUNES, THE INDIANS STARVED
• DURING THE BRITISH RAJ, INDIA EXPERIENCED SOME OF THE WORST FAMINES EVER RECORDED, INCLUDING THE GREAT FAMINE OF 1876–1878, IN WHICH 6.1 MILLION TO 10.3 MILLION PEOPLE DIED AND THE INDIAN FAMINE OF 1899–1900, IN WHICH 1.25 TO 10 MILLION PEOPLE DIED.
RECENT RESEARCH ATTRIBUTES MOST OF THE EFFECTS OF THESE FAMINES TO BRITISH POLICY IN INDIA.
Victims of the Great Famine of 1876–78 in India
India is eventually granted its independence in 1947. It is split into two countries – India and Pakistan
AS YOU READ CONSIDER . . .• HOW ARE THOSE ON THE PLANETS BEING COLONIZED SIMILAR TO THE PEOPLE OF INDIA?
• HOW ARE THE ACTIONS OF THE COLONIZERS IN THE STORIES SIMILAR TO THE ACTIONS OF THE BRITISH COLONIZERS?
• WHAT ARE THE MOTIVATIONS FOR COLONIZING? ARE THEY VALID?
• DO THE COLONIZERS TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE INDIGENOUS POPULATION’S RIGHTS? IF NOT, WHY NOT?
• DO THE COLONIZERS FULLY APPRECIATE THE INDIGENOUS POPULATION [INTELLIGENCE, SKILLS, ETC.?]
• ARE THE COLONIZERS AFRAID OF THE INDIGENOUS POPULATION? IF SO, WHY? IF NOT, WHY NOT?
• IS THE INDIGENOUS POPULATION AFRAID OF THE COLONIZERS? IF SO, WHY? IF NOT, WHY NOT?