This type of content seems even better presented than ones where you read a prepared text! It's more natural and the slower pace makes it a delight to follow.
I certainly enjoyed it. The discussion of the British Empire being heavily commercial and maritime were particularly good. I'm currently finishing up Mahan's Influence of Sea Power Upon History which speaks greatly to this and related topics.
Phenomenal! Please don’t feel discouraged from doing more of these sorts of videos, they have a really nice flow to them. I’m personally quite interested on your view on Anglo-Dutch relations and their shared mercantile stances, if ever you need a topic for indepth discussion.
The relaxed, unscripted format was great. That being said, I would also enjoy a deeper analysis of this topic. The idea of the British empire as an empire without a clear center, tied together largely by commercial ties is very interesting. What is also interesting is that there were always movements in the dominions that advocated for a stronger imperial union. Canada in particular always had a strong pro-imperial movement, and in many ways that country's identity has been forever scared since the empire's dissolution. I'm curious if similar sentiments existed in the other dominions.
The radicalism of the Puritan branch of Protestantism has survived to a considerable degree and lives on as ‚exeptionalism, in Britain, but first and foremost in North America.
Oh please stop blaming Puritans for a natural human thought or feeling (that didn't all of a sudden come from Puritans) installed in English or British as a whole.
The format for this video is great, it is slower and well formulated. Either you or others have laid the grownwork for much of what you've talked about in this video, making you able to talk about bigger themes in these videos. Keep these up AM.
Thanks AM, I find this format very helpful as a summary of topics on which I have no prior knowledge. It's more digestible than the longer more detailed format although both are very valuable.
Brilliant summary, and I really liked the relaxed, unscripted delivery. The tempo was perfect, considering you managed to fit hundreds of years into just over an hour. Would love to listen to an expanded series on this. I could weep for what we would have been.
I quite like the new format! It might be good in the future as a jumping off point for a more in-depth discussion on the topics being discussed, perhaps with an element of audience participation and debate.
As a Canadian of obviously loyalist but further Norman ancestry, the broad trajectory of English and then British history since the conquest fascinates me.
The British empire was established and maintained for more than three centuries, ( 300 years ) from the 17th thru to the 20th century through GREED, BLOODSHED, VIOLENCE, BRUTALITY, CONQUEST, WAR AND DOMINATION resulting in MANY MILLIONS OF DEATHS. Approximately 100 million people were killed during the British empire. This is among the largest policy-induced mortality crises in human history. More people were killed during the 300 years of the British empire than were killed during WW2. During its empire, Britain wrongfully invaded many countries, then managed to ignore and erase much of its brutal colonial past. Not a year went by without the inhabitants of the countries being obliged to suffer for their involuntary participation in the colonial experience. Slavery, famine, prison, battle, murder, extermination - these were their various fates. With absolutely no respect for other cultures and wherever the British sought to plant their flag, they were met with opposition. In almost every country they had to fight their way ashore. Throughout the period of the British empire, the British were for the most part loathed and despised by those they invaded. The British understandably try to forget that their empire was the fruit of military conquest and of brutal wars involving physical and cultural extermination. There remains an ineradicable tendency to view the imperial experience through the rose-tinted spectacles of cultural heritage. With many Scottish and North Irish people wishing to leave the so-called union and join the European Union and Brexit deeply dividing its citizens, the greatest comeuppance in the history of the world will be the breakup of the British isles, going from a island nation that invaded many countries and KILLED MANY MILLIONS OF PEOPLE to a lonely little pariah, an England and (Wales for now) all by itself.
First class talk. The commercial nature of the British Empire(s) does push me in the direction of believing that it was the forerunner of the GAE (Global American Empire) not only by being run by merchants, but supported by moralising on many issues. At least the British Empire still had tangible results in its civilising efforts and had a traditional imperial aspect, whereas the GAE is totally unhinged, leaving chaos and degeneracy in its wake.
Hark! A pox upon those who speak of "civilizing efforts" in the same breath as Britain's colonial exploits! Their savagery was as dark and deep as the peat bogs of Ireland, their barbarity a match for the Turks and the Arabs. Is it any wonder then, that the shadows of this brutal history remain hidden from the eyes of the young, untouched by the light of education? For their goals were not loftier than plunder and loot, achieved through any instrument of violence and deceit. Ireland served as their laboratory, a crucible where they honed their methods of oppression and control. From this fertile ground sprang seasoned officers, their names etched in the annals of British military history - Wellington, Wolseley, Kitchener, Montgomery - all bearing the indelible mark of Ireland's blood. The very notion of armed policing, a weapon first forged in the fires of Irish rebellion, became the cornerstone of their colonial empire, a testament to their enduring hunger for control. For theirs was a reign of terror, enforced through military might and martial law. "Special" courts became instruments of swift and brutal injustice, replacing the rule of law with the iron fist of the military. Resistance was met with crushing force, rebellion stifled before it could breathe. Let no one dare to speak of "civilizing efforts" when the blood of innocent lives stains the fabric of their narrative. For in the absence of law, under the shadow of martial rule, there can be only barbarity, not the light of progress.
Fantastic video, liked the format, other than slightly slower speaking there was very little sign it was unscripted, personally I found the cadence relaxing and personable. Future videos like this one would be welcomed.
As a benefactor of British contribution, I have nothing but gratefulness for the Empire. Sure, one can make a case for how poorly it handled its colonies but personally, I see the institutions and systems passed down to us in the form of government, law, education, healthcare as outweighing the negative. Without the Empire, my country would be Islamic to its core. I can't envision how bad it would be for other minorities now if it wasn't for the Brits. Also, there are lots of talk here about how terrible the colonial influences are and yet, the colonial buildings make up most of the tourist attractions, both locally and internationally. Can't stand the hypocrisy and blind sentiment by my compatriots.
Passing on the British way of doing things through education was the best thing the Empire delivered, though this also seeded it coming apart as those that were brought up to believe in those institutions and systems who then tried to embody them (outside of the settler colonies that became Dominions) ran into rulers making too much money via the very un-British systems in place to allow any change.
The British empire was established and maintained for more than three centuries, ( 300 years ) from the 17th thru to the 20th century through GREED, BLOODSHED, VIOLENCE, BRUTALITY, CONQUEST, WAR AND DOMINATION resulting in MANY MILLIONS OF DEATHS. Approximately 100 million people were killed during the British empire. This is among the largest policy-induced mortality crises in human history. More people were killed during the 300 years of the British empire than were killed during WW2. During its empire, Britain wrongfully invaded many countries, then managed to ignore and erase much of its brutal colonial past. Not a year went by without the inhabitants of the countries being obliged to suffer for their involuntary participation in the colonial experience. Slavery, famine, prison, battle, murder, extermination - these were their various fates. With absolutely no respect for other cultures and wherever the British sought to plant their flag, they were met with opposition. In almost every country they had to fight their way ashore. Throughout the period of the British empire, the British were for the most part loathed and despised by those they invaded. The British understandably try to forget that their empire was the fruit of military conquest and of brutal wars involving physical and cultural extermination. There remains an ineradicable tendency to view the imperial experience through the rose-tinted spectacles of cultural heritage. With many Scottish and North Irish people wishing to leave the so-called union and join the European Union and Brexit deeply dividing its citizens, the greatest comeuppance in the history of the world will be the breakup of the British isles, going from a island nation that invaded many countries and KILLED MANY MILLIONS OF PEOPLE to a lonely little pariah, an England and (Wales for now) all by itself.
The British empire was established and maintained for more than three centuries, ( 300 years ) from the 17th thru to the 20th century through GREED, BLOODSHED, VIOLENCE, BRUTALITY, CONQUEST, WAR AND DOMINATION resulting in MANY MILLIONS OF DEATHS. Approximately 100 million people were killed during the British empire. This is among the largest policy-induced mortality crises in human history. More people were killed during the 300 years of the British empire than were killed during WW2. During its empire, Britain wrongfully invaded many countries, then managed to ignore and erase much of its brutal colonial past. Not a year went by without the inhabitants of the countries being obliged to suffer for their involuntary participation in the colonial experience. Slavery, famine, prison, battle, murder, extermination - these were their various fates. With absolutely no respect for other cultures and wherever the British sought to plant their flag, they were met with opposition. In almost every country they had to fight their way ashore. Throughout the period of the British empire, the British were for the most part loathed and despised by those they invaded. The British understandably try to forget that their empire was the fruit of military conquest and of brutal wars involving physical and cultural extermination. There remains an ineradicable tendency to view the imperial experience through the rose-tinted spectacles of cultural heritage. With many Scottish and North Irish people wishing to leave the so-called union and join the European Union and Brexit deeply dividing its citizens, the greatest comeuppance in the history of the world will be the breakup of the British isles, going from a island nation that invaded many countries and KILLED MANY MILLIONS OF PEOPLE to a lonely little pariah, an England and (Wales for now) all by itself.@@Dave0G
@John-nc4bl so you're too lazy to have a specific point, but need everyone to know your general opinion? An opinion that ignores inconveniences such as the Scots having to enter the Union due to their terrible failure at becoming a colonial power in their own right, before becoming an enthusiastic part of the British Empire (Glasgow being it's Second City). Or that Britain has been a (admittedly successful) minor country for more than half a century - one only likely to hit pariah status if it suddenly flipped against the global order it helped set up.
@@Dave0G Caroline Elkins, a professor at Harvard, spent nearly 10 years compiling the evidence contained in her book . She started her research with the belief that the British account of the suppression of the Kikuyu's Mau Mau revolt in the 1950s was largely accurate. Then she discovered that most of the documentation had been destroyed. She worked through the remaining archives, and conducted 600 hours of interviews with Kikuyu survivors - rebels and loyalists - and British guards, settlers and officials. Her book is fully and thoroughly documented. It won the Pulitzer prize. But as far as Sandbrook, James and other imperial apologists are concerned, it might as well never have been written. Elkins reveals that the British detained not 80,000 Kikuyu, as the official histories maintain, but almost the entire population of one and a half million people, in camps and fortified villages. There, thousands were beaten to death or died from malnutrition, typhoid, tuberculosis and dysentery. In some camps almost all the children died. The inmates were used as slave labour. Above the gates were edifying slogans, such as "Labour and freedom" and "He who helps himself will also be helped". Loudspeakers broadcast the national anthem and patriotic exhortations. People deemed to have disobeyed the rules were killed in front of the others. The survivors were forced to dig mass graves, which were quickly filled. Interrogation under torture was widespread. Many of the men were anally raped, using knives, broken bottles, rifle barrels, snakes and scorpions. A favourite technique was to hold a man upside down, his head in a bucket of water, while sand was rammed into his rectum with a stick. Women were gang-raped by the guards. People were mauled by dogs and electrocuted. The British devised a special tool which they used for first crushing and then ripping off testicles. They used pliers to mutilate women's breasts. They cut off inmates' ears and fingers and gouged out their eyes. They dragged people behind Land Rovers until their bodies disintegrated. Men were rolled up in barbed wire and kicked around the compound. Elkins provides a wealth of evidence to show that the horrors of the camps were endorsed at the highest levels. The governor of Kenya, Sir Evelyn Baring, regularly intervened to prevent the perpetrators from being brought to justice. The colonial secretary, Alan Lennox-Boyd, repeatedly lied to the House of Commons. This is a vast, systematic crime for which there has been no reckoning.
Caroline Elkin's book titled, ' Imperial Reckoning ' is a must read for everyone. Also, Shashi Tharoor's book titled, ' Inglorious Empire ' is a must read for everyone.
So are the following books if one wishes to maintain a nuanced opinion on the matter: Colonialism by Professor Nigel Biggar And The economic history of colonialism and other books written by Professor Tirthankar Roy.
35:24 I've heard this before, that the moral justification for ending slavery was secondary. But was abolitionism actually leveraged by the British Empire in some way? It seems like an extraordinary claim to say that it was done primarily for cynical reasons. I'm not clear about what the benefit would be.
British moderation seems to be incommunicable. Liberalism while it was in britain was a positive. Once the continentals and colonies got it it lost its moderation.
@@James-sk4db Even then. British did have a civil war because of the Liberalism. that would had ended no doubt much the same ways Napoleon or rest of the world were it not for Dutch.
@@melfice999 I see the English civil war more as a war between rival castles than fully ideological. The catalyst wasn't liberalism but rising power of the merchant class, had they remained powerless then liberalism wouldn't have been an issue. Which is one of the reasons for the restoration. Also had the battle of Sedgemoor gone the other way it wouldn't have mattered either.
I was very interested in this discursive "ramble" around the topic. A few points/suggestions: 1. I would disagree with your realpolitik emphasis on the anti-slavery of the 1790s-1820s period. As you know this was a period when public opinion was becoming a significant force to encounter for the ruling classes, and to try to shape and control as they could. The Clarkson-Wilberforce movement was powerful and effective, and well able to assemble research and mobilise public opinion, truly the world's first campaigning pressure group. The key rallying cry during the wars was "English liberty" as opposed to "Jacobin/Bonapartist tyranny", and slavery was the obvious inconsistency with that. I'm sure you know all this, just that I feel you don't give enough credit to public sentiment. Hugh Thomas is good on this in Chapter 25 of his masterwork The Slave Trade. 2. It's extraordinarily ironic that one of the key factors in the commitment of Britain to The Great War, which would be the beginning of the end for the Empire, was the sticky remnant that has never gone away. I'm referring to the Irish Crisis of 1914, which seemed a more serious crisis to Brits at the time than some Habsburg archduke. This snag, left over from the very first colonial ventures, continues to plague the UK in defining its identity (?) post Brexit. 3. I'm extremely interested in the moments where resistance of colonial people goes unexpectedly well and the imperial forces come a cropper. In the case of the British Empire that would be Kabul 1842, New Zealand in 1845, India in 1857, Zululand in 1879 and Sudan in 1885. However, no matter the scale of the defeat or the shock involved, it seems that Imperialism always prevailed during this period. In any case I think a deeper look at this aspect - native resistance and acquiescence - would be fascinating. 4. Totally agree that Churchill was a reckless adventurer who brought the Empire into more jeopardy than he could possibly imagine in his whisky-addled brain. Not a bad thing though, since the fall of all classic-era empires was inevitable by this point. Sorry all this seems so prolix, but you did call for comment and I had so much to consider after this thought-provoking discussion.
@@vorynrosethorn903 You're probably right in the absolute sense, nothing is absolutely determined. However when you reach a point closer and closer to a decisive moment, an inflection point, then I think you can talk about inevitability. For example, after 11 September 2001 it was inevitable that the US and Western powers would respond by invading Afghanistan. Nobody at the time believed any other outcome was conceivable in the next few months. Whether the long-term failure of the US in Afghanistan was inevitable is in itself arguable, but I believe it was. So there's a putative 20-year chunk of inevitability. There are many other historical moments when the next phase is inevitable, but the time span in question might be quite brief.
British Colonizers, likened to voracious leeches, exhibited an insidious and persistent nature in their exploitation of the lands they colonized. Just as leeches latch onto their hosts, draining them of vital fluids, colonizers clung to the territories, systematically extracting resources, economic wealth, and cultural heritage. Their relentless pursuit of dominance didn't merely deplete natural riches; it dismantled the very fabric of society, rupturing traditions, and rupturing the social, cultural, and economic structures that had long sustained these regions. Much like leeches penetrating the skin, colonizers infiltrated these societies, establishing control and usurping indigenous knowledge, customs, and resources for their gain. Their actions left deep wounds, not only on the physical landscape but also on the collective psyche of the colonized people. The scars of exploitation endured, marking a painful legacy that persists through generations, haunting the memory of those affected. Furthermore, just as leeches leave behind an unsettling emptiness after feeding, colonizers created a vacuum, a void of autonomy and sovereignty in the colonized nations. They engendered dependence, weakening the indigenous systems while imposing their own, often for the sole benefit of the colonizing powers.
Ok, not happy with the effects of the British? I suggest give up all your roads, railways, factories, sewers, medicines, free trade, British style legal/government systems... etc ... and go back to constant warfare with your neighbours for the purposes of capturing people to be your slaves to use or sell as you wish... ... or perhaps (depending on your heritage) divide the population up into an oppressive class structure where different class structures shall not mix... and then throw widows onto the pyres of their husbands. ... or return to whatever nonutopian pre-British Imperial colonial reality your ancestors experienced/created (in contrast to the entirely fictional view of the pre-British Imperial world as a 'garden of Eden where everyone just got on peacefully' that some seem to have) Piss off.
@@ianc8054Look at the timeline of London alongside the timeline of the British empire. Are we to believe that England would leave her capital in such a sorry state for so long? That they preferred to have open sewers and flammable wooden houses for the first 200 years of industrialization? Of course not, that was because 200 years was how long it took for her to have industrial know-how AND the ludicrous wealth generated by all her colonial gains. Without the colonies it’s highly likely Europe would’ve resembled China for the most part: dirt roads and limited communication networks. As for medicine, well, apparently the basics of hygiene somehow eluded European doctors even in the 19th century despite the fact Arabs knew that washing their hands and tools would prevent infection.
Fantastic work. I'd love to see a speculative discussion on the future of Britain, The Commonwealth, independence movements ect. I truly don't see where we can go from here, are we fated to be just an economic zone? can English nationalism be a solution? I think the British spirit that gave birth to the industrial revolution has left us mybe if we focus more on our own shores we can find it again...hinding in the back of our sheds.
The British empire was established and maintained for more than three centuries, ( 300 years ) from the 17th thru to the 20th century through GREED, BLOODSHED, VIOLENCE, BRUTALITY, CONQUEST, WAR AND DOMINATION resulting in MANY MILLIONS OF DEATHS. Approximately 100 million people were killed during the British empire. This is among the largest policy-induced mortality crises in human history. More people were killed during the 300 years of the British empire than were killed during WW2. During its empire, Britain wrongfully invaded many countries, then managed to ignore and erase much of its brutal colonial past. Not a year went by without the inhabitants of the countries being obliged to suffer for their involuntary participation in the colonial experience. Slavery, famine, prison, battle, murder, extermination - these were their various fates. With absolutely no respect for other cultures and wherever the British sought to plant their flag, they were met with opposition. In almost every country they had to fight their way ashore. Throughout the period of the British empire, the British were for the most part loathed and despised by those they invaded. The British understandably try to forget that their empire was the fruit of military conquest and of brutal wars involving physical and cultural extermination. There remains an ineradicable tendency to view the imperial experience through the rose-tinted spectacles of cultural heritage. With many Scottish and North Irish people wishing to leave the so-called union and join the European Union and Brexit deeply dividing its citizens, the greatest comeuppance in the history of the world will be the breakup of the British isles, going from a island nation that invaded many countries and KILLED MANY MILLIONS OF PEOPLE to a lonely little pariah, an England and (Wales for now) all by itself.
😂😂😂😂😂😂 don’t believe the hype , they changed it to getter theirselves , so they can get goods around the world by looting everything of value causing famines for other countries in their wake
The British empire was established and maintained for more than three centuries, ( 300 years ) from the 17th thru to the 20th century through GREED, BLOODSHED, VIOLENCE, BRUTALITY, CONQUEST, WAR AND DOMINATION resulting in MANY MILLIONS OF DEATHS. Approximately 100 million people were killed during the British empire. This is among the largest policy-induced mortality crises in human history. More people were killed during the 300 years of the British empire than were killed during WW2. During its empire, Britain wrongfully invaded many countries, then managed to ignore and erase much of its brutal colonial past. Not a year went by without the inhabitants of the countries being obliged to suffer for their involuntary participation in the colonial experience. Slavery, famine, prison, battle, murder, extermination - these were their various fates. With absolutely no respect for other cultures and wherever the British sought to plant their flag, they were met with opposition. In almost every country they had to fight their way ashore. Throughout the period of the British empire, the British were for the most part loathed and despised by those they invaded. The British understandably try to forget that their empire was the fruit of military conquest and of brutal wars involving physical and cultural extermination. There remains an ineradicable tendency to view the imperial experience through the rose-tinted spectacles of cultural heritage. With many Scottish and North Irish people wishing to leave the so-called union and join the European Union and Brexit deeply dividing its citizens, the greatest comeuppance in the history of the world will be the breakup of the British isles, going from a island nation that invaded many countries and KILLED MANY MILLIONS OF PEOPLE to a lonely little pariah, an England and (Wales for now) all by itself.
Fascinating video. I'd be interested in more of your thoughts on the 2nd Boer War and the charge in British foreign policy towards the empire after this.
The "tax-and-buy system" in the context of colonialism refers to a practice used by colonial powers to extract wealth from their colonies. Here's a breakdown of the system: How it worked: Taxation: Colonial authorities imposed various taxes on the colonized population, including land taxes, income taxes, and indirect taxes on goods and services. Forced production: The colonies were often forced to specialize in the production of certain raw materials or cash crops, which benefited the colonizers' economies. Monopoly control: Colonial powers often set up monopolies on the trade of these raw materials, buying them from the colonies at artificially low prices and selling them at high profits in their own markets. Limited exports: Restrictions were placed on the exports from colonies to other countries, forcing them to rely on the colonizers for manufactured goods. Import dependence: The colonies were forced to import manufactured goods from the colonizers at inflated prices, further draining their resources. Consequences of the system: Exploitation of resources: The tax-and-buy system resulted in the depletion of natural resources and the exploitation of labor in the colonies. Economic stagnation: The colonies were unable to develop their own industries and remained dependent on the colonizers for manufactured goods. Poverty and inequality: The system led to widespread poverty and inequality in the colonies, as the vast majority of the wealth generated went to the colonizers. Examples of the system: British India: The British imposed a land tax (zamindari system) on Indian farmers, which they then used to buy Indian goods at low prices and sell them at high profits in Britain. French West Africa: The French forced African colonies to produce cash crops like cotton and peanuts, which were then sold in French markets. Belgian Congo: The Belgians forced Congolese people to work in rubber plantations, under brutal conditions, to meet the high demand for rubber in Europe. Overall, the tax-and-buy system was a key tool used by colonial powers to exploit the resources and labor of their colonies. It had devastating consequences for the economic and social development of many colonized countries.
The British empire was established and maintained for more than three centuries, ( 300 years ) from the 17th thru to the 20th century through GREED, BLOODSHED, VIOLENCE, BRUTALITY, CONQUEST, WAR AND DOMINATION resulting in MANY MILLIONS OF DEATHS. Approximately 100 million people were killed during the British empire. This is among the largest policy-induced mortality crises in human history. More people were killed during the 300 years of the British empire than were killed during WW2. During its empire, Britain wrongfully invaded many countries, then managed to ignore and erase much of its brutal colonial past. Not a year went by without the inhabitants of the countries being obliged to suffer for their involuntary participation in the colonial experience. Slavery, famine, prison, battle, murder, extermination - these were their various fates. With absolutely no respect for other cultures and wherever the British sought to plant their flag, they were met with opposition. In almost every country they had to fight their way ashore. Throughout the period of the British empire, the British were for the most part loathed and despised by those they invaded. The British understandably try to forget that their empire was the fruit of military conquest and of brutal wars involving physical and cultural extermination. There remains an ineradicable tendency to view the imperial experience through the rose-tinted spectacles of cultural heritage. With many Scottish and North Irish people wishing to leave the so-called union and join the European Union and Brexit deeply dividing its citizens, the greatest comeuppance in the history of the world will be the breakup of the British isles, going from a island nation that invaded many countries and KILLED MANY MILLIONS OF PEOPLE to a lonely little pariah, an England and (Wales for now) all by itself.
Excessive focus on material concerns, decadence within the ruling class, and the nature of the parliamentary system meant that the people who ruled Britain never had a coherent civilizational vision for what the Empire should be. It was left to artists like Kipling and renegade outsiders like Rhodes or Chamberlain to try to do this, and they ultimately failed. As a result, a series of short sighted policy mistakes saw Britain dragged into a general European war and economically subjugated to the USA. It could have been so great, but it was all but over by the 1920s
I have heard Britain's ascent Empire described as something she fell into backwards by accident - merchant adventurers pulled along by profit with the flag following on behind (up until the flag's momentum took it to unprofitable places). The wide variety of ways each part was claimed and ruled (settled colonies, plantation islands, company feifs of foreign potentates, client kingdoms and local strongmen etc.) led to the mishmash nature of the Empire, built by differing visions of Visionaries separated by thousands of miles and hundreds of years. Any rationalisation was imprinted post hoc by those already living within something already formed, too late to mould it and so left to at best resculpt the edges to give it seemingly intended form.
The British empire was established and maintained for more than three centuries, ( 300 years ) from the 17th thru to the 20th century through GREED, BLOODSHED, VIOLENCE, BRUTALITY, CONQUEST, WAR AND DOMINATION resulting in MANY MILLIONS OF DEATHS. Approximately 100 million people were killed during the British empire. This is among the largest policy-induced mortality crises in human history. More people were killed during the 300 years of the British empire than were killed during WW2. During its empire, Britain wrongfully invaded many countries, then managed to ignore and erase much of its brutal colonial past. Not a year went by without the inhabitants of the countries being obliged to suffer for their involuntary participation in the colonial experience. Slavery, famine, prison, battle, murder, extermination - these were their various fates. With absolutely no respect for other cultures and wherever the British sought to plant their flag, they were met with opposition. In almost every country they had to fight their way ashore. Throughout the period of the British empire, the British were for the most part loathed and despised by those they invaded. The British understandably try to forget that their empire was the fruit of military conquest and of brutal wars involving physical and cultural extermination. There remains an ineradicable tendency to view the imperial experience through the rose-tinted spectacles of cultural heritage. With many Scottish and North Irish people wishing to leave the so-called union and join the European Union and Brexit deeply dividing its citizens, the greatest comeuppance in the history of the world will be the breakup of the British isles, going from a island nation that invaded many countries and KILLED MANY MILLIONS OF PEOPLE to a lonely little pariah, an England and (Wales for now) all by itself.@@Dave0G
It was a very informative broad sweep of the history; made me interested in the civil war period which I'd neglected since school. Potentially [in the future] flesh out certain flashpoints or critical moments such the Russo-Japanese war, which is almost never seen in the vein of British Empire assistance, but of Russian decline and Japanese ascent.
In response to your enquiry at the end of this presentation I can confirm that I really enjoyed this format, the amount of information and detail you managed to include in this roughly one hour video and the fluid way in which you achieved it is very impressive indeed, many thanks.
I enjoyed this very much. It may have been as a painting in broad brushstrokes through a lot of history, but sometimes that brings about an understanding of the ebb and flow of history.
No quantity of benevolent actions can eclipse the paramount value of freedom. The essence of this assertion lies in the notion that no matter how virtuous one's deeds may be, they cannot supersede the intrinsic worth and importance of liberty. Freedom stands as an indispensable cornerstone of human existence, essential for fostering individual autonomy, self-expression, and the pursuit of one's aspirations. It serves as the bedrock upon which societies build their frameworks of justice, equality, and human rights. In essence, while acts of kindness and altruism undoubtedly hold significance in fostering compassion and social cohesion, they must always be contextualized within the broader framework of preserving and safeguarding freedom. For it is through the unfettered exercise of individual liberty that humanity can truly flourish, innovate, and realize its fullest potential. Thus, in the balance between good deeds and freedom, the latter invariably emerges as the preeminent value, indispensable for the realization of a just and equitable society.
