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Showing posts with the label "british history"

British History

Britain destroyed records of colonial crimes Related Many Brits know of the Russian gulag and Sozhenirsyn, but very little is taught about English atrocities. That ignorance shapes one's outlook at what is happening in the rest of the world and strengthens the belief that Britain is a good force in the world (philanthropy, aid ornganisations, charities, missionary celebrities , etc). Similar outlook can be found in France, Belgium and other countries. Excerpts from   Britain's Gulag – The Brutal End of Empire in Kenya   by Caroline Elkins

History

Anarchy: The East India Company, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire

History: the British Empire

“A German student has to  learn about the Holocaust , so, too, should every British student understand and face  Britain’s role in colonialism  and slavery." "It's time we're taught the downsides of our past in order to stop mistakes being repeated." (!) This is naïve. The Empire's plunder, subjugation and atrocities were not "mistakes." They were integral of the political economy of an empire. Read all about it Suggested reading: The Blood Never Dried by John Newsinger Inglorious Empire by Shashi Thahroor British Gulag (the British empire in Kenya)   by Caroline Elkins
Educating Britain I have just read this book. The following excerpts are no replacement in reading the whole account. Excerpts From John Newsinger’s  The Blood Never Dried, A People’s History of the British Empire

Oxford University and British Colonial History

A balance sheet of Britain's colonial history? “As the project’s own description makes clear, the aim here is to provide a rehabilitation of the British empire as largely a force for moral good, which in turn can be used to justify present-day military interventions.” Oxford University is accused of backing apologists of British colonialism
Toppling statues? Here is why Nelson's column should be next Note: We should also add another reactionary exploit by Horatio Nelson: In 1799  King Ferdinand was put back again on the throne of Naples, thanks to the English help and of Horatio Nelson, in particular, that had defeated in the Abukir battle the French fleet preventing France. Meanwhile, Russians are erecting statues of the grave digger of the Revolution
" We must teach them a lesson in free trade " — Her Majesty the Queen