Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: Gengis Khan
Your hatred for the British Empire is your own cross to bear.

INDEPENDENT INDIA as you so screamed did not just pop up with the ideas of democracy from their Asian history.

India was on the road to being just as broken and poor as Bangladesh (or East Pakistan for you) had the British not influenced it.

Facts are facts. French and Spanish and other European Imperialism left a complete wake of squalor and chaos from the plunder of natural resources, etc.

But the resultant civilization in Singapore, Hong Kong, United States, Canada, Australia and yes, India are a stark contrast to Vietnam or Guayana, even compared to Sierra Leone.

And I'll put the Islam-infested civilization in Pakistan that just helped the British thwart the recent AQ attack against Islam-infested ALGERIA, for example, any day of the week.

Here's an interesting blog I googled for ya....

French vs. Anglo-American "Imperialism"

28 posted on 08/11/2006 8:28:46 AM PDT by sam_paine (X .................................)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies ]


To: Gengis Khan
Here's a subset of the comparison. This is really the core of my comments on comparison.

Sure 'foreign' colonization was ugly. Sure, the internecine wars of conquest between 'native American' Maya etal were bloody and terminal, too.

If I understand you correctly, it seems that you believe British colonialism is worse or no better than any other imperialism, whil I believe that there is a recognizable difference, and indeed, the coincidence and contrast of the resultant prosperity and freedom is interestingly correlated with which evil power you had the luck to be colonized by...

Colonies Sorted by Current GDP Per Capita

Parent Colony GDP per Capita Freedom (1=free, 5+ = not free
GB United States 37.8 1
GB Bermuda 36 1
FR Louisiana 33.3 1
FR Quebec 30.5 1
US Alaska 30.1 1
GB Canada 29.7 1
GB Australia 28.9 1
GB Hong Kong 28.7 1
US Hawaii 28.2 1
GB New Zealand 21.6 1
GB Malta 17.7 1
GB Bahamas 16.8 1
GB Barbados 16.2 1
GB Cyprus 16 1
US Virgin Islands 19 1.5
GB British Virgin Is. 16 1.5
GB South Africa 10.7 1.5
GB Grenada 5 1.5
GB Israel 19.7 2
FR Mexico 9 2
GB Botswana 8.8 2
GB Ghana 2.2 2
FR Mali 0.9 2
US Philippines 4.6 2.5
GB Jamaica 3.8 2.5
GB Lesotho 3 2.5
GB India 2.9 2.5
FR Senegal 1.6 2.5
GB Antigua & Barbuda 11 3
FR Seychelles 7.8 3
GB Sri Lanka 3.7 3
GB Kenya 1 3
FR Madagascar 0.8 3
FR Fiji 5.8 3.5
FR Burkina Faso 1.1 4
FR Niger 0.8 4
GB Nigeria 0.8 4
GB Zambia 0.8 4
GB Singapore 23.7 4.5
GB Malaysia 9 4.5
FR Gabon 5.5 4.5
GB Uganda 1.4 4.5
FR Morocco 4 5
FR Djibouti 1.3 5
GB Brunei 18.6 5.5
FR Tunisia 6.9 5.5
FR Algeria 5.9 5.5
FR Mauritania 1.8 5.5
FR Cambodia 1.7 5.5
FR Togo 1.5 5.5
FR Chad 1.2 5.5
GB Swaziland 4.9 6
GB Egypt 3.9 6
GB Zimbabwe 1.9 6
FR Haiti 1.6 6
FR Central African Rep, 1.2 6
FR Congo 0.7 6
FR Vietnam 2.5 6.5
FR Laos 1.7 6.5
GB Sudan 1.1 7
GB Cayman Islands 35 NR
GB Falklands 25 NR
FR French Polynesia 17.5 NR
GB Gibraltar 17.5 NR
US Puerto Rico 16.8 NR
FR Martinique 14.4 NR
FR French Guiana 8.3 NR
US American Samoa 8 NR
FR Montserrat 3.4 NR

31 posted on 08/11/2006 10:01:03 AM PDT by sam_paine (X .................................)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies ]

To: sam_paine
Your hatred for the British Empire is your own cross to bear.
 
Its not hatred. Its harsh reality about British empire from our POV. What you are parroting is simply Anglo-American propaganda. And I dont really subscribe to that propaganda that British Empire was all benevolent and beneficial to its colonies. The fact that India's democracy, liberty and rule of law has any thing to do with Britain is propaganda spread by none other than the Brits themselves (the Indians did the hard work of creating and sustaining these institution and Brits got the credit). The reality was that British Empire was only a shade better then Nazi Germany.
 
For every Canada, Australia. US you have Burma, Nigeria, Uganda, Sudan, Kenya, Botswana, Zimbabwe which are as bad or worse then Vietnam, Guayana orSierra Leone. Moreover the Whites in Canada, Australia, New Zealand or the US enjoyed the same status as the Brits under the Empire so their opinion about the British Empire isn't likely to be negative. Canada, Australia, New Zealand enjoyed dominion status under the Empire which wasn't the case with India. India and other places in Africa were simply colonies. Ask a native of any other colony and you will know. So no matter how corrupt, crime-ridden, totalitarian or screwed-up their own country/government maybe the certainly don't want to go back to the enslavement/apartheid under the British system.

"India was on the road to being just as broken and poor as Bangladesh (or East Pakistan for you) had the British not influenced it. "

How so? To me it sound like a very silly comment thats without British enslavement we would never have succeeded in anything. What evidence you have to prove that?


32 posted on 08/11/2006 10:01:15 AM PDT by Gengis Khan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson