[Political Interest]

Whenever I see people blaming the British for colonialism it is as if it was only Britain which took part in such an enterprise. Yet history shows us that other European countries were also massive colonialists. The French colonised Africa to such an extent that nearly the whole northern part of the continent was coloured blue. France also had colonies in Indochina and fought very fiercely to retain them. Portugal had colonies in Africa which it stubbornly refused to release until the 1970s. Holland had the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) and sought to regain this colony after the Second World War ended in 1945. Also they stubbornly held onto Irian Jaya and only released it in the 1960s after the Indonesians forced them out. Germany had colonies and had very ambitious plans for German colonialism but was stopped due to losing the First World War. Belgian colonialism was appalling in Congo. The Spanish colonised nearly the whole of South America and the legacy of this can be found in the wide use of Spanish there to this day. In addition these countries were all involved to some extent in the slave trade. In this case why is it Britain which is blamed the most for colonialism and why are these other countries not made to make extensive self-criticism as the British are? What is more ridiculous is when people from such countries like to criticise Britain very self-righteously but then their countries also indulged in colonialism. So the point is, why should the current generation of any country have to answer for something which happened long ago?

[Far-Right Sage]

The answer for this is simple. Everyone recognizes Spanish colonialism, French colonialism, Belgian colonialism, etc. Those events are not ignored as you imply, but the reasbon Britain is perhaps focused on in discussion is that Britain became the biggest hegemon of its day on the back of Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, and later, French aspirations. Yes, Portugal under Salazar maintained some colonies such as Goa and Portuguese Angolan territory until not too long ago, but at that point Portugal was anything but a global hegemon and Spain's imperial ambitions were effectively dead in the water by 1898. Furthermore, it is the incessant British moralizing about their opponents, be they Malayasian Communists, Germans, the Irish, or Islamic militants which tends to turn folks' stomachs and evoke the bitter stench of hypocrisy.

Also, there are more Britons and English-speakers from the nations which were formerly British colonies present in this medium who are inclined to whitewash the history of the British Empire.

[Political Interest]

The answer for this is simple. Everyone recognizes Spanish colonialism, French colonialism, Belgian colonialism, etc. Those events are not ignored as you imply, but the reasbon Britain is perhaps focused on in discussion is that Britain became the biggest hegemon of its day on the back of Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, and later, French aspirations.

This changes nothing. These countries all had colonial enterprises of their own. Perhaps the UK was the largest colonialist and the world hegemon but it does not change the fact that other European countries also practiced colonialism.

Yes, Portugal under Salazar maintained some colonies such as Goa and Portuguese Angolan territory until not too long ago, but at that point Portugal was anything but a global hegemon and Spain's imperial ambitions were effectively dead in the water by 1898.

Yes but at the height of its power the Spanish Empire was very strong, as were the Portuguese. So then the British are given special attention because they maintained their colonial strength up until the post war era?

Furthermore, it is the incessant British moralizing about their opponents, be they Malayasian Communists, Germans, the Irish, or Islamic militants which tends to turn folks' stomachs and evoke the bitter stench of hypocrisy.

Also, there are more Britons and English-speakers from the nations which were formerly British colonies present in this medium who are inclined to whitewash the history of the British Empire

Well this is very true. Many British people today like to romanticise their empire as if it was some sort of glorious period for those under its rule. Also British nationalists often like to long for the return of the empire and the regaining of British strength. As we know there was nothing romantic about it and it was as despotic as any Malaysian Communists or Germans who they would like to claim the moral high ground against. The Bengal Famine and Amritsar massacres among other events are examples of this.

The trouble with British nationalists upholding their empire is problematic on three grounds. The first is that it disassociates their patriotism from concern with maintinance and protection of their country. It turns patriotism into an obsession with maintaining 'the empire' as if this is some how the be all and end all of British civilisation without which Britain is nothing and something to be ashamed of. It is this concern which leads British nationalists to anxiously insist that the Falklands/Malvinas stay with the UK and also causes them to seek alignment with the United States. The British ruling class choose to align with the USA because they perceive that country as an extension of Anglo civilisation and therefore in essence part of the British Empire. It represents Anglo power and the continuity of the old empire. The second problem is that they fail to see that the empire in the long run was what spread liberal capitalism around the world and is in large part one of the reasons why the UK is in such trouble today. It is also hypocrisy to not want immigrants in the country but then at the same time want a cosmopolitan and international liberal empire. The third is that it keeps reviving the scorn directed towards Britain. People will become annoyed if Britain keeps feeling empire nostalgia and this will effect relations with other countries. The history of Britain is much longer than the history of its empire. The empire was in reality one of the worst things to happen for the UK, it benefited only the ruling class and detached the UK from itself.

[Zenno]

why are these other countries not made to make extensive self-criticism as the British are?

"Self-criticism" and the British? I'm sure you are not serious about this.

Anyways, stop feeling sorry for yourself. Other colonial powers have had their fair share of criticism. The Germans don't stop castigating themselves about a massacre that took place more then hundred years ago in Namibia. The British colonies were by far the most extensive. Therefore, the focus British colonialism and the slave trade is quite natural. The British were also the only nation that actually profited from its colonies. For most others it was more of a drain on resources than anything else.

[Political Interest]

"Self-criticism" and the British? I'm sure you are not serious about this.

And what country are you from? The British are very critical of their colonial legacy, it is only among certain nostalgics that this opinion remains.

Anyways, stop feeling sorry for yourself.

For myself? I am speaking about Britain.

Other colonial powers have had their fair share of criticism. The Germans don't stop castigating themselves about a massacre that took place more then hundred years ago in Namibia. The British colonies were by far the most extensive. Therefore, the focus British colonialism and the slave trade is quite natural. The British were also the only nation that actually profited from its colonies. For most others it was more of a drain on resources than anything else.

It is true British imperialism spanned the largest area of the world, but this does not mean other countries did not have vast empires. Is it true that Germany are self-critical over Namibia?

You are wrong on the issue of the slave trade. Do not hide behind the mistakes of Britain just because your country may have been involved in it as well. Other countries like France, Portugal, Spain and the Danish were also heavily involved. Please do not deny this fact of history. At one point Portugal was the largest slave trader.

Also please tell me how the ordinary British citizen profited from the colonies. It was not their choice, who has control over what their leadership do? Yet British colonialism is less noble than French, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese or Belgian colonialism?

If the UK profited the most from their colonies then this does not change the fact that other countries sought to profit from theirs as well. All had the same intentions.

[Political Interest]

"Self-criticism" and the British? I'm sure you are not serious about this.

And what country are you from? The British are very critical of their colonial legacy, it is only among certain nostalgics that this opinion remains.

Anyways, stop feeling sorry for yourself.

For myself? I am speaking about Britain. How antagonistic of you! I also made criticism of the British colonial legacy. Maybe because you are anti-British? Is this true?

Other colonial powers have had their fair share of criticism. The Germans don't stop castigating themselves about a massacre that took place more then hundred years ago in Namibia. The British colonies were by far the most extensive. Therefore, the focus British colonialism and the slave trade is quite natural. The British were also the only nation that actually profited from its colonies. For most others it was more of a drain on resources than anything else.

It is true British imperialism spanned the largest area of the world, but this does not mean other countries did not have vast empires. Is it true that Germany are self-critical over Namibia?

You are wrong on the issue of the slave trade. Do not hide behind the mistakes of Britain just because your country may have been involved in it as well. Other countries like France, Portugal, Spain and the Danish were also heavily involved. Please do not deny this fact of history. At one point Portugal was the largest slave trader.

Also please tell me how the ordinary British citizen profited from the colonies. It was not their choice, who has control over what their leadership do? Yet British colonialism is less noble than French, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese or Belgian colonialism?

If the UK profited the most from their colonies then this does not change the fact that other countries sought to profit from theirs as well. All had the same intentions.[/quote]

[killim]

Because it is a domestic problem these countries usually deal with it in their native language. It is an issue in France, Belgium, the Netherlands well and Germany. About Spain, Italy, Portugal etc. I don't know.

[marjy]

Many British people today like to romanticise their empire as if it was some sort of glorious period for those under its rule.

I think you're wrong. It's only a very small minority of Britons who romanticise the British Empire and most of them are dying off anyway.

Also British nationalists often like to long for the return of the empire and the regaining of British strength.

I think the British are sufficiently pragmatic to realise that isn't going to happen.

It is this concern which leads British nationalists to anxiously insist that the Falklands/Malvinas stay with the UK...

It's Argentina who is striking imperial and colonial attitudes at the moment. A sideshow to deflect attention away from Argentina's economy. Cristina Kirchner’s popularity rating has fallen from 60% at the start of her second term to somewhere around 30% at present.

The British ruling class choose to align with the USA because they perceive that country as an extension of Anglo civilisation and therefore in essence part of the British Empire.

Nonsense. If anything, most countries see Britain as an extension of the US hegemony.

It is also hypocrisy to not want immigrants in the country but then at the same time want a cosmopolitan and international liberal empire.

Anti immigration sentiments are not the lone preserve of the British. In hard economic times it is often immigrants who are blamed for unemployment rates. It is happening all over the world and especially in Europe.

There's no evidence Britain wants an empire again, cosmopolitan or otherwise, or could ever achieve it even if it did. I think that's all in your febrile imagination.

The empire was in reality one of the worst things to happen for the UK, it benefited only the ruling class and detached the UK from itself.

There are those who would argue, and probably rightly so, that the empire was the worst thing to happen to the countries over which Britain ruled.

Also please tell me how the ordinary British citizen profited from the colonies.

The British were able to export their manufactured goods to the colonies who represented a captive market. Sterling was non convertible so all goods had to be paid for in pounds sterling. The revenue and profits from the Empire built schools, factories, hospitals, churches, art galleries, museums etc. Britain was able to import vast quantities of foodstuffs and raw materials.

In this case why is it Britain which is blamed the most for colonialism and why are these other countries not made to make extensive self-criticism as the British are?

As killim pointed out, it's probably because you are simply unaware of debates in other countries because they take place in languages other than English.

As for empires, they come and they go, and all have left their legacy. The British legacy was their language and the sport of cricket.

Of course, we might be witnessing the birth of yet another empire. China has just commissioned her first aircraft carrier for example....

"Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose"

[Zenno]

Political Interest, I have spent my life in different countries. Among the places I have lived and worked in for extended periods of time are the UK, France, Germany, Portugal and Japan. To know the whole breadth of the culture and mentality of a people from direct experience gives you a different impression than just reading about it. When it comes to being self-critical, the Germans, Japanese and many of the smaller countries in the North are at top of the list. Most Latin people tend to be too sure of themselves for their own good. The innate sense of superiority in the British does not express itself as extrovertly as in Latin countries. In fact, a deep down sense of one’s own superiority, as in the case of the British, doesn’t need to be expressed in any sort of extrovert way. I agree that things are changing and that due to changing economic fortunes, present day British might have become a little more self-doubting while young Germans are becoming surer of themselves. But as far as I can see, this self-doubting is more negative and destructive than what I see as the positive virtues in being self-critical. The latter implies the ability to learn from others and question the validity of national myths. Having said that, I do realize of course that national stereotypes only have a limited use; there are always exceptions.

The slave trade has always been criticized in the UK and elsewhere even during colonial times. Nevertheless, in the past, the majority considered the slave trade to be a necessity for maintaining the colonies. Just as today, the majority considers that we should let the past rest in peace when it comes to the more unfortunate aspects of British history. That trait is particularly objectionable, when it is exactly the same people that consider the past to be very important when it comes to judging the negative aspects of other nations.

It goes without saying that no halfway intelligent Briton believes in reinstating the Empire. Nevertheless, the glorious past is always indirectly referenced when present day Britons construct a myth about how the UK can again be a strong country if it only leaves the EU. This rests on the understanding that before the UK joined the EU it was once a great country. It doesn’t matter if people explicitly refer to the Empire or just to a general past in which the country was great and strong.

There is no point in complaining about the facts of history. Just like the Germans have to live with the memory of the Nazi area, the British have to live with the heritage of the colonial age. Young Germans today have no responsibility in what the Nazis did 70 years ago. Still that doesn’t change the fact that they will always be confronted by that history; e.g., when the Greeks get into debts then that is a good occasion to blame the Germans for the war. In the same way, Britain will always be associated with the colonial empire. No use complaining.

Anyways, the image of Spanish, French and Belgium colonialism, in particular, is generally far more negative than the image of British colonialism.

Colonialism was one of the major preconditions for the industrial revolution in the UK. Thus, we don’t even need to look up the balance sheets of the East India Company to know that GB, including most its citizens, greatly profited from the colonies. Portugal at the end of the colonial period was an impoverished county that had been completely ruined (both in material terms and in terms of human lives) by the cost of maintaining the empire, without ever profiting an awful lot. Even today, the British continue to profit from the colonial past when they draw on their relations with the former colonies to maintain privileged trade relations at the expense of other countries. Furthermore, the British rule of the global trade routes is the precursor of the present day global economic system which is maintained by the pax-Americana. Thus, as a trading nation, the British continue to profit from the Anglo-Saxon domination of trade and international finances that has continued almost unbroken since the British defeated the Spanish Armada.

[Poelmo]

"Tell Me Why Germans French And Dutch Are Not Blamed?"

They are, just less so in English speaking media because those are most familair with British colonialism, just as you didn't mention the Japanese, Italians, Chinese, Americans, Russians and Ottomans in your question because you are most familiar with Western-European colonialism.

[Spacial]

Think this is something that bothers a lot of us.

But perhaps part of the reason is we allow the erroneous belief that slavery and colonialism were invented by the Europeans.

The reality is both of these practices are as old as society itself and continue, in various forms to this day.

That may be part of the problem though. One of the larger slave trading communities are those identifying as Muslim. That is a sensitive subject at the least.

But perhaps, why the British are especially held to be especially guilty as their's was the largest of all empires.

[Thompson_NCL]

Many British people today like to romanticise their empire as if it was some sort of glorious period for those under its rule.

It was glorious and most of our colonies greatly benefited from being part of the Empire.

[Political Interest]

Is it not true that Spain, France and Portugal also traded in slaves as well?

[Decky]

Yep, Portugal did loads of it.

[Ombrageux]

PI - I'd be curious to know who you are referring to who blame the British for colonialism. There is no useful answer possible unless we know this. There are plenty of parts of the world, ie the victims of French or Portuguese or other colonialisms, which blame France or Portugal or whoever is relevant..

Obviously Britain had by far the biggest empire, in Africa, the Middle East, India, Southeast Asia.. so it's quite normal that people in many places would blame the British.

[Political Interest]

Yep, Portugal did loads of it.

Fundly enough I have not seen so many Portuguese criticise the UK for its colonial legacy.

PI - I'd be curious to know who you are referring to who blame the British for colonialism. There is no useful answer possible unless we know this. There are plenty of parts of the world, ie the victims of French or Portuguese or other colonialisms, which blame France or Portugal or whoever is relevant..

Obviously Britain had by far the biggest empire, in Africa, the Middle East, India, Southeast Asia.. so it's quite normal that people in many places would blame the British.

They come from all around the world. It is understandable if they are from a country which was colonised by the UK, however there are some people from European countries who like to say that their colonial record was better or that they colonised far less than Britain. You may find some Germans say that they did not colonise on the same scale as Britain but they forget that their country only lost its colonies because of the First World War. Similarly there are even French who like to suggest that their form of colonialism was more enlightened or that they were in some capacity not worse than Britain. It becomes a trend that people who have some unpleasant feelings about their colonial past like to point fingers at the UK as a way of making themselves feel better. Because many of my own countrymen are from an Anglo-Celtic background and also because this country was founded by colonialism I feel as though I am on the receiving end of this as well.

Also in general, it may also simply be because I do not read French, Dutch, Portuguese or German, there is a general trend of blaming the UK as the foremost colonialist at least in the English speaking world. Why is this? Does this same trend exist in the Francophone world for example? You can certainly tell me if this is the case.

[Ombrageux]

There's a big French-speaking anticolonial tradition (Fanon, Césaire, Sankara, Touré, Haiti) and also a strong Francophile and basically neocolonialist position (Senghor, Houphouët-Boigny). It's also quite normal that elements in each country would seek to portray their own colonialism as valid, although I haven't heard much of colonialists citing the British as a bad example (if anything it's they had the more "reasonable" of the colonial empires compared to the French, Germans or Belgians..). Where are you from if you don't mind me asking? For some reason I thought you were Chinese.