The History of Empires - Essay Example

The history of empires in general is fascinating. Few systems of conquest and government provoke more ire from modern historians than that of imperial systems. Words such as empire and colony themselves have become extremely pejorative. Yet the fact cannot be denied that the history of governments, armies and complex social organization of mankind is invariably caught-up in the history of empire making and empire collapse. It almost seems as though we gravitate towards establishing empires when the whole of human history is considered. This is unsettling for some because empire at its most basic level involves the conquest of one population by violence so the victor can benefit financially, culturally or socially from the conquest. The sustaining of empire involves further inequalities to be established through colonial rule, where true citizenship is limited or denied to conquered populations. Some recent authors such as Niall Ferguson point to possible benefits of empire, recognizing that it is distasteful and in many ways shameful by modern standards, have provided an actual net benefit to the colonized nations. They argue that the imperial process brought modern governmental institutions and infrastructure, such as the railway system in India, which in turn was a great boon to the former colonies once they gained independence. Others more forcefully argue that the immoral underpinnings of any imperialistic project automatically makes it wrong because the only two reasons any nation established an empire is for economic gain and to establish cultural superiority over other nations (Price). So it is true for all empires, including the British Empire. The main reason the British Empire was initially established was so they could remain strong militarily and politically during a very competitive time in Europe’s history. During the 17th and much of the 18th century, France and Austria were the dominant powers in Europe. Spain, Portugal, Russia and Great Britain worked constantly to keep them in check. One sure way to increase the national wealth was to establish colonies in other lands that would provide treasure and natural resources for the mother country. Spain and Portugal were the envy of Europe as their ships returned carrying much treasure from imperial lands in the new world. Britain moved to establish colonies there as well, primarily as a means of obtaining natural resources and establishing new markets for finished British goods. This mercantile exchange depended first, however, on a well established navy that could secure the seas for international trade (Luscombe). As a result, the early stages of the British Empire were focused on growing national wealth so the navy and army could be properly outfitted. After the conquests of France and Austria by Frederick the Great, a new balance between France, Germany, Britain, Spain and Russia emerged. Britain was in a better position to establish more colonies, but this second phase was carried out by private companies such as the East India Company. These private firms had their own armies and navies. They forced open markets in foreign lands, often forcing unequal treaties on the inhabitants. Native governmental institutions were marginalized so that British rule could continue unchallenged. The profit motive was the initial driving force behind this phase of growth in the British Empire. In fact, the 19th century saw the greatest, most rapid expansion of the British Empire at any time (Barton). This century saw great civilizations such as India and China brought into the British sphere of influence. In the case of China, a once proud civilization collapsed in a single generation as several European powers divided the spoils of conquest. While the British government officially displaced and disbanded many of these private companies that helped spread the empire due to their treatment of native populations, the British government did not begin to roll back the empire until after World War II. The British Empire was a phenomenally lucrative enterprise for Great Britain. The making of profit through subjugation of native populations through a system of colonial establishments was the primary reason for the establishment of the British Empire. It was initially intended to secure Britain’s safe place in Europe by countering the might of France and Austria, but eventually became a private enterprise focused on profits through mercantile trade. Another major reason the British Empire was established and grew was a growing sense of cultural and moral superiority among Europeans in general. The successes of European powers in colonizing lands and subduing native peoples and governmental institutions eventually grew into a belief that there really only was one truly civilized way to organize a society. The British fervor to expand their empire as a means of spreading their economic, governmental and religious institutions took on the zeal of a missionary organization. The British viewed their expansion of empire as helping “backwards” nations and individuals modernize their lands. All of this progress would occur as they rubbed shoulders with British soldiers and merchant companies that sent their hefty profits back to Britain. While this may sound like profound cultural arrogance when judged by today’s sensibilities, it cannot be denied that in addition to seeking profit, the spread of British institutions into all the lands that they traded with was a driving force behind the growth and establishment of the British Empire. A good example of this is how Britain forced the Chinese and later the Japanese to open their lands to British Trade. The descriptions of Chinese culture by these 19th century traders focuses on the charming and exotic nature of the civilization, but are quick to point out the obvious inferiorities to British rule (Darwin). The irony is that the Chinese themselves were incredibly xenophobic, viewing the British as mere barbarians. The subsequent unequal treaties that were forced by military occupation of coastal cities, resulting in the ceding of Hong Kong to the British were written to maximize the ability of the British to establish trade with inland China and to provide a mechanism for the establishment of cultural institutions such as churches and consulates. In some ways, these two purposes for the British Empire are actually represented by two different phases of the same empire. The early empire was oriented towards settling new colonies for the purpose extracting raw materials, sending them back to Britain for manufacture into finished goods. Once this for of empire proved unsustainable, Great Britain’s economy entered a period of adjustment. The Empire had taken a drastic step backwards with the loss of holdings in North America. Several decades saw the Empire shrink geographically. While in some ways, the history of the Empire may have been placed on hold, the history of Britain itself was anything but static. These years saw the first phases of the industrial revolution begin in earnest, as steam and steel replaced muscle. This innovation ended the lapse in the history of the Empire, as Great Britain moved to exert cultural and economic dominance in India, China and Southern Africa. The immoral nature of empire has been laid bare by historians in recent years. The very nature of empire requires conquest by violence and the holding of native populations in a position of quasi or non-citizenship. All of this results in power, both financially and culturally for the conquering nation. The British Empire was established for the same reasons all of the empires that came before them were established. Work Cited Barton, Lara J. "Why Did the British Empire Expand so Rapidly between 1870 and 1900?" The Victorian Web: An Overview. 5 Apr. 2002. Web. 14 Aug. 2010. . Darwin, John. After Tamerlane: the Global History of Empire since 1405. New York: Bloomsbury, 2008. Print. Luscombe, Stephen. "Armed Forces." The British Empire. 1 May 2010. Web. 14 Aug. 2010. . Price, Matthew. "Imperialism May Be Immoral, but Thats Not Why Empires Fall - The National Newspaper." Home Page - The National Newspaper. 1 July 2010. Web. 14 Aug. 2010. . Read More