Was the British Empire Force for Good - Coursework Example

Was the British Empire Force for Good? Undoubtedly, the British Empire was one of the most famous themes in world history (Kwarteng 2011, p.1) as it was the largest ever and lasted for a long time (Gates 2011, p.165). According to Porter (2014, p.322), the British Empire was dominant and changed the world irreversibly. This empire brought many changes to many individuals in diverse countries. Some of these important changes involved innovations in medical care, education as well as railways among others. For many individuals, the contemporary world is in its current state because of the impact of the British Empire. The British Empire worked hard to ensure that slavery was abolished in the 1800s but after benefiting from it in the 1700s. On the other hand, many people associated the British Empire with loss of lands, discrimination and prejudice. Indeed, the British Empire, just like other empires, had triumphs and humiliations, that is, it helped in spreading many good things but it also inflicted bad things across the globe. Therefore, the British Empire can be considered a force for good or evil based on their activities in their diverse colonies worldwide. This paper presents an argument supporting the notion that the British Empire was a force for good. Agreeably, the British Empire had an enormous impact on the world and many people’s lives, and until to date, the world has never seen another empire as vast and great as the British Empire. The influence and the power of the empire are still evident in many countries that were controlled by this empire. Today, many former British colonies all over the world are still in touch with Britain via the Commonwealth. Through their empire, the British spread their institutions, culture and language to different parts of the world (Marshall 2001, p.8). The older people see the empire has a force for good claiming that it brought civilization to the uncivilized and exported knowledge to the ignorant indigenous communities (Hunt 2010, p.124). Many countries all over the world have multi-cultural populations courtesy of the efforts of British Empire. More so, parliamentary democracy, the English language as well as the Christian religion can be found in different countries worldwide and this is mainly because of the efforts of this great empire. All these and many more are indication of how the British Empire has had a lasting impact on the world history. There are many good aspects of the British Empire and this shows that this empire was a force for good. It spread great things to the countries that were under its control or influence. To begin with, having been ahead in industrial revolution, the British Empire played a leading role in spreading technology to new places in the world. Notably, the British Empire was accountable for the establishment and growth of early industries in their countries. More so, the empire was helped in facilitating the development of early infrastructure in the countries that were under its influence. For example, the empire constructed numerous roads and railways that helped its colonies in transporting goods and services. These roads and rails were also important for individuals as they helped them to move more easily. Some of the roads and rails they constructed include the Suez Canal that enabled easy movement from Europe to India. Second, the British Empire played a significant role in improving trade among her colonies and other parts of the world. Trade is one of the main factors that made the British Empire to expand its territory in various parts of the world. This resulted in the introduction of new commodities and consumerism behaviours in these colonized countries. In addition, the empire established an export market for the products of its colonies. By abolishing slave and any form of slavery, the empire has been acknowledged as one of the leading organizations in promoting human welfare in the world (Heath 2009, p.97). Nevertheless, the British also benefited from controlling the colonies, for example, the colonies supplied cheap raw materials for their industries. More so, they used the vast agricultural land in the colonies to grow industrial raw materials like tea, coffee and cotton. The British Empire also promoted migration and this way, individuals were able to move to any part of the world that interests them (Haan 2010, p.86). According to Jackson (2013, p.4), the British Empire was a powerful agent of globalization. Another positive change brought by the British Empire is that it developed and modernized the education. In all the countries that they colonized, they introduced and supported western education systems as seen in Africa where they established new education facilities like adequate classrooms and introduced appropriate syllabus. Given that many Africans depended on informal education that was facilitated by the older societal members, the British Empire had great impact on the region’s education. It changed this system of education immediately and introduced formal education in which the residents were taught how to read and write. In addition, the British Empire also introduced Christianity in her colonies as seen in Africa’s situation. Through their missionaries, Christian globalization was achieved (Thompson 2012, p.78). More so, the British Empire introduced new agricultural techniques in their colonies. After introducing new technologies in these countries, they also introduced new farming methods (Marshall 2001, p.8) and thus improved food production and industrial raw materials. In their attempt to improve agriculture in their colonies, they went ahead and introduced new crops and livestock varieties. For example, they introduced growing of grains in Canada, which is still practiced in the region even after gaining independence from Britain. Furthermore, the British established their intense legal systems and laws in their colonies. Most of these laws were adapted by their colonies and in some countries; they influenced the development of laws. Notably, the laws of many former colonies including the American laws have a common law heritage and this is a vivid evidence of the legal influence of the British Empire. However, there are some evil aspects of the British Empire. Primarily, the introduction of the western culture and industries greatly affected the local culture and cottage industries in the colonies. The local cultures in many colonies were eroded and the new generation who found their lands under the control of the empire had no choice but to adapt to the western mannerisms. More so, the introduction of new judicial systems and laws resulted in the erosion of the local arbitration systems. Again, the cottage industries were not able to survive because the new mechanized industries became dominant. Second, acquiring the colonies involved imperialism in which human rights were violated. For instance, the British companies in the colonies were acquired by force and in places where they faced resistance, the British military force brutally treated the resilient communities leading to the deaths of many people and also a good number of these people were locked up in cells. Further, the British alienated the locals from their land and resources, chasing them from their lands and grabbing most of the fertile land. Therefore, for many indigenous communities, the British Empire was an evil force (Gates 2011, p.165). In conclusion, the British Empire had many impacts on people’s lives and the world as a whole. Those in the countries colonized by Britain benefited a lot. The empire introduced new technologies, industries, agricultural practices, education, religion, and judicial systems among others. However, the empire also had some negative impacts on her colonies such as erosion of the local culture, cottage industries, and local arbitration systems. The locals were also alienated from their land as the British officials forced them out of their fertile lands for their own selfish reasons. References Gates, S. R. 2011, Conspiracy that will not die, Red Anvil Press. Haan, P.D. 2010, Has Africa shed its "Third World" status? And other thought-provoking essays, Lusaka, Lembani Trust. Heath, G. L. 2009, A war with a silver lining Canadian protestant churches and the South African War, 1899-1902, Montreal [Que.], McGill-Queen's University Press. Hunt, N.C. 2010, Memory, War and Trauma, Cambridge University Press. Jackson, A. 2013, The British Empire: a very short introduction, Oxford, Oxford University Press. Kwarteng, K. 2011, Ghosts of empire: Britain's legacies in the modern world, London, Bloomsbury. Marshall, P. J. 2001, The Cambridge Illustrated History of the British Empire, Cambridge University Press. Porter, B., 2014, The Lion's Share: A History of British Imperialism 1850-2011, London: Routledge. Thompson, A. S. 2012, Britain's experience of empire in the twentieth century, Oxford, Oxford University Press. Read More