British Colonial Rule in Australia - Essay Example

British Colonial Rule in Australia Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Course Name Date of Submission British Colonial Rule in Australia Introduction Most countries in the world were once under the rule of foreign colonies. Powerful nations in the olden days, including Britain, France, Germany, Portugal and Spain once used their power to rule other nations, in what is called colonialism. Colonialism in its simplest form refers to a situation where a country governs or controls an independent state, people or territory (Levine 2007, p. 11). Britain, in particular used its powers to rule many countries in the world. Australia is one of the nations that were colonized by the British rule. Like in many countries that were colonized by the British, Australia also had many issues with the British rulers some of which have not been resolved to date. This paper will discuss the British colonial rule in Australia and highlight the contemporary issues associated with the rule. Hyam (1993, p. 4) notes that colonization is often associated with ethnic undertone. People often associated colonization with conflict, dictatorship and oppression of the indigenous people. This is often the case when British colonial rule is mentioned. Britain being one of the most powerful nations in the past had the opportunity to rule many nations. They used their powers and influence to invade an independent country and establish their rule as they wished. In most cases, the British rule is cited as having been barbaric and characterized by dictatorships and violence as a way of maintain order and forcing the colonized to follow their rule. In countries where the British colonized, all the decisions regarding how the country was governed was made from the head office in London and communicated to the people (Ferguson 2003, p. 13). This implies that there was no input of the colonized as far as how the country is being governed. Australia happens to be among the countries that were colonized by the British. The history of British colonization of Australia dates back to 1770, when Lieutenant James Cook first set foot in Australia and conquered the east coast of Australia by making it a British territory (Hyam 1993, p. 19). After the conquest, went back to Britain where he reported the successful takeover of the territory. However, because overcrowding was a big problem in most British prisons, the British government saw a huge opportunity of addressing the problem by deporting some of the prisoners to Australia. The first batch of prisoners who had been banished in England and relocated to Australia were said to number 736 (Levine 2007, p. 17). These prisoners were taken to Botany Bay, where the British had established a territory. Over the next six decades, more than 50,000 criminals had been transported to Australia (Canny 1998, p. 75). The act of transporting criminals from England to Australia was informed by the English belief that criminals could not be rehabilitated; rather could only be killed or separated from the rest of people in the society. During the entire voyage period, the convicts were chained beneath the deck some of which died before even reaching Australia. The Britons continued to increase in Australia and establishing their rules in all the territories where they conquered. After taking over the entire Australia, the British rulers started oppress the Australian people. They brought their own rule, which was communicated from the head office in London. The atrocities meted on the Australian people prompted the Australian indigenous people to rise against the British colonial rule. These resulted in fighting that eventually resulted in Australians expelling the British rulers from the country. On March 3, 1986, Australia obtained its independence by declaring the country free from British rule by declaring that Westminster parliament can no longer determined how Australia is governed (Ferguson 2003, p. 17). Contemporary Issues Associated with British Rule in Australia Although Australia is an independent state today with its own government and constitution, the events of the British colonization is still fresh in the minds of most Australians. There are quite a number of contemporary issues that Australians had with the British rulers, some of which remain unresolved to date. Firstly, the Australian indigenous people state that the British settlers took large chunks of their land (Manne 2003, p. 38). Land is a very precious natural resource for the Australian people. Unfortunately, the Australian indigenous people complain that, when the British settlers came to Australia, they drove Australian indigenous from their lands forcefully (Lester 2006, p. 229). After taking over the lands, they started planting crops, which they harvested and transported to England while leaving the Australian people in poverty. The Australians whose lands were taken were not expected to complain as doing so was met with force and brutality that included killing. Manne (2003, p. 64) reveals that thousands of acres of indigenous land were taken over by the British colonizers. Fortunately, this tactic of taking over the lands where the British colonized was not an isolated to Australia as it has been seen in many other British colonies around the world notes, Manne (2003, p. 64). Zimbabwe is the other British colony, where the colonizers took over large chunks of the Zimbabwean lands and converted to their own for commercial activities. Because some British settlers still hold on to the aboriginals land, there has been a campaign calling for the British settlers to give back the Australians their rightful land so that they can use the land to better their lives instead of being left to live in poverty. The other issue that Australians have with the British colonizers has to do with the brutality meted by the British rulers on the Australian people. As earlier stated, the British colonization is said to have been characterized brutality and dictatorship. Historians reveal that the British colonizers were very brutal in Australia. It is noted that the British colonizers occasionally hunted the Australian indigenous people whom they brutally murdered. According to eye witnesses, the killing of the indigenous Australians often took the form of shooting, chasing a group of people off a tall cliff and ensuring that they fall and die. In some cases, the British colonizers took advantage of the poverty and hunger in Australia to offer the indigenous people food laced with poison that ensured that they dies instantly (Windschuttle 2000). Such brutalities were particularly used against any indigenous Australian who was perceived rebel or opposed to the British rule. Windschuttle (2000) estimates indicate that more than 20,000 indigenous Australians were killed by the British colonizers. Sexual assault is another issue that Australia has had with the British colonial rule. It is noted that, during the British colonial rule, many Australian women were sexually abused and exploited by the settlers. The Australian women were used as sex objects, which resulted in the transmission of venereal diseases that are still a problem in Australia to date. For instance, it is noted that that herpes, which is the most common venereal diseases in Australia was brought by the British settlers during the British colonial rule. According to Lester (2006, p. 230), the venereal diseases were brought to the indigenous people in epidemic proportions. Australian government still struggles to date to rid off the population of venereal diseases. Accordingly to the Australian people, if it were not for the sexual assault and exploitation meted on Australian girls and women by the British colonial rule, the population could not be affected by venereal diseases to the magnitude it is today. The Australians also has an issue with the British colonial rule because of smallpox introduction in Australia. It is noted that, before the entry of the British colonizers in Australia, smallpox diseases had not been reported anywhere in the country. However, immediately after the entry of the British settlers, smallpox started infecting the Australian indigenous population. Reports indicate that, within the first fourteen months of the entry of the British colonizers in Australia, the disease had killed more than half of the indigenous population (Windschuttle 2002, 61). In fact, as much as the prevalence of smallpox has declined significantly in Australia die to the advancements of healthcare, the disease still cause problems to the Australian population. As such, the Australian government still blames the British colonial rule for the introduction of these new diseases that have affected the health of many Australian people. Forced labor is another issue that Australia has had with the British colonial rule. Like in all the other countries where the British colonized, they did not come with their human resource in Australia. Instead, the British colonizers sourced their labor from the local Australian population. Unfortunately, Lester (2006, p. 231) noted that the British colonizers forced the indigenous Australians to work into their plantations. The indigenous people who were forced to work into the British plantations were subjected to brutal and inhuman treatments. In this respect, the indigenous people worked without pay and were forced to work for long hours. No workers were expected to complain as doing so would be met with brutality and even murder (Windschuttle 2002, 66). The Australian people have argued that such treatments amounted to a violation of human rights. As such, they feel that the British government should be compelled to compensate the indigenous people for the brutality and human rights violations meted on them by the British colonial rule. The Australian people also have an issue with the British colonial rule, which they say impacted negatively on their culture. Australia has a very rich culture that is seen in its aboriginals. However, it is noted that the entry of the British settlers in Australia resulted in the introduction of the British culture that the indigenous Australians were forced to adopt (Windschuttle 2000). For instance, before the British settlers came to Australia, the indigenous people used to speak their languages (Attwood 2005, p. 67). However, when the British came to Australia, they introduced the English language, which caused the death of some indigenous languages. Today, English, which was introduced by the British colonial rule, has become the country’s official language. In fact, it is believed that the indigenous languages in Australia could disappear in the coming years if nothing is done to protect these languages. Additionally, the Australian people also have an issue with the British colonial rule because of imprisonment without trial. It is noted that, when the British colonial rule arrived in Australia, they began administering their laws on the Australian people. Any Australian who disobeyed the laws was arrested, beaten and taken to prison. Unfortunately, the Australian prisoners were not tried by the British courts. This saw thousands of Australian prisoners staying in prison for long periods while some ended up dying in the prisons without being given a fair trial (Cannadine 2001, p. 8). As such, the Australian people feel that the British government should compensate the Australian families whose forefathers were imprisoned unfairly. Apart from compensating for unfair imprisonment and brutalities, the British government should also apologize to the Australians for the problems that the British colonial rule causes to the population. Australians believe that it is only through reparation and apology that the wounds of those whose parents and grandparents who suffered at the hands of the British colonial rule will be healed. Further, the Australian people are concerned about the poverty brought by the colonial rule to the Australian indigenous people. When the British settlers began entering Australia, the Australian population thought that they entry into the country would help improve the living standards of the people. Instead, the entry of the British settlers only brought suffering and poverty to the Australians (Attwood 2005, p. 99). Although the British settlers obtained huge harvest from the plantations and abundant minerals from Indigenous land, all these were transported back to Britain. This left the indigenous Aussies with nothing but poverty. As much as the living standards of the Australian people have improved since the departure of the British colonizers, Australians feel that the settlers should have used the returns they obtained in Australia to improve the living standards of the people, something that they failed to do. Positive Impacts of British Colonial Rule in Australia Despite the issues that Australia has had with the British colonial rule, it is important to mention that the British settlers had positive impacts on Australia in some ways. Firstly, the British settlers impacted positively on Australia in the sense that they improved the quality of education and literacy rates. It is noted that, before the British came to Australia, very few Australians knew how to read or right. However, upon taking over the rule in Australia, the British settlers started building schools in areas where they settled, such as Botany Bay (Cannadine 2001, p. 19). They also built schools in most parts of Australia to help improve the literacy rates. Secondly, as much as the British colonialists introduced new diseases, such as smallpox, they also improved the quality of health care delivery in the country by building hospitals. They not only built hospitals, but also ensured that they were well-equipped with the resources and personnel that helped improve the quality of health care and minimize deaths among indigenous Australians. Additionally, the British settlers helped improve the quality of infrastructural facilities that were in pathetic situation before their entry in the country. In the 8th century, Australia lacked goad roads and railway networks (Canny 1998, p. 81). However, the British settlers improved the quality of infrastructural facilities in Australia by constructing roads and rail networks that not only helped the British colonialists transport their goods, but also helped the indigenous population trade easily. Conclusion Colonization is an event that has occurred all over the world. Some countries are still undergoing the process of colonization to date. The major countries that have colonized the world include Britain, France, Spain, Italy and Germany. Although colonization is expected to benefit the colonized, evidence has shown that most colonization were associated with brutality and suffering to the colonized. The British colonial rule, in particular, has been associated with brutality, dictatorship and human rights abuses. The British colonial rule in Australia was associated with many contemporary issues. The major issues that Australians have with the British colonial rule include taking indigenous land forcefully, committing murder, bringing new diseases, imprisonment without trial, as well as failing to alleviate poverty among the indigenous people. Nevertheless, Australia managed to obtain its independence from the British in 1986, effectively setting it free from the Westminster Parliament editorship. Although the two countries have developed close ties since then, the British government ought to address the outstanding issues associated with the ills meted on the indigenous Aussies during its rule in the country. These might require offering reparation and apologizing for the problems and sufferings that the colonial rule brought to the Australian people. References Attwood, B 2005, Telling the truth about aboriginal history. Allen And Unwin. Most Recent Attempt To Resolve The ‘History Wars’ In A Balanced Way. Cannadine, D 2001, Ornamentalism: How the British saw their empire. Allen Lane, The Penguin Press, London. Canny, N 1998, Origins of empire: The Oxford history of the British Empire, vol. I. Oxford University Press, Oxford Ferguson, N. (2003). Empire: How Britain made the modern world. Allen Lane, London. Hyam, R 1993, Britain’s imperial century. Macmillan, London. Levine, P 2007, The British empire: Sunrise to sunset. Pearson Longman, Harlow. Lester, A 2006, ‘Colonial networks, Australian humanitarianism and the history wars’, Geographical Research, vol. 44, no. 3, pp. 229–241. Windschuttle, K 2002, The fabrication of Aboriginal history vol. 1: Van Dieman’s Land 1803-1847, Macleay Press, London. Windschuttle, K 2000, ‘The myths of frontier massacres in Australian history, Part II The fabrication of the Aboriginal death toll’, Quadrant, viewed 13 August 2015 http://www.sydneyline.com/Massacres%20Part%20Two.htm Manne, R 2003, Whitewash: On Keith Windschuttle’s fabrication of Aboriginal history, Black Inc. Agenda. Windschuttle’s ‘leftie’ historians strike back at him. Read More