We all know that there is no Utopian model for Empire
but one argument I have often heard is that the British Empire was the most progressive empire...that it actually brought alot of "good" to its subjects compared to other empires
Is this true? or is this just British propaganda
Propaganda.
Anglo lies
In the history of empires, the British were probably the most "enlightening" if that means anything
i still wouldn't call them progressive though
The latter. The British were quite bad compared to the Germans and the Austro-Hungarians.
no they weren't....
Britain and the Commonwealth have existed since the dawn and will persist until time ends. Eternally Anglo.
The French have more of a claim of being "progressive". At least they believed that niggers could be civilized if thet were given a proper European education and consequently form a ruling class on the colonies and guide their fellow tribesmen to the path of civilization. It didn't work out, because the tribal niggers considered their "educated" brethren to be traitors and strangers.
>because the tribal niggers considered their "educated" brethren to be traitors and strangers.
That's not true. It's because there's no incentive to become "civilised", and you had to sacrifice a lot of your self and your being for benefits that are really dubious at best.
>Is this true?
Yes.
The British Empire single handedly ended the global maritime slave trade (including the atlantic slave trade). The Dominions of the British Empire were among the first modern democracies, and were the first to guarantee universal suffrage (the first being New Zealand in 1893, including Maori natives). The British Empire brought modern standardised European education, law, medicine, and governance to 1/4 of the world's population.
The only other multi-ethnic empire that came even close to the British Empire was, as this user pointed out, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which was also, in spite of its faults, very much a force for good in the world, and one of the saddest and most undeserved casualties of 20th century radical populism.
>Opium War
>Bengali famine
>Smallpox blankets
>Penal colonies
You tell me OP
>The British Empire brought modern standardised European education, law, medicine, and governance to 1/4 of the world's population.
Murrifat tier brainwashing
It also brought exploitative capitalism, mass death, concentration camps, and economic distaster for any countries that weren't the U.K. And it's dominions.
To make omelette...
They make the world order setup by americans look good by comparison.
The Americans did not set up the current world order, the European colonial powers did, especially the British. Americans, Russians and the Chinese are mere vultures taking advantage of the world euroshits fucked up. And now retribution has arrived, in the form of refugees and terrorism.
Mongolian empire allowed freedom of trade and religion to all of their conquered territories.
1)Define "progressive"
2)See that the word is at best "my opinion".
3)Try to say "muh technology".
4)See that the mongol did a lot in the progress by moving mass people and making some "progressive" stuff.
5)Same argument for the Soviet Union and the German last Empire.
6)See that doesn't excuse the million dead for that.
6)See that you try to apply wrong/right dichotomie to history.
7)Then learn that Brittain love to say they're the good guy and not self-centered asshole.
8)Read the english press about brexit, compare with the media coverage of continental Europe.
9)Spott the obvious bait in this post.
Also:
That not the Napoleonic "Let try to make the Revolution work" Empire, nor the "citizenship for Everyone" Roman Empire, nor Frank " stop being barbarian and go learn latin" empire and that only for the European one.
Empire alwas try to legitimize their rule, don't fall for the meme, the british empire was Capitalist(in the very worst way) as fuck. French did their colonial empire for prestige and conter-weight to Germany, Russian for security against the Asian Horde, Japanse for ressouce and shit. You can find some good guy and good rason like Luc Ferry(french) "let civilize the savage" but at the end it was the other argument(prestige, ressource, military) that truly win the fight. Humanism in geopolitic is rarely the only reason(but not always the last).
Quick poll to check for consistency:
How many people who want to emphasize the progress of the British Empire similarly wish that the progress of the Soviet Empire, or the Chinese Communist Empire was emphasized?
I can't find any reason why not. The Soviet hegemony was a troubled one but it had its positive aspects as well. The same goes for the British Empire.
Personally I don't think imperialism is the greatest of sins, especially not in a world ruled by absolute monarchs, sultans and satraps. What matters is the way the empire treats its subjects, and with regards to the era, Britain did very well.
Even though they were not as 'progressive' as say the Soviet Union was, but then ideology is mostly meaningless on the ground.
Kudos on your intellectual honest then, even if I disagree with you.
>Is this true? or is this just British propaganda
Depends on who you ask. Maybe the demonization of empire is propaganda. I think there is a lot of good to be found in the British Empire and that's coming from a Francophile.
'Progressive'? Not sure.
'Enlightening'. Perhaps. The British Empire were arguably the most civilised in their Empire, at least compared to any other nation at the time. There were no mass genocides, no slavery (at least after 1833), everyone was subject to the rule of law and had individual freedoms within their own class/caste.
I would say it was the 'least bad' Empire.
The Chinese deserved it, shouldn't of destroyed our goods.
Too bad you couldn't keep a fucking bog next door under control, bongs.
You ARE british, moron.
Yeah.
>one of the first first major powers to outlaw slavery
>Democracy, constitutional king.
>Gave natives voting rights before others
>Fantastic schooling
>Treated the Chinese in Hong Kong well
>First country to introduce proper working rights
The Austrians were also very good.
no the Napoleonic empire was
>Germans
>Committed literal genocide
>or is this just British propaganda
this
>At least they believed that niggers could be civilized if thet were given a proper European education and consequently form a ruling class on the colonies and guide their fellow tribesmen to the path of civilization
But this is exactly what the British believed, too. The British did a better job of it, because they invested in institutions first and education second, the Frogs tried it the other way round and fell on their faces.
>G*rmans are people
Nice try Satan, but you don't fool me.
No, that would be France or Germany / Prussia
If there was any 'progressive' Empire in the last several hundred years, it was the failed French resurgance in the 19th century. It was the French that invented the concept of the 'white mans burden' as their justification for the colonization of their Asian and African colonies. To be fair, a lot of their colonial programs were in fact designed to educate and introduce to the modern society the average Asian/African under French colonial guidance- from farming to fashion, education to manufacturing. It was, at times, so successful, that Algerians had no idea why they were not simply called 'French' and why global maps did not list their country as 'France.'
Britain's near-monopoly on major history in the English speaking world has allowed their 'historians' to get away with all sorts of absolute bullshit. See: India.
> Prussia
> Empire
> the German Empire consists of a small sausage factory in Tanganiki
...
France provided nowhere near Britain's amount of investment in her colonies.
Name one French colony which developed as rapidly as, say, Australia or the US.
Only partially true
They treated a lot of their subjects (e.g the Irish) like complete shit
Essentially anyone who wasn't Middle/Upper class British.
The common Englishman was treated as well/badly as any colonial subject.