Do you think the british empire was something to be ashamed of or proud of?

Answer 1

Proud. There's to many apologists around.

Answer 2

By their fruits shall ye know them. Many of the countries outside Europe that are relatively peaceful and prosperous today are former British colonies and I especially include the USA. There are exceptions on both sides, but you may find that some of the exceptions were not British colonies for very long.

The British have been guilty of many things over 300 or more years but they never approached the kind of evil perpetrated by some other colonisers and aggressors. They never set out as a matter of deliberate policy to entirely remove local people by massacre, which was the case in some other European and former European colonies as recently as 110 years ago.

When local populations were dying like flies of disease, the British seem to have done little about it and they have been blamed for that. But little could be done with 18th and 19th century medicine.

On the positive side they introduced the idea of responsible government and the rule of law. (Not that these ideas were always entirely absent from some of the places they colonised). In India and other places they spent millions surveying, building roads, railways, telegraph and telephone systems and educating locals for all kinds of positions.

It has been estimated that most of the British empire was a net economic loss to the British because of such expenditure.

Answer 3

Shanghai is a renowned international area pulling more and more attention from throughout the world; so see what that town has to offer with hotelbye . Shanghai is a favorite journey location for visitors. In Shanghai you will see the marvelous Yu Garden (Yù Yuán), also called the Garden of Happiness. This Garden covers an area greater than 20,000 square meters and consists of an outer and an interior garden. The oldest section could be the Outer Garden with further changes being made in the 18th century when Sansui Tang, the park's main corridor, was added. The newer and significantly smaller Inner Garden times from 1709 and contains features typical of a conventional Chinese writer's Garden: desirable small pavilions, decorative rocks, and little pile stages, separating walls and small waters, and a highly furnished theatrical stage.

Answer 4

Proud! Very Proud!! The fact that a small nation off the coast of Europe could rise to become the premiere power on the planet in two hundred years and still to this day be a influence on world power after all of it's rivals are consigned to the dustbin of History is amazing. The British Justice system is the basis for three quarters of the worlds courts and it's colonies are rising up to take her place as the leader of the world.

As Admiral Sampson said it his toast to Great Britain " It must have been a damn fine old hen that laid the American Eagle." The same can be said for the Indians and Malay's.

Answer 5

Proud as the Empire stopped a lot of bad things happening and brought about a lot of change for most races that have been beneficial.
Yes it was not perfect, yes we had to subdue a number of tribes and wars, but overall those rogue people where fighting for things that no Human should endure. Lets face it , those who apologise for our behaviour should look at what went before and after we handed back the power to the native race.
To most, look at what has happened to numerous countires since independance, are they more stable, better off or governed any better than the British rule?
For that matter do the Dutch, Portugeuse, Spanish, French, Japanese, Chinese, German, Austrian, Russian, Turkish, Italian, Greek, Egyptian, American goverments plan to apologise about there Empires and behaviours?

Answer 6

I think it was something to be very proud of.If anyone looks at those countries that were part of the Empire it doesn't take a genius to see that since the British left they have deteriorated.

It has to be admitted that Britain gained huge benefits from the Empire but so did the countries involved.

Answer 7

What can I say... I am ashamed and proud in equal measures, "parts of it were excellent". It's a gutteral thing... nothing can be wholly one thing... I don't claim to know a lot about the empire and how it worked, but I mistrust it, too much power... The White Man's Burden, White Mischief. I don't think that learning more about it would change how I feel, let it be. The present day empire? It's not like it was... but traces of empire are all around us, if you look, both physical buildings and modes of thought... society will shift though, it all moves in waves.

Richard Maurice Tinkler, there was a son of Empire... his name is on a tombstone in Shanghai, as a random, electronic monolith let it stand here too.

Answer 8

Although Britain prospered from the countries within the Empire, it also created allot of stability to those countries and set up better standards of education. At the end of the Empire, when Britain gave the countries independence, bitter infighting within rival factions in some of the countries caused violent conflicts and turmoil. So yes the Empire while it lasted was something to be proud of.

Answer 9

Proud of. We started off an insignificant European backwater in 1485 and by 1900 ruled a quarter of the world.
Quite an achievement. even more so considering how long the empire lasted, almost 500 years

Answer 10

Be proud. The British brought stability and civilisation to all countries in the Empire. It's just a shame you gave so much up, if you hadn't then we wouldn't have half the problems we have in the world now.

Answer 11

Proud