Was the British Empire a good thing or a bad thing?

Question

I think a bad thing what about you.

Answer 1

vast areas of the world.....especially what is now India and Pakistan, and the independent nations of Africa, spent all of recorded history killing and enslaving their neighbors.

The only time they didn't, had a century or two of peace, the rule of law, education sanitation and commerce, was when they were part of the British Empire.

I know this is not Politically Correct, but it is an Inconvenient Truth.


Just off the top of my head, 2 million wouldn't have died in the 1947 Indian-Pakistan War; and God knows how many in Rwanda's genocide; Rhodesia/Zimbabwe turned into a 4th world country and Burma into brutal dictatorship, if the Brits had still been running the show;

Answer 2

It caused both good and bad like most things do. I don't think that one was worse than the other because even though I don't agree with some things that where done we have to deal with what the world is like today not what is WAS like. The sad thing is how much misery, pain and suffering it caused which still effects the wider world today! However, we can't keep referring to the past as always being such a negative thing other wise we'll be going around in circles! So looking at the positives it brought industry, new and exciting things to countries that may never have had these things otherwise. It also put countries on the "map" so to speak.

Answer 3

Yes, the British Empire was a bad thing. They never cared or tried to help those "under" them, they were just interested in what they could get out of the country. Which is why when they started to fall, no one was in any hurry to help slow them down. Compare them to the Romans, for example who required roads to be built, peace to be maintained, education, health and bathing to be followed, and you really see a difference.

Answer 4

It wasn't any worse than the Roman empire (destroyed cultures, taxed the people until they starved), the "conquering" of America (hurt native Americans), the Mongol empire (severe cruelty dealt to those conquered), among others...