A QUICK VIEW OF BRITISH IMPERIALISM OR HOW ONE COUNTRY NEARLY RULED THE REST OF THE WORLD

WHAT DOES BRITISH IMPERIALISM HAVE TO DO WITH ENGLISH? A GOOD QUESTION! IT IS INEVITABLE FOR WRITERS TO BE AFFECTED BY THE TIMES IN WHICH THEY WRITE. FICTION IS A REFLECTION OF THE PAST, THE PRESENT, AND THE POSSIBLE FUTURE.

SCIENCE FICTION IS OFTEN A REFLECTION OF THE ERA IN WHICH THE STORY WAS WRITTEN. ONE CONCERN OF MANKIND HAS BEEN TO TRY AND “CONQUER THE STARS,” OR IN OTHER WORDS, TO TAKE OVER THE UNIVERSE, JUST AS BRITAIN ONCE WAS ON TRACK TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD.

THE FOUR SCIENCE FICTION STORIES YOU WILL READ HAVE TO DO WITH THE COLONIZATION OF OTHER PLANETS, SO IT’S IMPORTANT TO KNOW HOW COLONIZATION WORKED ON OUR PLANET.

HERE IS A MAP OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE. AT ITS HEIGHT IT COVERED THE ENTIRE WORLD, AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE AREAS IN RED, INCLUDING THE THIRTEEN COLONIES IN NORTH AMERICA, MUCH OF AFRICA, THE AUSTRALIAN CONTINENT. HOW WAS ENGLAND ABLE TO MAINTAIN SUCH CONTROL OVER SO MUCH OF THE GLOBE?

IN THIS IMAGE, ENGLAND IS SHOWN AS A HUGE DEVILFISH, OR SOME SORT OF OCTOPUS. WHY DID THE ARTIST CHOSE TO PORTRAY ENGLAND IN THIS WAY. WHAT IS THE TOP HAT FOR? BRITAIN’S VICTORY OVER FRANCE AT THE BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR GAVE IT A LEAD OVER OTHER NATIONS WITH REGARD TO NAVAL POWER. HOW DOES THIS CARTOON SHOW THAT CONTROL OF THE OCEANS IS IMPORTANT? A LOT OF THE COLONIES IN THIS CARTOON WERE TAKEN BY ENGLAND IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN THEIR POWER IN THE SEAS: MALTA, GIBRALTAR, CYPRUS, FOR EXAMPLE. SEE HOW IT IS REACHING OUT FOR EGYPT IN THIS CARTOON. THE REASON THEY WANTED EGYPT WAS IN ORDER TO SECURE THE NAVAL ROUTE TO INDIA.

WHAT HAPPENS TO A COUNTRY AFTER IT IS COLONIZED? LET’S TAKE BRITAIN’S COLONIZATION OF INDIA AS AN EXAMPLE

British territories: blue States under British protection: yellow

British India: pink Hindu states: yellow Muslim states: green

British India: pink Princely states: yellow

HOW DID THE BRITISH COME TO RULE INDIA? FIRST OFF, IT WASN’T A SUDDEN PROCESS; IT TOOK A HUNDRED YEARS FROM THE BEGINNING OF BRITISH ENTRY INTO INDIA IN THE MID 18TH CENTURY (AROUND 1750) UNTIL THEY FINALLY HAD COMPLETE CONTROL IS OFTEN MARKED AS THE DATE OF FULL BRITISH CONTROL OVER INDIA.

IN THE 16 TH AND 17 TH CENTURIES THE AREAS OF PRESENT DAY PAKISTAN, INDIA, BANGLADESH, AND AFGHANISTAN. WERE A SINGLE COUNTRY AND THE WEALTH IT AMASSED ATTRACTED TRADERS FROM EUROPE. INCLUDING ENGLAND. IN 1600, QUEEN ELIZABETH GAVE THE EAST INDIA COMPANY EXCLUSIVE TRADE RIGHTS WITH INDIA. AND IT WAS THIS TRADING COMPANY WHICH EVENTUALLY BEGAN THE INDIAN TAKE-OVER.

AT FIRST THE RELATION WAS JUST ONE OF TRADE. THE EAST INDIA COMPANY WOULD BRING GOODS [MAINLY THE HIGHLY DESIRED SPICES AND TEXTILES] FROM INDIA INTO EUROPE, AND THEN ENGLAND WOULD PAY SILVER TO INDIA. THIS WAS ONE OF THE REASONS THE BRITISH WERE NOT HAPPY WITH THIS TRADE RELATIONSHIP; BECAUSE SILVER WAS LEAVING ENGLAND AND GOING TO INDIA. SO THE EAST INDIA COMPANY WANTED TO HAVE MORE DIRECT CONTROL OVER INDIA, AND THERE WAS A SHIFT FROM TRADE DOMINATION TO ACTUAL POLITICAL DOMINATION.

AT FIRST, BRITISH RULE IN INDIA WAS IN THE HANDS OF THE PRIVATE EAST INDIA COMPANY, WHOSE PURPOSE WAS JUST TO CARRY ON TRADE. BUT BECAUSE OF RIVALRY BETWEEN ENGLAND AND FRANCE, THE COMPANY BEGAN TO EXTEND ITS CONTROL OVER MORE AND MORE OF INDIA, AND THEN THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT TOOK DIRECT CONTROL OVER INDIA IN The Battle of Plassey was a decisive victory of the British East India Company over the Nawab of Bengal and his French allies on 23 June The battle established the Company rule in Bengal [India] which expanded over much of India for the next hundred years.

AT ONE POINT, 100, 000 BRITISH SOLDIERS WERE RULING A COUNTRY OF MORE THAN 200 MILLION. SOME OF THE OFFICERS IN INDIA WERE CRUEL, AND SOME WERE HONEST AND FAIR. BUT WHATEVER THE CASE, THERE WAS A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE LIVES OF THE BRITISH IN INDIA AND THE LIVES OF THE NATIVE INDIANS, AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THESE PICTURES.

A FEW RESULTS OF BRITISH COLONIZATION INDIANS WERE BARRED FROM OWNING LAND AND FROM HIGH OFFICE IN THEIR OWN LAND. THE BRITISH CONSIDERED THEM INHERENTLY CORRUPT AND UNTRUSTWORTHY HEAVY TAXATION AND OTHER POLICIES LEFT MILLIONS OF BENGALIS IMPOVERISHED. WHILE BRITISH SOLDIERS AND TRADERS MADE THEIR FORTUNES, THE INDIANS STARVED DURING THE BRITISH RAJ, INDIA EXPERIENCED SOME OF THE WORST FAMINES EVER RECORDED, INCLUDING THE GREAT FAMINE OF 1876–1878, IN WHICH 6.1 MILLION TO 10.3 MILLION PEOPLE DIED AND THE INDIAN FAMINE OF 1899–1900, IN WHICH 1.25 TO 10 MILLION PEOPLE DIED. RECENT RESEARCH ATTRIBUTES MOST OF THE EFFECTS OF THESE FAMINES TO BRITISH POLICY IN INDIA. Victims of the Great Famine of 1876–78 in India

India is eventually granted its independence in It is split into two countries – India and Pakistan

AS YOU READ CONSIDER... HOW ARE THOSE ON THE PLANETS BEING COLONIZED SIMILAR TO THE PEOPLE OF INDIA? HOW ARE THE ACTIONS OF THE COLONIZERS IN THE STORIES SIMILAR TO THE ACTIONS OF THE BRITISH COLONIZERS? WHAT ARE THE MOTIVATIONS FOR COLONIZING? ARE THEY VALID? DO THE COLONIZERS TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE INDIGENOUS POPULATION’S RIGHTS? IF NOT, WHY NOT? DO THE COLONIZERS FULLY APPRECIATE THE INDIGENOUS POPULATION [INTELLIGENCE, SKILLS, ETC.?] ARE THE COLONIZERS AFRAID OF THE INDIGENOUS POPULATION? IF SO, WHY? IF NOT, WHY NOT? IS THE INDIGENOUS POPULATION AFRAID OF THE COLONIZERS? IF SO, WHY? IF NOT, WHY NOT?