The process of decolonization within the British Empire from 1890 to 1997 Essay Example for Free

The process of decolonization within the British Empire from 1890 to 1997 Essay In reviewing the process of decolonization within the British Empire from 1890 to 1997, how far do you agree that the Boer War was the key turning point in Britains relationship with its Empire? Decolonization is the withdrawal of the British Empire and in turn the granting of sovereignty to the original occupiers of the territory. It has been suggested that the Boer War may have been the main cause of the demise of the British Empire, which can be seen as the key to some extent. The Boer took place between 1899 and 1902 and was between the British and the Dutch, taking place in South Africa. However, other factors such as the two world wars and other independent struggles such as the giving back of India and the Suez Crisis can arguably be seen as contributing to its decline. The Boer War, which took place in a Dutch Colony in South Africa ultimately ended in the British conquering the Boers which, after 3 long years of fighting in a battle that would be over by Christmas, did not however, but was successful in severely damaging British pride and her economy. Thus, other nations began to see the British Empire as a diminished force; consequentially leading in Britain losing their label as being the only world super power. Milner who along with Chamberlain and Rhodes was later blamed for the whole catastrophe, decided to invade South Africa, on the acclaim that there was an enormous fortune to be made in diamond and gold mining in the Boer republics of the Transvaal. Although Britain won the war, they were not successful however in each battle and proved that the army was not as strong as it was first seen and portrayed. A number of battles took place, such as The Battle of Colenso, as well as battles in Valkanas, Pieters Hill, and the siege of Ladysmith, Kimberly, and Meeting. The British were unfamiliar with these savages, tactics and this often lead to bush fighting, which the English thought to be the wrong way in conducting war. In a letter to Gorge Hull in Kimberley from Walter Hart Wayland near Belmont, Wayland stated that My own opinion is that the Boers will make but a poor stand when once active operations against them begin, referring to how the troops from Orange River will drive the Boers across the boarder. At first the Boers were thought to have not been in the area, which was to be a rather over-confident comment seeing as the British walked straight into an ambush of Boers. 900 were killed on the Magersfontein Hill, using unconventional fighting methods, The loss of 22,000 lives and à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½222,000,000 caused the Boer War to be a humiliating experience for the British. How could they be considered one of the worlds elites when it faced so many struggles fighting against savages, in their own colonies? Anti Imperialism grew as a substational amount of the British Public began to disagree with the Government and its tactics. The anti-Boer feeling that was spread by Milner, lead to Britain making an enemy out of the Dutch, and seeing as Holland was so close by, it was not particularly helpful that potential allies disliked each other. Boer General J.C. Smuts, late Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa concluded that Lord Kitchener has begun to carry out a policy in both (Boer) republic of unbelievable barbarism and gruesomeness which violates the most elementary principles of the international rules of war, which depicts the fact that the British were meant to be civilizing the world, and put them in a bad light in the British press back home. The fact that many women and children were killed under British hands, in concentration camps surely proves that even they werent acting in the normal British manner. This also backs up the statistic that 75% who were killed died from horrific conditions and diseases alone. In conclusion, although the Boer war highlighted weaknesses in the British army; draining their sources and creating a low British morale, it was not the only factor in decolonization and does not necessarily mean than the British were any less of a strong and powerful elite (apart from of course considering the damage done to the military and economic sectors.) It could even be considered that although the Boer War was overshadowed by the extreme loss of life and money, it helped highlight Britain in the sense that it highlighter her weaknesses and in putting an end to splendid isolation, she began to search for allies in the form of the Anglo Japanese. There have been two theories as to the reasons behind the decolonization of India. The first theory, from an Indian perspectives depicts the idea that the Indians drove the British out through a substantional rise in Nationalism. The other argument which is believed by some historians is that after WW1, India was no longer economically viable or useful to the British, and so decolonizing it seemed like a good option as trading with India for goods such as spices was no longer needed. European Civilization threatened the traditions of India causing tensions between the Indians and the British as well as the fear that the British were trying to insert the Catholic church into India, causing a backlash. At first, the British were successful in holding back Indian rebels, an example being the Sepoy Mutiny in 1857 where Delhi was struck by rebels. India, however is a vital example of how it seems, the British were driven out indicating that ruling over other countries was just not tolerable anymore. The decolonization of India can somewhat be put down to a number of acts and protests on behalf of the Indian People. One person who particularly helped the movement was Gandhi, who thoroughly believed in peaceful protest stating Violent means will give violent freedom. He was not against the British as such, but wanted India to run under its own government, once stating I think it would be a good idea, referring to what he thought about western civilization. When India declared their Independence, it became apparent that Nationalist pride would soon swoop through the other colonies too. This may explain the speech made by the British Prime minister in which I quote the wind of change is blowing through Africa suggesting that in this day and age the Government knew that Britain keeping hold of her colonies was no longer socially acceptable; of course the fact that America were threatening to invade if Britain did not release, her colonies in the name of a free marker may have contributed, whereby Africas colonies received their independence from 1957-1964. When World War One erupted, all intentions were focused on protecting Britain and so making a profit from trading with Empires was not the key issue anymore. However, the people living in the colonies proved to be useful to the British as they fought along side them. For those indigenous people this merely provoked nationalistic views, as they didnt believe they should be forced to fight in a war which they did not involve them. A fear in communism also irrupted around this time, and so the elites who were making a profit from the colonies, were distracted by the fear of losing money elsewhere. This took the limelight from decolonisation, which was by this time not the countries main priorities. Therefore it can be suggested that World War One was more inflectional in the process of decolonization than any of the other factors mentioned due to the sheer number of impacts it had on Britain. It completely crippled the economy, as most wars would but this one was far more costly than the Boer war. An example of how the war affected the British economy would be when there was an economic boom in 1919-20 in America after Britain bought substantional amounts of ammunition from them, and finished with the Wall Street Crash on 1929 in which the British decided to go on the notions of lasses faire which lead to inflation, strikes and increased wages, taken from the encyclopedia of world history. The government responded with the Emergency Powers Act (1920), restoring its wartime emergency authority. Overall, the British economy was crippled, and cost the Government 8 billion pounds, taking women out of work and placing soldiers back into it, as well as paying for reparations and causing a huge rise in foreign debt; making maintaining the Empire far less important. I believe the British and the rest of the world superpowers who formerly had colonies never really relinquished full control of former colonial countries back to the indigenous occupiers. I believe decolonization is a concept that does not really exist as the former colonizers have maintained a portion of control over the societies by means of military, economic and political influences. An example of such control being exerted is the neo-colonial control being orchestrated by the West today on poor countries such as ones in Africa. However, in the context of decolonization it is arguable to say that World War One was the most significant factor as it completely took the focus away from the Empire and crippled Britains economy so much so that the Empire was becoming more of a nuisance than a profitable cause. This, coupled with a post war anti colonial Government, I think were the main reasons which spurred on decolonization. Although Nationalism in her colonies was clearly on the rise, it can not be disputed that after World War One, decolonization was no longer economically or morally viable anymore and out weighed the benefits of keeping on the Empire.

Morrisons Bluest Eye Essay: Conformity -- Bluest Eye Essays

The Bluest Eye: Conformity The basic theme of the novel, The Bluest Eye revolves around African Americans' conformity to white standards. Although beauty is the larger theme of the novel, Morrison scrutinizes the dominant white culture's influence on class levels. Morrison sets the foundation of the novel on issues of beauty in an attempt to make African Americans aware that they do not have to conform to white standards on any level. Morrison's main character, Pecola Breedlove, unquestioningly accepts the ideology that white features correlate with beauty. Yet Morrison wrote this novel at the height of the "Black Is Beautiful" era during which African Americans were being reconditioned to believe that their looks are synonymous with beauty. The novel is a retrospective story told by Claudia, one of Pecola's childhood friends. Claudia's account allows the reader to sympathize with Pecola's self-hatred. As an adult, Claudia best articulates how Pecola's victimization is caused by her environment. Telling the story almost three decades later, during the sixties, Claudia reflects on the pain of wanting to be something you can never become. According to an interview entitled "Toni Morrison's Black Magic" in Newsweek, Morrison states that Pecola's character was formed based on the fact that "Black is beautiful was in the air. . . .So I wrote about a child who was ugly-Pecola is the perfect defeated victim-only she was beautiful" (Strouse 56). Morrison's depiction of a victimized Pecola addresses how the dominance of white consumer society can effect the psyche of a young African American girl. Morrison writes the novel as a coming of age story about three elementary s... ...n life, being exposed to nicer lifestyles made them want more for themselves. The Breedloves all believe they would have attained a higher level of success, if they were born beautiful. Morrison implies that they believe success correlates with beauty. She states "As long as she [Pecola] looked the way she did, as long as she was ugly, she would have to stay with those people" (39). Do white standards of beauty put beautiful people in a higher class status? According to Morrison, the Breedloves attribute their storefront residence to the fact that "they were poor and black, and they stayed there because they believed they were ugly" (34). The Breedloves' mentality is instilled in them by their surroundings. Moving from the south to the north, African Americans' moral values changed from valuing the community and family to fetishizing material possessions.

Deception Point Page 33

â€Å"Advanced stages of lymphoma,† the doctors explained. â€Å"Rare in people her age, but certainly not unheard of.† Celia and Tolland visited countless clinics and hospitals, consulting with specialists. The answer was always the same. Incurable. I will not accept that! Tolland immediately quit his job at Scripps Institute, forgot all about the NBC documentary, and focused all of his energy and love on helping Celia get well. She fought hard too, bearing the pain with a grace that only made him love her more. He took her for long walks on Kingman Beach, made her healthy meals, and told her stories of the things they would do when she got better. But it was not to be. Only seven months had passed when Michael Tolland found himself sitting beside his dying wife in a stark hospital ward. He no longer recognized her face. The savageness of the cancer was rivaled only by the brutality of the chemotherapy. She was left a ravaged skeleton. The final hours were the hardest. â€Å"Michael,† she said, her voice raspy. â€Å"It's time to let go.† â€Å"I can't.† Tolland's eyes welled. â€Å"You're a survivor,† Celia said. â€Å"You have to be. Promise me you'll find another love.† â€Å"I'll never want another.† Tolland meant it. â€Å"You'll have to learn.† Celia died on a crystal clear Sunday morning in June. Michael Tolland felt like a ship torn from its moorings and thrown adrift in a raging sea, his compass smashed. For weeks he spun out of control. Friends tried to help, but his pride could not bear their pity. You have a choice to make, he finally realized. Work or die. Hardening his resolve, Tolland threw himself back into Amazing Seas. The program quite literally saved his life. In the four years that followed, Tolland's show took off. Despite the matchmaking efforts of his friends, Tolland endured only a handful of dates. All were fiascos or mutual disappointments, so Tolland finally gave up and blamed his busy travel schedule for his lack of social life. His best friends knew better, though; Michael Tolland simply was not ready. The meteorite extraction pit loomed before Tolland now, pulling him from his painful reverie. He shook off the chill of his memories and approached the opening. In the darkened dome, the melt water in the hole had taken on an almost surreal and magical beauty. The surface of the pool was shimmering like a moonlit pond. Tolland's eyes were drawn to specks of light on the top layer of the water, as if someone had sprinkled blue-green sparkles onto the surface. He stared a long moment at the shimmering. Something about it seemed peculiar. At first glance, he thought the gleaming water was simply reflecting the glow of the spotlights from across the dome. Now he saw this was not the case at all. The shimmers possessed a greenish tint and seemed to pulse in a rhythm, as if the surface of the water were alive, illuminating itself from within. Unsettled, Tolland stepped beyond the pylons for a closer look. Across the habisphere, Rachel Sexton exited the PSC trailer into darkness. She paused a moment, disoriented by the shadowy vault around her. The habisphere was now a gaping cavern, lit only by incidental effulgence radiating out from the stark media lights against the north wall. Unnerved by the darkness around her, she headed instinctively for the illuminated press area. Rachel felt pleased with the outcome of her briefing of the White House staff. Once she'd recovered from the President's little stunt, she'd smoothly conveyed everything she knew about the meteorite. As she spoke, she watched the expressions on the faces of the President's staff go from incredulous shock, to hopeful belief, and finally to awestruck acceptance. â€Å"Extraterrestrial life?† she had heard one of them exclaim. â€Å"Do you know what that means?† â€Å"Yes,† another replied. â€Å"It means we're going to win this election.† As Rachel approached the dramatic press area, she imagined the impending announcement and couldn't help but wonder if her father really deserved the presidential steamroller that was about to blindside him, crushing his campaign in a single blow. The answer, of course, was yes. Whenever Rachel Sexton felt any soft spot for her father, all she had to do was remember her mother. Katherine Sexton. The pain and shame Sedgewick Sexton had brought on her was reprehensible†¦ coming home late every night, looking smug and smelling of perfume. The feigned religious zeal her father hid behind-all the while lying and cheating, knowing Katherine would never leave him. Yes, she decided, Senator Sexton was about to get exactly what he deserved. The crowd in the press area was jovial. Everyone held beers. Rachel moved through the crowd feeling like a coed at a frat party. She wondered where Michael Tolland had gone. Corky Marlinson materialized beside her. â€Å"Looking for Mike?† Rachel startled. â€Å"Well†¦ no†¦ sort of.† Corky shook his head in disgust. â€Å"I knew it. Mike just left. I think he was headed back to go grab a few winks.† Corky squinted across the dusky dome. â€Å"Although it looks like you can still catch him.† He gave her a puggish smile and pointed. â€Å"Mike becomes mesmerized every time he sees water.† Rachel followed Corky's outstretched finger toward the center of the dome, where the silhouette of Michael Tolland stood, gazing down into the water in the extraction pit. â€Å"What's he doing?† she asked. â€Å"That's kind of dangerous over there.† Corky grinned. â€Å"Probably taking a leak. Let's go push him.† Rachel and Corky crossed the darkened dome toward the extraction pit. As they drew close to Michael Tolland, Corky called out. â€Å"Hey, aqua man! Forget your swimsuit?† Tolland turned. Even in the dimness, Rachel could see his expression was uncharacteristically grave. His face looked oddly illuminated, as if he were being lit from below. â€Å"Everything okay, Mike?† she asked. â€Å"Not exactly.† Tolland pointed into the water. Corky stepped over the pylons and joined Tolland at the edge of the shaft. Corky's mood seemed to cool instantly when he looked in the water. Rachel joined them, stepping past the pylons to the edge of the pit. When she peered into the hole, she was surprised to see specks of blue-green light shimmering on the surface. Like neon dust particles floating in the water. They seemed to be pulsating green. The effect was beautiful. Tolland picked up a shard of ice off the glacial floor and tossed it into the water. The water phosphoresced at the point of impact, glowing with a sudden green splash. â€Å"Mike,† Corky said, looking uneasy, â€Å"please tell me you know what that is.† Tolland frowned. â€Å"I know exactly what this is. My question is, what the hell is it doing here?† 39 â€Å"We've got flagellates,† Tolland said, staring into the luminescent water. â€Å"Flatulence?† Corky scowled. â€Å"Speak for yourself.† Rachel sensed Michael Tolland was in no joking mood. â€Å"I don't know how it could have happened,† Tolland said, â€Å"but somehow this water contains bioluminescent dinoflagellates.† â€Å"Bioluminescent what?† Rachel said. Speak English. â€Å"Monocelled plankton capable of oxidizing a luminescent catalyst called luceferin.† That was English? Tolland exhaled and turned to his friend. â€Å"Corky, there any chance the meteorite we pulled out of that hole had living organisms on it?† Corky burst out laughing. â€Å"Mike, be serious!† â€Å"I am serious.† â€Å"No chance, Mike! Believe me, if NASA had any inkling whatsoever that there were extraterrestrial organisms living on that rock, you can be damn sure they never would have extracted it into the open air.†

The Suez Crisis The Sun Sets on the Days of Empire

The Suez Crisis: The Sun sets on the days of Empire. In the latter half of the 20th century, and following on from the international changes wrought by the Second World War, the old imperialist nations began to realise that the world had changed and that they were no longer global powers. In 1922, Oswald Spengler wrote that the rise of nations and cultures is inevitably followed by their eclipse. Ironically for Britain, victory in World War Two perhaps masked this for a while, and it was not until 1956 with the Suez Crisis that many Britons realised that the Sun was now setting on the days of empire. The Suez Crisis was a defining moment in British history, and by following its story we also follow the decline of Britain as an imperial power. It is also ironic that that the military operation in Egypt was, in fact, a great success. It is the diplomatic handling of the crisis that deserves to be called one of history’s greatest mistakes. Originally built in 1869 as a joint French and Egyptian project, the Suez Canal was the only direct route from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea. Recognising the economic and strategic benefits of holding the canal, Britain had bought out Egypt’s share (it allowed for more rapid troop movements, cut distances and times required to transport goods and lessened the need to protect the over-land route around the Cape of Good Hope.) This area had recently become even more critical because of the leap in oil production in the Persian Gulf:Show MoreRelatedWhat Were the Main Causes of British Decolonization After World War Two?1791 Words   |  7 Pagespeople under British rule outside of the United Kingdom. Today, the British Empire only consists of minute islands spread around the globe. Great Britain was on the winning side with both the United States and the Soviet Union, but it came out of World War 2 as a sick old man. 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