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To: Bill Jackson who wrote (27481)11/4/1997 1:45:00 AM
From: Richnorth  Read Replies (1) of 28369
 
Bill,

I don't completely agree with your statement that the British learned from the Americans not to oppress their colonies and to set them free. Of all the western nations that colonized the far-flung corners of the world, the British turned out to be the most perspicacious and savvy colonial masters. Unlike the Dutch and French who despised their colonials (except for some lovely nubiles) and who thought that Dutch and French sounded awful when spoken by the natives, the Brits thought it was OK to teach the locals to speak, read and write English and do arithmetic. They also built highways, railways and other infrastructure and brought in missionaries to "save souls". For what? Of course, to facilitate communications and trade and to "mould" or to manipulate the mind of the colonials. Needless to say, like all other colonial masters, they had highly vested interests in the colonies. And had it not been for the Japanese who humbled the colonial western powers in Asia, the tide of nationalism would not have risen to the point where the Dutch and French colonial masters were ousted or expelled soon after World War II. To their credit, the Brits lasted longer. They established the rule of law, and it was the rule of law that finally enabled colonial politicians/lawyers to wrest control of their own destinies by constitutional means. It says a lot for the Brits that there exists today the Commonwealth of Nations in which the former colonies and the UK remain on good terms and regard each other with mutual respect.

The Brits had tried to hang on to rubber-rich and tin-rich Malaya (now a part of Malaysia) and Singapore (an entreport) and oil-rich Brunei, but they decided/had to to give them back to the rightful owners in the early sixties because it was too expensive politically and economically to maintain the status quo. All of a sudden colonialism had become no longer fashionable or profitable.
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