It has become very fashionable to denigrate the British. Our tradition of self-mockery makes it easy. There are Brit-Bashers on the Left (Galloway, The Guardian, The BBC), and on the Right (some Americans who should look in the mirror). And the French, obviously - it would be rude of them not to. So I was pleased to see a post by somebody called Rule Britannia, here, of all places. I've no idea who he or she is, but he (or she) makes a good case:

You want to debate the British Empire? Then a debate you shall have...

At the beginning of the 20th century, Great Britain was at the pinnacle of its strength, and controlled the greatest empire ever seen. The Empire dominated trade and held control over more than one quarter of the world’s population, yet in modern times it is commonly thought of as a source of shame and dishonour. However, despite the counter-arguments, factors supporting the Empire, and British Imperialism, easily outweigh those that oppose it.

Unlike most empires, the British Empire was one built almost entirely upon commerce, rather than the simple desire to lay claim to land, as some definitions of Imperial, “Arrogant, commanding, obnoxious” may suggest. It is these definitions that are so regularly used by critics, but also under the classification of Imperialism come “Majestic” and “Commanding” – words far more befitting of the British Empire and its beneficial influence across the world. The historian Niall Ferguson supports the view that trade was the chief factor, ‘Though [Britain’s] imperialism was not wholly absent-minded, Britain did not set out to rule a quarter of the world’s land surface… but real and perceived threats to their commercial interests constantly tempted the British to progress from informal to formal imperialism’.

The period from 1815 to 1854 is commonly known as Pax Britannica and was free of any major European wars. Although it is argued that this gave Britain a chance to bully unchallenged other “lesser” countries, the period was in fact a time that established present and future stability. Britain gave her colonies and dominions a better future than they could have hoped for – a future with its foundations built upon trade with Britain. Allegiance to the Crown gave countries the protection of the Royal Navy and increased trade with Britain exempt from the trade tariffs imposed upon other countries. The powerful entrepreneurial spirit that was rife in 1800s Britain allowed her to gain the unofficial title of the ‘Workshop of the World’. As the first country to fully industrialise, Britain was the sole exporter of new labour-saving machinery such as the loom and steam engine (importing raw materials in return) – global trade gave exporters the open market, and the protection of the Royal Navy to fall back on, meaning that even the smallest idea could make a man rich.

Continue reading Rule Britannia.