Sara O'Rourke

The Darkness of Empire



Posted: Friday, May 14, 2010

by Sara O'Rourke

We learn of slavery, of massacre, exploitation and corruption, of the destruction of cultures, places and entire peoples, and all in all the picture of the British Empire we are left with is one of so thick a darkness it is very hard to find any light. How many generations of British peoples, and of its historians, must write with an ink tinged by guilt? Today, at least half of our population was born after the demise of the British Empire, and thus have no immediate links to its intimate details, despite what buildings, celebratory days or names survive the test of time. What happened to all the good intentions and achievements?

I wish in no way to undermine the value of regret and sorrow. Doubly, I have no intention to propose we pretend that what came before did not happen; we cannot, as it were, sweep the dust under the rug. However, I feel like we are too far off balance in the study of Imperial History, and need to be instead mindful of the fact that although Britain, as many other European countries, did make many decisions with inexcusable consequences, every country has their own History of regretful events. It is the past that enables us to learn and reflect, and Imperial History will always be there as a reminder to the British and as an example to any nation seeking to expand.

This should be seen more as an appeal for a less left-wing approach to understanding imperialist histories. The job of the historian, as impossible as it may be, is to record and regurgitate History for the understanding of others, and this task encompasses telling both sides to a very complex story. The risk, should they fail, is to create a generation of people who see no positive inspiration in actions, who see only the evil in mankind, and whose world view never sees the sun rise.

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