Title: Empire –
How Britain Made the Modern World
Author: Niall Ferguson
Publisher: Penguin, 2004 (First published
2003)
ISBN: 978-0-14-100754-0
Pages: 381
A
superb piece of research from Niall Ferguson, who is considered one of the most
brilliant British historians of his generation. Like the popular science books
we have seen, this is an attempt at bringing out one of popular history. In a
book of encyclopedic nature, it is presumable that the depth will be low, but
Ferguson more than compensates for it by bringing in range and accurate and insightful
comments. Like ‘The Ascent of Money’
and ‘Virtual History’, two of the
same author’s books reviewed earlier in this blog, Empire is also a fast page turner. Ferguson describes the history
of how the British Empire came into being after the valiant, but sometimes
heartless efforts of many explorers and merchants in a span of 350 years. It
was the greatest empire of all time – without any exceptions. A quarter of the
world’s landmass and population came under it and Britain made the modern world
by exporting commerce, culture, and warfare to various parts of the world. The
decline of this behemoth was swift and surprised everyone by its comprehensive
elimination of all marks of its former empire. It is true that the political,
financial and social structures it built on its colonies still survive and
flourish, but the mother country has lost all vestiges of its former glory and
is now fully dependant on the US – its own colony once. The book is nicely
written with imagination, wit and structure evident in all chapters. This book
has convinced me that Niall Ferguson ought to have a category of his own in the
labeling system followed in this blog. So fluent and charming is his style of
diction.
In his inimitable and witty prose, Ferguson
describes how the empire came into being. Columbus’ discoveries marked the
birth of a new era in European history. But the British lagged behind in the
race. What it could grab was a few islands in the Caribbean. But those were
economically far superior to the wilderness of North America where the English
had a heart start. At the same time, the English East India Company could
obtain a firm footing in India, which they put to good use in edging out all
competitors. The power vacuum created by the eclipse of Mughal Empire and the
devastating Afghan-Persian raids around the middle of 18th century
was ideal for the British to try their luck and try they did. Even though a
commercial enterprise, the company reared a private army and employed Indians
as sepoys to fight for them. At first, the relations between the conquerors
with the conquered went off smoothly. But the evangelist fervor making ground
in England was to spell the doom of an easy going Empire. Proselytizing
missionaries flocked to India in drones, upsetting the delicate religious
balance. Added to this were the apprehensions of the Hindus and Muslims
regarding a new rifle, whose cartridges had to be bitten out of the packing
covered with grease. The lubricant was made with ingredients of cow and pig
fat, which is proscribed for them by religion. The resultant mutiny was put
down mercilessly, but the East India Company lost power and India came in royal
hands as the jewel in the crown.
But the British lost America due to
shortsighted policies. The colonists were loyal subjects of the crown, who
vigorously participated in the mother country’s war campaigns. The only bone of
contention was that they be provided representation in decision making bodies,
which the aristocrats of England were not willing to concede. One thing led to
another and Americans hardened their stand not to pay any taxes, however small,
without representation. American war of Independence ensued and Britain lost
its largest colony forever. The curious thing is that what Britain denied the
colonists was exactly what they were prepared to give to others even without
asking, just a century later.
18th Century was a time when the
British Empire immensely profited out of slave trade. Sugar plantations in the
Caribbean required a lot of manual effort, which the Africans were forced to
fulfill. The conditions of transportation were inhuman and the galleys treated
them like animals. Indignation at the inhuman trade began to be voiced around
the turn of the century. Even though the business was lucrative, public outrage
and the opinion of the society turned against it and the trade was abolished in
1807. Slavery itself was banned later. This made the British to carry what they
termed ‘The White Man’s Burden’ to civilize the Dark Continent. Africa became a
virtual hunting ground for missionaries to secure converts. David Livingstone’s
preaching and exploring carved out colonies for the English. Business interests
closely followed evangelical fervor.
The most dramatic factor to note is that the
British Empire, which took three centuries to reach its pinnacle of power by
the turn of the last century, took only half a century to disintegrate itself.
The two world wars, which was a clash between Britain, which had powerful
colonies to support her and Germany, which was a latecomer in the ‘scramble for
Africa’ and who was badly in search of establishing an Empire of her own.
Britain won both wars, fighting on the shoulders of its colonies in the first
and on the economic might of the United States in the second. But it was a Pyrrhic
victory that drained the mother country’s resources which had to run to U.S
treasury as a supplicant. US were determined to wind up the British Empire at
the end of the war as a precondition for economic and military assistance.
Thus, Britain lost its Empire through two great wars which was fought to deny
the aspirants of Empire in Germany. In a comparison with the imperial
administrations of Britain against that of Germany and Japan, the author
asserts that British sacrifice of its Empire to destroy the inhuman occupationist
aspirations of those two countries is enough to expunge the sins of
colonization.
What
must definitely be said about the book is the balance it had kept. Normally,
English authors go all guns in criticizing the imperialist policies and all the
colonists did, anxious to be seen in a progressive light. According to them,
anything that had to do with colonialism was to be abhorred. Ferguson takes an
equidistant stand and brings out an impartial view of the events. He flays the
imperialist regime when the situation warranted it, but does not hesitate to
congratulate it for its efforts to stamp out slavery and slave trade. Colonialism
must be seen as the first effort at globalization necessitated by the spirit of
exploration and discovery of new ideas. His review of the 1857 Indian Independence
war is notable for the contrast it brings out with the Indian official version.
The author establishes that the mutiny was not at the behest of national
sovereignty, but on wounded religious pride. Its organization was haphazard,
and the whole country didn’t face the foreigners with united force. The
majority of the troops which invaded and finished off the mutineers consisted
of Indians themselves.
Ferguson’s
narrative is witty and some of his comments caustic. It is the subtle humour
that makes this book immensely readable. The undercurrent of satirism is
evident from cover to cover. Just to reproduce an instance, we read about the
humiliating surrender of the imperial forces stationed in Singapore to the
Japanese troops during the Second World War. The 130,000 strong troops
comprising British, Australian and Indian soldiers succumbed before a force
only half as numerically strong. Then the author continues, mocking Churchill’s
famous quip “Never in the history of the British Empire had so many given up so
much to so few!” Then again, see Ferguson’s remarks on the Commonwealth in the
late 20th century, “It’s only obvious merit being that it save money
on professional translators. The English language is the one thing the
commonwealth still has in common”.
The
book addresses the question of the benefits of imperialism in a sly way, by
cloaking it in economic language. During the time of Empire, world capital
flowed freely to poor countries than at any other period. Migration of labour
was from Britain to the colonies and not the other way round as in
post-imperialist era. The colonies were also endowed with social uplift and
democratic institutions. Though a great gulf existed between the rulers and the
ruled, it was the first step in an effort of globalization which the author
terms ‘anglobalization’ (Anglo-Globalization).
The
book is highly recommended.
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