A History of Britain 14.docx
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A History of Britain 14.docx
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AHistoryofBritain14
AHistoryofBritain14.TheEmpireofGoodIntentions(1of27)
(TRUMPETPLAYS)January1901-thedawnoftheBritishEmpire'sfourthcentury.
Fewofitsservantsorrulersimagineditwouldbeitslast.
QueenVictoriawasbarelycoldinhercoffinwhenherViceroyofIndia,LordCurzon,envisionedafittingmemorialinCalcuttatotheQueenEmpresswhoreignedoverafifthoftheglobe.
AlearnedenthusiastofIndianarchitecture,Curzon'smindnaturallyturnedtothemostbeautifulmemorialintheworld,theTajMahal.
Notleastbecausehe'dbeenresponsibleformakingitbeautifulagain,clearedoutthebazaarinfrontofit,restoreditswatergardens.
NowhewouldbuildtheBritishTaj,facedwiththesamewhitemarblehewnfromtheMakranaquarries.
ButtheVictoriamemorialwouldnotbeapoeminstonesomuchasaproclamationindomesandcolumnsthattheBritishRajwastheRomeofthemodernage.
Butwasthisatimetobespendingaroyalfortunewhenmillionsofpeasantswerestarving?
Whenthefoundationstonewaslaid,ayearafterCurzonleftIndia,withitsviolenceandchaos,atleast16millionIndianshadperishedinthemostterriblesuccessionoffaminesAsiahadknownforcenturies.
Whathadhappened?
Themenandwomenwhohadsatattheirdesks,playedouttheirchukkasanddancedintheclubwerenotmonstersofhard-heartedindifference.
Theyhad,manyofthem,onlytheverybestintentions.
Theyhadavisionthattheirempirewasthebesttheworldhadeverseenbecauseitwasbuiltonvirtue.
ItspowerwastobemeasurednotinGatlingguns,butinanunselfishdedicationtoeradicatingpoverty,ignoranceanddisease.
Wewouldtakewholeculturescrippledbythosemaladiesandstandthemontheirowntwofeet.
Inthefullnessoftime,sothetheorywent,themillionswouldbecomecivilisedenoughtogovernthemselves,andwewouldleavethem,thechildrenofourliberaldream,grateful,devoted,peacefuland,thiswasthebonusforthemodernworld,free.
Itdidn'texactlyworkoutlikethat,didit?
Sowhatwentwrong?
0nFebruary4th,1834,theyoungMPforLeedsmadeafarewellspeechtohiselectors.
ThomasBabingtonMacaulay,"CleverTom",boywonderatCambridge,juvenileleadoftheWhigsintheCommons,acereviewerandhistorianinthemaking,haddecidedthatasniceasallthiswas,heneededafortune.
India,he'dbeentold,waswhereyougotit,fast.
Justtoshowthathewasn'tagreedyTom,whilehewasatit,he'ddogoodtothenatives.
HemightbeleavingindustrialBritain,buthewasconfidenthe'dfinditsproducts,aswellasitsbenevolentspirit,aliveandwellinCalcutta.
Mayyourmanufacturesflourish,mayyourtradebeextended,mayyourrichesincrease.
Maytheworksofyourskillandthesignsofyourprosperitymeetmeinthefurthestregionsoftheeast.
Givemefreshcausetobeproudoftheintelligence,theindustryandthespiritofmyconstituency.
Macaulay'sbreezyoptimism,thatcottonclothandconstitutionalismwerewhatBritainhadtooffertheworld,wastheauthenticvoiceoftheliberalempire.
Equallysureofitself,whetheritwaspreachingandteaching,atIndia,IrelandordarkestEngland,wherethenativesalsotoiledinfilth,ignoranceanddisease,andequallyinneedofaheftydoseofVictorianvimandvigour.
Asia,theythought,wasespeciallyinert,andthegreatprincipleofliberalism,accordingtoitsfounders,was,aboveall,movement.
MacaulayhadbeenbroughtupastrictChristian,buthisrealchurchwasthechurchofprogress-steamengines,freenewspapers,parliamentarygovernment.
ThehistorianinhimlookedattheriseandfallofcivilizationsandwasjubilantthatthiswasBritain'stimeforimperialgreatness.
Wewouldshareourblessings,moralandmaterial.
Wewouldtakeancientsocieties,miserablewithpovertyandtyranny,andteachthemself-reliance.
Andwhenwe'ddonethejob,we'dpackupandgohome.
SothegreatprincipleoftheBritishEmpirewouldbeitsownself-liquidation.
Itwouldbelikeaparent,fullofbittersweetemotionasitschildrenweresentoffintotheworld,tiedtothehomenolongerbypower,butbygratefulaffection.
NeverhadBritainhadsuchanabundanceofclever,zealousyoungmen,itchingtoliberateAsiafromthegripofsuperstitionanddisease.
IntheGovernorGeneralofIndia,LordWilliamBentinck,they'dfoundanardentpatron.
EventhemostdedicatedpilgrimsinsearchoftherelicsoftheRajarenotgoingtomakeabeelineforthisstatue.
Idon'tsupposeanybodyinthisparkknowswhoLordWilliamBentinckreallywas.
Youhavetolookatthefiguresinthefriezeheretoseewhyhe'scommemorated.
Bentinckwasthefirstoftheauthenticdo-gooderGovernorsGeneral,andthekindofpersonhewantedtodogoodtowasthisyoungwomanindistress.
She'sayoungwidowandshe'sabouttojoinherhusbandinajointcremation,thetraditionalHindupracticeofsuttee.
UnlikeanoldergenerationofBritishinIndia,thelikesofMacaulayandBentinckknewnexttonothingofthiskindoftradition,norwouldithavemadeanydifferenceiftheyhad,buttheyknewanabominationwhentheysawit.
Nevermindthattherewereonly500cremationsayear,thecampaigntoabolishsutteewasthecampaignoftheirdreams,andtheywentaboutitwithawill.
Volumeswerewrittenbymissionaries,committeesdeliberatedinparliament,alawwaspassedandinspectorsweredespatchedtointerceptwidowsenroutetothefuneralpyre.
The1830swereacrossroadsintheyounglifeoftheliberalempire.
Didthewelfareofournativesubjectsobligeustoimposethevaluesofthewestontheeast,orshouldweberebuildingandreinvigoratingAsiancultureandsociety?
CharlesTrevelyan,anotherhigh-mindedyoungreformer,whowascourtingMacaulay'ssister,wasindoubtwhichroadtotake.
ThemoreBritishIndiacouldbecome,thebetter.
ForMacaulayandTrevelyan,thecountrywouldbeturnedintoonevastschoolroom.
Teachingforthemwasnotjustajob.
WesterneducationwastheinstrumentbywhichIndiawasgoingtobetransformedfromaworldofbullockcartsandbeggarsintotheprogressiveVictoriandynamicworldofthetelegraphandthelocomotive.
EnglishwouldbeawaytobringIndians,dividedbysomanyfaithsandlanguages,together.
AnditwouldhelpbridgetheculturegapbetweenEuropeandthesubcontinent.
Tothosewhosaid,"You'redestroyingtheirownculture",TrevelyanrepliedthatHinduismwas......
identifiedwithsomanygrossimmoralitiesandphysicalabsurditiesthatitgiveswayatoncetothelightofEuropeanscience.
Hereweare,ontheveranda.
Lateafternoon,theperfectimperialtimeofday.
ThisisthetimewhenwordslikeverandaandbungalowentertheBritishvocabulary.
TheywouldmakeyouthinkthattheworldthatthesahibbuiltforthemselveswasamarriagebetweenanIndianandaBritishlifestyle.
Abungalow,afterall,wasaone-storeyIndiandwelling.
Butitwasn'treallylikethat.
TheBritishhad,withthebungalow,madealifeforthemselvesthatwasasmuchaspossiblelikethelifeofacountrygentlemaninBuckinghamshire,HampshireorLancashire.
InsteadofthebustleofanIndiancourtyard,withanimalsinsideitandwashingandcookinggoingon,wehavetherosegarden,thewell-kepthedges,thestrictly-disciplinedgardeners.
Tuckedsafelyawaybehindthewallsofbungalowsandbarracks,andflatteredbyanewclassofEnglish-speakingmerchants,thesahibsimaginedtheykneweverythingaboutthisnew,westernisedIndiawhichwouldbe,asMacaulaylikedtoputit,anallynotasubject.
SowhenMacaulayandTrevelyanwenthomeattheendofthe1830stogovernmentjobsinLondon,theywereconfidentthattheyhadsowntheseedsofamodern,liberalIndia.
Everythingwasnowinplacetoensureasmuchoftheworldaspossiblewouldbegovernedbytheonemechanismcapableofdoingso-theBritishEmpireoffreetrade.
Aneducated,AnglicisedIndiawouldbeakeyplayer.
Therewasjustoneironlaw-letthemarketdoitsjob.
Ifpeopleclingingtobackwardwayswentunderinthenameoftheneweconomicorder,well,sobeit.
Butwhilethemoderniserswerealllookingeasttoseethepayoffoftheirgreatexperiment,thefirstgreatshocktothecomplacencyoftheirviewscamefromtheoppositedirection,fromthewest......
somewherealarminglyclosertohome,fromIreland.
Manyofthosewholookbackonthedisasterthoughttheyshouldhaveseenitcoming,seenthatIrelandwasIndiawithrain.
Apopulationexplosionfromovertwotoovereightmillioninacentury.
Toomanybodiesclingingtounworkablelittleplots,toosmalltomakeaprofitintheimperialmarketplace.
0fcourse,justlikeIndia,therewereislandsofmodernityinthegreatoceanofpoverty.
RichIrelandwastheeastandthenorth,aroundDublinandBelfast,facingtheimmenseengineofindustrialBritain,andsupplyingitwithbutterandmeat,linenandoatmeal.
ButthewestwaswhereIreland'sagonywasfelt.
Tinyscrapsoflandwithacabinandapigandonlypotatoestogrowtomakethedifferencebetweensurvivalandstarvation.
Bythe1840s,Irishmenandwomen,especiallyinthepoorercountiesofthewest,wereeatingbetweentenandfifteenpoundsofpotatoesaday,sometimeswasheddownwithalittlebuttermilk.
Then,in1845,theAngelofDeathstruckintheshapeofthefungusphytopthorainfestans.
Sporesgrewontheundersideofleaves,theIrishwindblewthemtotheirneighboursandtheIrishrainmadesurethecroprotted.
Theinfestationwassosuddenandsounprecedented,itwasimpossibleatfirsttotakeinthemagnitudeofthedisaster.
InAugust1846,FatherTheobaldMatthewsawthedamageforhimself.
Onthe27thoflast
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