AHistoryofBritain14.docx

AHistoryofBritain14.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.

Onthe27thoflastmo