Was Britain just as bad?

Question

As the Taliban and the n**i's when she had an empire ? it just seems we are the biggest bunch of hypocrites ever

Answer 1

If you can find a nation which doesn't have some dark deeds somewhere in its history, feel free to tell us about it.

But for all its faults, those within the British Empire enjoyed religious freedom, and were not subjected to acts of systematic genocide.  

Answer 2

Each and every person is a hypocrite at one stage or another, Britain included!

Answer 3

I think what everyone said is good.  I just want to add that things have to be thought about with some depth to be understood.

One avowed aim of Nazism was to create a purely Aryan society of super people.  So there was a systematic wiping out of peoples who did not fit the bill--like retarded people, people with physical disabilities, as well as groups like the Jews.  We  tend to concentrate our attention there because so very very many were murdered in atrocious and inhuman ways.  Nazism had no proper respect for

human beings.

The British Empire was essentially founded as a trade empire, for the purpose of commerce, which is a very different motivation.  Were there people who acted badly.  Of course.  There always are, everywhere, at all times.  But Britain was not trying to create a new race of people, or deny those of the Colmmonwealth their rights.  They created and gave those rights to the peoples of those countries--rights when let them move to Britain, and to have all the privileges of British citizenship.  There was no thought nor desire to make systematic attempts to wipe out special categories of people.

And I think when talking about doing bad things, one does have to examine the quality of that evil--it's motivation--it's goals--it's purposes--and it's means.  And if you do that, I don't think that you

will have to feel so badly about Britain.  Britain has given us many wonderful things.  Her present is troubled, I know.

As for the Taliban.  I don't know enough to speak to that.  Use what you know and think it through it.

Maggie

Answer 4

No  - you are mistaken, Britain never murdered people because they were followers of a different religion, nor was the empire founded on religious extremism and fanaticism.

There was a lot wrong with Imperialism - and there were some terrible things committed in its name - but there were also a lot of good things that came out of it - like the Commonwealth, stable government in most former empire countries, ideas about the Law, and constitutionality, and the English Language.

See:

http://www.britishempire.co.uk/

Answer 5

The Taliban and the n***s never had an empire - and Britain helped struggling countries to mature and establish themselves. So, no - Britain wasn't just as bad. The two situations are not comparable at all..  

Answer 6

In many ways, they were pretty bad. They used slavery in India and the Americas as well as their other "possessions" within their "empire". The Dutch and other European countries as well as European-Americans also abused people and used slaves (the word slave comes from Slav which were among the first peoples to be enslaved in the modern world, that is, since ancient times). Note our treatment of the American natives. We are indeed hypocrites, however I resent the allusion to the n***s who went so far beyond the rest as to be in an entirely different class.  I would compare the Khmer Rouge to the n***s however.