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The Effect of Imperialism on the Periphery

The Impact of the British Empire

Nicholas Fellows

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European approaches

• Europeans have tended to see colonialism in a more

positive light than the indigenous peoples.
• With independence, indigenous peoples have been more
able to challenge imperialism.

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Subsistence agriculture

• The British wanted local people to produce goods for the

global market.
• Through the introduction of taxes, subsistence farmers were
encouraged to grow cash crops.
• To pay taxes, some had to send away family members to find
paid employment.
• The introduction of taxes caused problems. In Sierra Leone,
the introduction of tax led to the 1898 rebellion.

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Famine

• Occurred in East Africa and India.

• Five drought famines in India from 1860–1900 led to deaths
of 14.5 million.
• The British government was criticised for lack of action.
• The government were also blamed for famines by causing
food shortages through production of cash crops, rather than
staples.

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Famine
Counter-argument

• Famines were caused by bad weather.

• Famine Commissions established in 1867 and 1878–80.
• Famine Disaster Fund 1881.
• They appear to have been successful as no real famine from 1908–42.
• War contributed to and exacerbated famine in 1943–44.

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Technology

• Often unwelcome, seen as exploitation by businessmen.

• Colonial attempt to improve river and canal transport in
India was heavily criticised after independence.
• However, lack of funds until Colonial Development Acts
that British governments directly financed colonial
projects.
• Road provision often poor and used by locals, so of little
benefit to Britain.

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Competition for land

• Indigenous peoples felt threatened.

• Indigenous peoples lost land: Ndebele in Southern
Rhodesia, Kikuyu in Kenya.

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Domestic slavery

• Although illegal, many African societies practice forms of economic

servitude.
• Dependency.
• Clientage.
• It was allowed to continue as it was needed to mobilise labour.

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Migration and indentured labour

• Initially within countries, indigenous people moved from

countryside to towns to earn money.
• In India, indentures provided contracts to work abroad in
return for paid travel.
• Indian labourers went to the Caribbean after slavery.
• Also indentured labour in South Africa, Fiji, East Africa.

• There is academic debate over whether this was slavery.

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Disease

• There was a traditional view that Britain did much to

eradicate major diseases in colonies.
• This view was challenged in the 1970s and 1980s.
• Migration led to disease due to poor conditions.
• European communities gained from improvements in
medicine and sanitation rather than locals.

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National identities

• There was a response of colonial nationalism to imperial

rule.
• People united against foreign rule.
• Indigenous elites were exposed to theories of nationalism
and ideas of modern state.
• There was less development of national identity in white
settler colonies.
However:
• Many felt British.
• Nationalism in white settler colonies was often due to
other factors: political unification, war, economic
integration of colonies.

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Exploitation

Did the Empire protect indigenous societies?

• There was racial prejudice. Indigenous people were often

labelled as ‘lazy’.
• Opportunities for indigenous people were often limited.
• Colonial towns saw segregation with white areas: Chennai,
Kolkata.
• Bungalows had separate social spaces allowing Europeans
to distance themselves.
• Development of ‘benevolent apartheid’ in Fiji, treating Fijians
and migrant Indians differently.

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Exploitation

• ‘White Australia’ immigration policy.

• South Africa and apartheid.
• But also trusteeship as in the 1923 Devonshire Declaration.
• However, not easy to enforce if conflict with settlers. In Kenya, settlers
threatened rebellion when attempts were made to give indigenous
people more political participation.
• But it did prevent Basutoland, Bechuanaland and Swaziland falling into
hands of union of South Africa.

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Religion

• Difficult to assess impact of missionary activity on

indigenous population.
• Christianity struggled to make converts in India.
• Evangelical activity ended practice of British soldiers and
administrators marrying Indian women and adopting
customs.

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Religion

Was Christianity used to strengthen British authority?

• Alien belief imposed on indigenous people.
• However, missionaries emphasised equality.
• But hierarchical nature of Christianity reinforced social order.
• Christian beliefs were integrated into existing religious
framework.
• Indigenous peoples chose which parts of Christianity to adopt.
• Missionary education and scientific knowledge often welcomed,
even if Christianity rejected.

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Education

• Importance of missionary schools for Western education.

• In India, violent reaction when attempts to convert children
mixed with education.
• Colonial states gradually took on responsibility for
education.
• Access to education limited. In the Gold Coast (Ghana) in
1921, 3.9% children under 16 attend government school.
• Did help indigenous people understand white culture and
gain promotion.
• Encouragement of education reversed after Indian Mutiny
(First War of Independence).

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Indigenous culture

• The British wanted to remove some indigenous cultures

and habits, particularly piracy and predatory life.
• Some indigenous peoples blamed Europeans for some
of the ‘vices’ and said it was not native practice.
• Indians were reluctant to get rid of high cultural practices
such as female infanticide and suttee – thought British
should not interfere with traditional culture.

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Westernisation

There were plans to bring perceived benefits of Western

civilisation to indigenous peoples – but they decided that they
were incapable of being westernised and it was detrimental to
indigenous culture.

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Westernisation

Resistance
• There was Maori resistance due to fear of ‘subversion as a
race’.
• Young were more likely to adopt western styles, but then
looked down on indigenous culture and peoples.
• Rejected by some because of portrayal of indigenous
people as backward.

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Preservation of indigenous culture

There was a belief among some westerners that it was best to preserve
indigenous culture:
• Indigenous languages were retained in some colonies for low-level
administration.
• In some areas, certain languages and dialects were given preference
and this gave certain groups more influence.

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Sport

• Cricket was used to instill moral code and values – and the
need to follow rules.
• Cricket was used as means of social control, ‘cultural
reproduction’ to control local people – they were forced to
accept judgement of umpire.
• It did help bring unity to the West Indies, previously seen as
a group of separate islands.

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Coercion

• Often argued that excessive coercion was inevitable.

• Was seen as the only way to ensure obedience and was
needed to maintain law and order.

However, coercion was used not just to control empire, but as

a weapon between states – use of ‘gunboat diplomacy’. Used
coercion against own people to suppress unrest.
Coercion was also used by former colonial nations against
own people when independent.

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Coercion

British rule may have been less harsh and brutal than other
states.

The Belgian rule of the Congo was particularly brutal. The

Congo was seen by Belgian King as personal possession.

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Law and order

• Created stability.
• Ensured civil and property rights respected.

Compare with unrest that followed independence:

• India and partition in 1947.

However, law and order did not always protect indigenous peoples.

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Development of modern state

• British rule responsible for modern political ideas.

• Development of democratic institutions.
• Created an administrative framework.

However:
• Development of democracy was slow.
• Electorate often limited.
• Created artificial states, seen in scramble for Africa.

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When did the Weimar Republic die?

Regions often saw fighting after independence, but was that

due to British rule?

• Still ethnic conflict without British rule.

• Conflict over borders.

• Some objected to British political ideas, seeing them as

destroying traditional ways.
• Taxation was resented.
• Taxation led to change in work patterns as people needed
to earn.

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Development of modern state

Did Britain hold back development of the modern state?

• Indirect rule in Africa gave power to local chieftains who

ruled according to custom.
• Where no ‘local’ ruler, Britain imposed an unpopular ruler
on locals.
• They did not aim to develop a progressive democratic
system.
• Failure to prepare Africans for independence.

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