The imperialism of Britain

[Tennou486]

I have a question for the many people who call the UK home and happen to be on this forum.

How is the subject of British colonialism and the whole age of the British Empire taught in the UK? I am currently studying European History, and would greatly appreciate some insight from people who actually live in Europe.

Please keep this topic hate and flame free. Thank you.

 

[Private Custard]

As with all aspects of our history, nothing is hidden or sugar-coated in any way. Totally bullshit free. There's no way you could soften it when teaching about how we once ran half the world and were generally shit to a lot of people.

Although some good did come out of it, as our knowlege of engineering (and technology in general) advanced, our wide-reaching empire meant that these advances were felt worldwide.

 

[Geekosaurus]

I didn't get taught any of it. But then again I stopped taking history after I was fifteen.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

As with all aspects of our history, nothing is hidden or sugar-coated in any way. Totally bullshit free. There's no way you could soften it when teaching about how we once ran half the world and were generally shit to a lot of people.

Although some good did come out of it, as our knowlege of engineering (and technology in general) advanced, our wide-reaching empire meant that these advances were felt worldwide.

I think Blackadder put it best. "When we saw a man in a skirt we shot him and nicked his country".

OT: The empire is not taught to us as something we should be sorry we lost. We did a lot of shitty things to a lot of people who didn't deserve it. At the same time, we do get to take credit for a lot of things those countries did because of our colonisation.

 

[Professor Cubbage]

From my experience it's taught the way it was. No bias, just the facts.

 

[Baneat]

Just with the facts, we're not America (From the info I've been given), no sugar coating, my teacher didn't even try to make the colonisation even remotely justifiable. It was wrong, and the facts are presented to you as such.

 

[tigermilk]

Studying history in compulsory education (up to GCSE in the late 90's) all I really learnt about was Nazi's and Tudors.

Then taking an A level equivalency course I learnt about history from 1832-1914 but only in terms of class and gender relations. So in my experience not at all.

 

[Nickolai77]

We were taught about the slave trade, but scant little about the British Empire itself. The industrial revolution i think is in the national curriculum, but curiously the empire isn't. However, i would not be surprised if they implemented some education reforms and put the British Empire on the curriculum some time soon.

Most Brit's know that the Empire generally wasn't exactly an ethical thing, but at the same time carn't help but be at least a bit proud that it was the largest and most widespread in the world. Britain ruled 1/5th of the earth's surface and 1/4 of the worlds population or something like that..you often hear that statistic in the UK.

 

[LordDPS]

they don't teach history anymore in our school, I have to teach myself We make no excuses unlike america which coats everything because they think their kids can't take it

 

[PureChaos]

I wouldn't realy know anything they don't teach history anymore in our school.

they don't teach history? why not?

 

[LordDPS]

its not a important subject acording to the goverment its optional and i chose optional subjects that help me get the job i want still i think they should teach it

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

Well I'm from Ireland and we only look at Britain in relation to Ireland's history at least up untill WWII and European history. Neither of those are very in depth at least at Junior Cert level but they do give a good overview. So if you know anything about British and Irish history I really don't need to go into the details of what has happened.

 

[Pillypill]

There's a minimum of glory leant to the subject, when the british empire comes up facts are straight and blunt and you feel a whole lot less proud of your country.

Though i remember not covering much more than the two world wars, that's to say you won't find a british (state) school teaching kids about the American revolution or the campaigns against the Zulu tribes in Africa.

 

[manaman]

Just with the facts, we're not America (From the info I've been given), no sugar coating, my teacher didn't even try to make the colonisation even remotely justifiable. It was wrong, and the facts are presented to you as such.

Quite a few other posts from your fellow countrymen heavily contradict your point, and it's unnecessary barb.

 

[Private Custard]

its not a important subject acording to the goverment its optional and i chose optional subjects that help me get the job i want still i think they should teach it

Those that do not learn from previous generations mistakes are doomed to repeat them.

The quote goes something like that!

 

[El Poncho]

My school didn't really start teaching about the British Empire until it became an optional choice in 3rd year, which I didn't take, so what I have learned about it was from Horrible Histories.

 

[PowRightInTheKisser]

we were taught the following: (and im paraphrasing extensively here)

"britain had an empire (be patriotic and proud of your nation) however this empire was the perpetrator of some of the most horrendous acts in history (see slave trade, wars against natives in india, ireland, america, etc) so you must be very ashamed and never bring it up in polite conversation with anyone. you should all be ashamed of yourselves."

to be fair my history teacher was an irish immigrant who remided us frequently that his great-uncle was killed during the war of independence

my angle is, consequently, slightly warped

 

[El Poncho]

Just with the facts, we're not America (From the info I've been given), no sugar coating, my teacher didn't even try to make the colonisation even remotely justifiable. It was wrong, and the facts are presented to you as such.

Quite a few other posts from your fellow countrymen heavily contradict your point, and it's unnecessary barb.

I don't see any posts contradicting his points, they all seem to be saying the same thing.

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

As far as I can tell there's mixed emotions towards it. On the one hand, there's a fair amount of pride (the whole 1/3 of the earth's land and whatnot), but on the other there's the slave trade and taking advantage of natives etc.

A lot of it isn't taught really, but I don't think it gets a sugar coating at all.

EDIT: It might be sensible to mention that I'm not actually English, but I've lived here for about a decade.

 

[manaman]

Just with the facts, we're not America (From the info I've been given), no sugar coating, my teacher didn't even try to make the colonisation even remotely justifiable. It was wrong, and the facts are presented to you as such.

Quite a few other posts from your fellow countrymen heavily contradict your point, and it's unnecessary barb.

I don't see any posts contradicting his points, they all seem to be saying the same thing.

...A lot of it isn't taught really..

Though i remember not covering much more than the two world wars, that's to say you won't find a british (state) school teaching kids about the American revolution or the campaigns against the Zulu tribes in Africa.

its not a important subject acording to the goverment its optional and i chose optional subjects that help me get the job i want still i think they should teach it

We were taught about the slave trade, but scant little about the British Empire itself. The industrial revolution i think is in the national curriculum, but curiously the empire isn't...

Studying history in compulsory education (up to GCSE in the late 90's) all I really learnt about was Nazi's and Tudors...

Only teaching select parts is sugar coating it, even if the general theme taught is that the empire wasn't a good thing. His post stated the the total and unabridged truth was taught. Glossing over the bad parts with a generic empire=bad, then teaching about stuff mostly after WW1 doesn't exactly meet those criteria.

Note: this was to El Poncho, the rest of you that are getting a response, I'm sorry but I had to quote you for examples.

I understand that he country has a very long history, but from the sounds of it I learned more about the history of the UK before 1900 in a high school in Texas then they did.