The British Empire is something to be Proud of

Pride is a funny thing. In this debate being proud should refer to having a positive feeling towards something that has been an objectively good thing for humanity. The British Empire was a force for good in the world. Let me be clear. This debate combines two tiers. Anyone wishing to take up arms in this debate must be aware of the 2 questions regarding this big question. The first is an historical question. I will prove that the British Empire in its historical context was objectively good for the world. I believe that the burden of proof is heavily on my side concerning this question. Secondly there is the moral question. Can we be proud of something which is relatively good in its context or are some things moral absolutes and therefore always wrong. So why was the British Empire a force for good in its time. First of all, needless to say that the countries the British Empire invaded and colonised were improved as nations by that invasion in most cases. The likes of India wouldn't have even existed had it no been for the unifying force of the British. The same can be said for many African countries. Now in some cases this has lead to problems like in Sudan but in many there have been successes such as in Nigeria which is overall, a stronger more unified nation as a result of colonialism. Secondly, the basis for the rule of law, the judiciary, democracy, freedom and economic development was a laid down by the British. Infrastructural benefits are the very least Empire can be praised for. The likes of a parliamentary system exist in so many ex colonies and they function much better than most other countries. Just compare Kenya and Uganda to the DRC the level of corruption is far less and there is at least the basis of a democratic and just process. So I believe that Britain was a force for good in the world in that respect. Furthermore, the British Empire got rid of a lot of injustices which were far worse than those they brought in. Time and time again politically correct, revisionist nut jobs like Owen Jones lecture us about all the horrible things the British did while conveniently forgetting the fact that Empire got rid of more injustice and immorality than it replaced it with. Take the Sudan for instance. Now yes the British Empire brought racist policies with it towards the Black Sudanese when they colonised the Sudan however revisionists like to forget the fact that the British Empire actually got rid of the Arab slave trade in the region and used its small colonial army to stop tribes from going on genocidal rampages against each other. In the case of India of course Britain brought in racism towards native Indians however the British also got rid of the burning to death of widows and overturned the likes of Sharia law and Hindu violence towards the Muslims in many regions. This was arguably an overall benefit to India. Moreover, those who criticise Empire also have to show that realistic alternatives were better unless they should at least be honest and instead argue that the period of time was all bad. What alternatives were there to the British in a dog-eat-dog world. Colonialism was the inevitable and unstoppable context of the time. Either you argue colonialism was totally all wrong or you fall into the trap of arguing that the British Empire was the worst. If not the British then the French (objectively more brutal), the Dutch (objectively more brutal), the Belgians (literally genocidal) or the status quo (in India the Mughals and the Sikh empire). The British empire was the best realistic regime that a poor undeveloped country could have wished for. So, the British empire in its context was a force for good in the world. The question now is whether this means we can be proud of it. Yes we can. Why? Because if something is relatively good then it is morally acceptable. This is because if it was the best possible option out of a range of terrible options then it must have led to the least suffering out of all of those options. Its a case of: would you rather 10 or 100 people die? Given this considering utilitarianism the British empire was the the most moral model and therefore the moral option. In a tough dirty world of injustice and unfairness, exploitation and rape the British Empire was a shining beacon of hope and progress. Better than any of the other options, we must not peer through the rose tinted spectacles of the 21st century and instead judge the British empire on its contextual merits. Doing this we will see that the British empire is a source of relative righteousness and freedom. This is surely something to be proud of.