ANTI-IMPERIALISM

P. Gopal demonstrates that it was the rebellion of colonised ppl themselves which forced ppl in the metropole to question their assumptions about the empire à these mvmts abroad had an impact on thinkers, activists, and forced them to change their vision of the Empire and imagine how to reform their empire è idea that anti-imperialism was not a gift from GB to the world. She says the socialist mvmt in GB was influenced by Indian nationalists in the way they described how their country was exploited by GB.

Diff kinds of ppl involved in this mvmt in GB:

-Those from the privileged classes: very happy with the empire, BUT some thinkers/civil servants marginally criticised the institution they belonged to. Cf rebellion in Jamaica: repressed very brutally by the governor in Jamaica, the one criticising it the most was a plantation owner who believed in treating them well. When they saw how the British army or colleague administrators of the empire behaved they were shocked and turned against the system they belonged to (cf George Orwell). In favour of reforming the Empire, not overthrowing it in any way, just making the system more decent. Most of them = republicans believing in small state // big empire à tended to side with colonised ppl, in favour of home rule (legislative autonomy). There were some inside the liberal party, most vocal and influential form of anti-imperialism = liberal anti-imperialism, cf Richard Cobden à not out of sympathy for colonised ppl but for domestic financial reasons, said the Empire is useless and too expensive, just wasting money when this money could be used at home in more useful way (eco and financial anti-imperialist argument for ‘little Englanders’).

-Vision from below: Chartists, a lot of them were Irish and in favour of Irish home rule (still belonging to Brit Empire but with more autonomy, its own government) AND Chartist publications expressed sympathy for colonised ppl and called for home rule for POC (seen as equal and equally entitled to self-gov). Labour mvmt was in favour of internationalism (all around the world workers have the same interests and should unit) à common value of many trade unionists, went with pacificism.

BUT just bc you were an internationalist or pacifist did not imply being anti-imperialist as well. Cf W.P.A (Workmen’s Peace Association) founded in 1870: they were pacifists but not very critical of colonialism, on many topics they just followed the liberal party. Socialist mvmt: fiercer in their criticism of the empire, cf mvmt called the SDF (Social Democratic Federation) in favour of home rule for everyone, small mvmt founded in 1884, by 1914 they had moved towards emancipation for all workers around the world.

1899-1901: Boer war in South Africa opposing Brit troop and Dutch/German/French peasants saying the land belonged to them à fight for African land, at the time no one supported African emancipation. Some supported Brit intervention, notably the Fabian society which was very imperialist + The Clarion (newspaper) spoke out in favour of British troops. SDF and ILP (Independent Labour Party) = in favour of the Boer (risky bc could be in jail for it). Socialists were divided pro-empire/anti-empire.

CONCL: CRA (Congo Reform Association) in 1907 at the height of its campaign, probably most successful anti-imperialist campaign in Britain, led by journalist E.D. Morel denouncing atrocities in Congo. It belonged to the King Leopold (personal property of the king, did not belong to the Belgian state) à international campaign against his wrongdoings, he had to renounce his property in Congo, one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. Successful campaign bc Congo was handed over to the Belgian state (as a standard Belgian colony). It was not easy to be anti-imperialist in Brit at a time when everyone supposed to be proud of the biggest empire in the world, propaganda +++. BUT criticism of Belgian imperialism allowed brit anti-imperialist to say it was not so diff in Brit colonies.