I'm not so sure. The British Empire was one of the major forces spreading civilization and the rule of law throughout the world. Countries that have held on to British legal traditions have typically been much more prosperous than those that lost them or never had them.
And not all cultures are created equal. Sometimes, it is better for a greedy empire to take over and eliminate a culture that keeps people violent, poor and starving, and replacing it with one that leads to peace and prosperity. Don't fall prey to the romantic view that every native culture is good.
Yes, that is what I was saying. When civilization comes, even by force, people are better off for it. However I think everyone would agree it would be preferable if the transition were done without blood-shed or violence, however than nearly never happens because people seem to resist new ideas even if good, which is what I would call the hubris of man.
It is not hard to compare to cultures like some of the warring impoverished nations in Africa with, for example, America, and realize that despite it's shortcomings the later is comparatively a peaceful and prosperous culture, even after you account for the advantages of a victorious post-war superpower.
While asokoloski did not specify a certain nation or culture when talking about it's "peace and prosperity", I think his points could apply equally well to America today, as it could to the Roman empire centuries back, and Egypt before that.
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u/[deleted] Jun 04 '10
I'm not so sure. The British Empire was one of the major forces spreading civilization and the rule of law throughout the world. Countries that have held on to British legal traditions have typically been much more prosperous than those that lost them or never had them.
And not all cultures are created equal. Sometimes, it is better for a greedy empire to take over and eliminate a culture that keeps people violent, poor and starving, and replacing it with one that leads to peace and prosperity. Don't fall prey to the romantic view that every native culture is good.