UNIT 49
UNIT 49. DEVELOPMENT DEVELOPMENT AND ADMINISTRATION ADMINISTRATION OF THE BRITISH COLONIAL COLONIAL EMPIRE IN THE XVIII AND XIX C. J. CONRAD & R. KIPLING. 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1. Impe!"#!$m %$. C#'!"#!$m.
It is quite quite relev relevant ant to difer diferent entiat iate e betwee between n the concep concepts ts ‘imper ‘imperiali ialism’ sm’ and ‘colonialism’ so as to better understand the imperial expansion o the reat !ritain" #lthou$h the% ma% loo& similar' the% establish diferent concepts" (or instance' whereas the term ‘imperialism’ reers to the principle' spirit' or s%stem o empi empire re'' and and is driv driven en b% ideo ideolo lo$% $%'' the the term term ‘col ‘colon onia iali lism sm’’ ree reers rs to the the prin princi cipl ple' e' spir spirit it'' or s%st s%stem em o esta establ blis ishi hin$ n$ colo coloni nies es'' whic which h is driv driven en b% commerce" (. THE BRITISH EMPIRE. (.1. T)e *e+!''!'+ , -)e B!-!$) Emp!e.
)urin$ the *+th c" ,n$land established some colonies in North #merica and the Northe Northern rn #tlan #tlantic tic'' but !ritis !ritish h Nav% Nav% was not much much concer concerned ned in establ establish ishin$ in$ commercial bases in other countries" The% were especiall% devoted to acts o pirac% a$ainst colonial nations" # special interest in the #tlantic territories o North #merica raised durin$ the *-th c" roups o .uritans ounded some colonies' which were $ood commercial and strate$ic bases in the proximit% o the tropical #merica" !% the end o this centur%' some !ritish trade companies settled in India" India manuacture was controlled b% the /tate" (.(. T)e m!#e/0#"$$ e%#-!'.
The political results o the lorious 0evolution 0evolution 1*+223' which led illiam o 5ran$e to obtain the crown' made the .arliament the overall power o /tate"
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ithin the .arliament' the 6ouse o 7ommons imposed over the 6ouse o 8ords' mainl% due to their $rowin$ economical power" #s business middle class resulted beneted o the revolution' the% promoted colonial expansion" This expansion was based on a number o actors: control o raw materials 1wood' cotton3; promotion o the iron industries inside the countr% and naval supremac% in order to protect their own trade routes and ta&e over /panish and (rench tradin$ posts" The wars a$ainst /pain and (rance 1The /uccession ar 1*-<*=*-*43 and The /even >ears ar 1*-?+=*-+@33 resulted in the obtainin$ o ibraltar' Aenorca and 6udson !a%' the (rench territories to the Northeast o the Aississippi river' (lorida' some #ntilles isles and the tradin$ post in /ene$al" New colonies were ound in India and the ,ast India 7ompan% $ained control over most o India" Aan% people travelled to the ,ast colonies to ma&e their ortune" 6owever' the% were not much interested in the development o the Indian colonies' as in the development o their own wealth" The rst crisis o colonisation be$an in the rst western colonies: hostile eelin$s towards
colonisation
be$an
to
spread
out;
thirteen
colonies
became
independent in North #merica; the Bersailles Treat% made reat !ritain $ive some territories bac& to (rance and /pain" #lthou$h some more colonies were established %et: sailors rom the colonies in India conquered .enan$ in *-2+' /ierra 8eone' on the #rican coast' and /outhern New ales ' in the /outh ,ast o the #ustralian 7ontinent were ounded in *-22" In *2*? ,n$land had a $reat ,mpire"
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)urin$ the *9th c"' ,n$land saw the raisin$ o an ideolo$ical movement: 8iberalism" 8iberal ideas led to economic' social and moral chan$es; interest in humanitarian matters and the abolition o slaver% in *2@@" (.2. T)e V!0-!"' A+e.
The Bictorian ,ra $oes rom *2@< to *22<" This period is characterised b% the extension o the !ritish ,mpire' which implied its political and economical superiorit% over the rest o the nations' and b% the social efects o the industrial revolution" New territories were colonised: old 7oast 1*2C*3' (al&land Isles 1*2@@3' New Dealand 1*24<3' 6on$ Eon$ 1*24*3' some new territories in IndiaF 6owever' liberals criticise the maintenance costs o the colonies" The main reasons were the cost o the #merican 0evolution; economic crisis in the est Indies and lac& o commercial interest in the colonies" It was a period o social a$itation: (irst' middle class economical $rowth came to$ether with the rise o population' and population increase brou$ht about emi$ration to the new territories o the ,mpire" /econdl%' he Industrial 0evolution had provo&ed that the countr% became more urban and the population more mobile' mass production and division o labour were introduced in the economical s%stem' the smo&e and debris invaded the countr%side and a non=ideolo$ical and with trades manli&e qualities middle class rose" (inall%' the social transition was a peaceul process due to ear o spread o revolution rom the 7ontinent and the Utilitarian ideolo$%' whose main eature was the tendenc% to min$le business with moralism"
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Utilitarians were philosophical radicals whose main aim was the improvement o the nation" Their proposal was the deence o propert% based on stoppin$ $overnment intererin$ with trade; leavin$ capital to nd its most lucrative course and leavin$ industries and intelli$ence their natural reward' idleness and oll% their natural punishment" 8ate Bictorian period was characterised b% the debate about the content o ,n$lish culture' habits o resistance to the standardisin$ efects o machines' the second 0eorm !ill o *2+-: enranchised wor&in$ classes in the towns' and the Trade Union #ct o *2-*: shits the centre o power" (.4. De%e#pme'- "' +"'!3"-!' , -)e 0#'!e$.
8iberals wanted to avoid conGicts in the colonies due to lac& o political or$anisation" The% $ranted a representative $overnment where it was needed" (or instance: 7anada was $ranted one in *242' and then #ustralia and New Dealand in *2??; the rebellion o the Hsepo%s in India resulted in administrative reorms" These led to the establishment o a civil service that $uaranteed some social services' i"e": the rst railwa% s%stem in #sia was built" Aoreover' the openin$ o the /ueJ 7anal in *2+9 modied the trade routes all over the world and consequentl% a new colonial movement Gourished' in spite o the stron$ liberal opposition; Imperialism became a solid doctrine and Imperialist literature spread out 10" Eiplin$3; reat !ritain too& an active part in the distribution o #rica; and some new territories were added to the ,mpire: 7%prus' Ni$eria' ,$%pt' Een%a and some archipela$os in the #ntarctic 5cean" The cities acquire more and more importance: people moved to the cities in !ritain as in other parts o the ,mpire and the $rowth o the industrial cit% produced new and hardened social stratication ever%where"
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UNIT 49
(.. T)e "m!'!$-"-!' , -)e 0#'!e$.
7olonial /tate ormation was characterised b% the use o orce in order to establish political stabilit%' the importance o economic obKectives in order to increase protabilit% and the continuit% must be secured" The main eatures o the administration o the 7olonial /tates were" *" There was an International political dimension" The /tate was ruled b% an important International .ower: reat !ritain" C" The existence o bureaucratic elitism and authoritarianism: a$ents o the !ritish overnment occupied posts speciall% reserved or them' civil servants were chosen rom native population' all the important decisions were ta&en in 8ondon" @" /tatism" This means that the command over the econom% was exerted b% the /tate L in this case a orei$n /tate" 4" Use o traditional $ures" These $ures were ta&en rom the tradition o the colon% and rel% or political support and le$itimac%" This was a two=sta$ed process: to ma&e allies and to provo&e disruptions o the state structure" ?" Use o orce" Ailitar% orce was used in order to initiate colonial war and control active resistance" 7olonial police was characterised b% the extensive use o violence' unequal treatment to colonised people and colonisers an sel=identication in some elds" +" Technolo$ical advanta$e in some elds such as arms' medicine or railroads" -" 6e$emonic ideolo$%" The main aim was to support the continuation o the existin$ political re$ime" This could be achieved b% means o emphasiJin$ on positive eatures o colonisation and positive statements about !ritish rulersM invincibilit%"
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UNIT 49
(.5. T)e 6'"# +"'!3"-!' , -)e 0#'!e$.
The Indian colonies were called the Indian ,mpire in *2--" There was a rise o the nationalist eelin$ in *22? and the% reached some concessions on independence in *9@?" The Independent /tates o New Dealand and the #ustralian (ederation were ounded in *9<<" The /outh #rican Union was ounded in *9*<" !ritish rule in India ended in *94-" The !ritish ,mpire showed a $reat solidit% durin$ the * but the estminster /tatute o *9@* let the most developed countries acquire independence resultin$ in the be$innin$ o the 7ommonwealth" 2. J. CONRAD & R. KIPLING.
oseph 7onrad 1*2?-=*9C43 and 0ud%ard Eiplin$ 1*2+?=*9@+3' who were prooundl% preoccupied with the consequences o imperialism and the !ritish empire expansion' namel% in #rica and India' respectivel%" 8et us examine their lie' st%le and main wor&s in detail" 2.1. JOSEPH CONRAD 718/19(4:
ose Teodor Eonrad EorJeniows&i was born in /outhern .oland" #t the a$e o *he sailed to Aarseille to become an apprentice in the merchant marine" /ailed on a variet% o !ritish ships to the 5rient and man% exotic places" #t the a$e o @C be$an to write his rst novel Almayer´s Folly 1*29?3 bein$ the rst o a series o sea novels based on his experience as a sailor" #lthou$h 7onrad is &nown as a novelist' he tried his hand also as a pla%wri$ht" 6is rst one=act pla% was not success and the audience reKected it" !ut ater nishin$ the text he learned the existence o the 7ensor o the .la%s' which inspired his satirical essa% about the obscure civil servant" 7onrad was an #n$lophile who re$arded !ritain as a land which respected individual liberties"
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UNIT 49
(ollowin$ #lred: H7onrad’s prose st%le is one o the most individual and readil% reco$niJable in ,n$lish' not' as mi$ht be expected in a .ole' or its eccentricities' but or its ull use o the musical potentialities o the lan$ua$e" 6is careul attention to $roupin$ and rh%thm and to such technical devices as alliteration enables him' at his best' to achieve a prose that is a&in to poetr%" hen he writes below his best he can become over=ornamental' sel=conscious' and articiall% st%liJed" #mon$ other eatures o this writin$ st%le' we ma% mention his subKects' namel% about adventure in an unusual or exotic settin$ due to his experiences in the sea and the exploration o #rica and ,ast Indies; his characters' both men and women' are presented in brie' illuminatin$ Gashes and who are vital individuals" The% are rarel% commonplace and some o his best are villains as EurtJ in The Heart of Darkness; his view o lie' out o which 7onrad had a proound sense o the tra$ed% o lie and the man’s stru$$le a$ainst hostile orces; nall%' he had a traditional direct narrative method' and the oblique method' b% means o which he presents his material in an eas%' conversational manner throu$h the medium o a spectator' and $raduall% he builds up a picture o the situation b% brie sense impressions" .rimaril% seen in his own time as a writer o sea stories' 7onrad is now hi$hl% re$arded as a novelist whose wor& displa%s a deep moral consciousness and masterul narrative technique" #mon$ his earl% novels' we nd that the two rst wor&s were based on his experiences o Aala%a' thus Almayer’s Folly 1*29?3; An Outcast of the Islands 1*29+3' where he presents a vivid tropical bac&$round and a stud% o a white man whose moral stamina was sapped b% the insidious inGuence o the tropics; his third earl% wor& was The Nigger of the ‘Narcissus’
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( *29-3' a movin$ stor% o lie on board ship' remar&able or a ull o romantic description in a powerul atmosphere o m%ster% and broodin$" 6is next wor& was Tales of nrest 1*2923' which contains ve stories' and was ollowed b% !ord "im# a Tale 1*9<<3" This is one o the best o 7onrad’s studies o men whose stren$th ails them in a moment o crisis' and is a$ain a stor% o the sea" It is in this wor& that 7onrad introduces or the rst time his technique o oblique narrative' the stor% bein$ told throu$h the ironical Aarlow' a character who requentl% appears in later novels" Then he wrote $outh# A Narrati%e& and t'o other tories 1*9
8
UNIT 49
Then came .hance/ A Tale in T'o 0arts 1*9*43' written in the oblique method o stor%=tellin$" 6ere Aarlow appears a$ain as a narrator' but the stor% is also told rom several other points o view" #ter 1ictory/ An Island Tale 1*9*?3 and a urther collection o our short stories' ithin the Tides L Tales 1*9*?3' 7onrad wrote The hado' line/ A .onfession 1*9*-3' a short novel in which the su$$estion o the supernatural is present" 5ther novels ollowed' such as The 2escue + A 2omance of the hallo's 1*9C<3' which is lon$ but with moments o hi$h excitement' and shows and excellent picture o primitive men" The Arro' of 3old + A tory ,et'een T'o Notes 1*9*93 and The 2o%er 1*9C@3 are both set in a bac&$round o ,uropean histor%' and were not ver% successul" In his late %ears' he wrote us)ense/ A Na)oleonic No%el 1*9C?3' which was unnished at his death" 5ther wor&s were published posthumousl%' such as Tales of Hearsay 1*9C?3' our stories' and !ast 4ssays 1*9C+3" e shall nall% mention in this $roup his autobio$raphical novels since the% show the real 7onrad and his own experiences" Thus' A 0ersonal 2ecord 1*9*C3 and Notes on !ife and !etters 1*9C*3' relevant or 7onrad’s views on his own art' and o two novels' The Inheritors/ An 45tra%agant tory 1*9<*3 and 2omance/ A No%el 1*9<@3' in which he collaborated with (ord Aaddox 6uefer" 2.(. RUD;ARD KIPLING 7185/1925:
!orn in !omba%' he was sent to ,n$land in *2-* to be brou$ht up at the United /ervices 7olle$e Lan educational institution or the public oOcialsM children' which was a sad and lonel% experience or him' as he would reGect in talky 6 .o7 1*2993" Then' he returned to 8ahore' India' in *22C and wor&ed as a Kournalist or the dail% .i%il and -ilitary 3a8ette7
9
UNIT 49
hen he $ot bac& to ,n$land in *229 he was an ac&nowled$ed writer" Travelled to /outh #rica as a chronicler to cover the events o the !oers ar" as $ranted the Nobel .riJe in 8iterature in *9<-" )ied in 8ondon" /ince Eiplin$ wrote durin$ the period &nown as the Bictorian #$e' his writin$s show the main topics o the ,n$lish and estern 8iterature o the time' thus conservatism' optimism and sel assurance both in prose and poetr%" Thou$h Eiplin$’s wor&s achieved literar% ame durin$ his earl% %ears' as he $rew older his wor&s aced enormous amount o literar% criticism" 6is wor&s dealt with racial and imperialistic topics which attracted a lot o critics' who condemned the act that unli&e the popular model o poetr%' Eiplin$’ wor&s did not have an underl%in$ meanin$ to it and that interpretin$ it required no more than one readin$" #s Eiplin$ $rew older his wor&s' his popularit% amon$ the masses persisted without chan$e" In act' due to his abilit% to relate to the la%man as well as the literar% elite throu$h his wor&s' he Koined a select $roup o authors who reached a worldwide audience o considerable diversit%" Eiplin$’s reputation started a revival course ater T"/" ,liot’s essa% on his wor&s where ,liot describes the most salient eature o Eiplin$ st%le: the H$reat verse that sometimes unintentionall% chan$es into poetr%" In his lietime Eiplin$ went rom the unoOcial .oet 8aureate o reat !ritain to one o the most denounced poet in ,n$lish 8iterar% 6istor%" In contrast to the path his reputation too&' 0ud%ard Eiplin$ improved as a poet as his career matured and b% the time o his death Eiplin$ had compiled one o the most diverse collections o poetr% in ,n$lish 8iterature"
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/ince Eiplin$ was an Imperialist' his main themes read about attitudes towards !ritish rule in India" Eiplin$ believed it was ri$ht and proper or !ritain to Hown India and rule its people' and the possibilit% that this position mi$ht be questionable never seems to have crossed his mind" #t the time he was writin$ there was a considerable erment o revolt amon$ Indians a$ainst !ritish rule' and %et' he has shown' at points in 9im 1*9<*3 when in 7hapter @ he has an old soldier comment on the reat Autin% o *2?-' dismissin$ it as Hmadness" 6e was a prolic and versatile writer whose Kournalistic experience served him to $reat extent throu$hout this career" 6is prose wor&s' which include stories o Indian lie' o children' and o animals are told with $reat vitalit%" 6e had an inventive acult%' a romantic taste or the adventurous and the supernatural' and an apparentl% careless' ver% colloquial st%le' which ensured or his wor& a popular reception" 6e also dealt with the superiorit% o the white race' o !ritain’s undoubted mission to extend throu$h her imperial polic% the benets o civiliJation to the rest o the world" 6e believed in the pro$ress and value o the machine' ound and echo in the hearts o man% o his readers since the% lived the late consequences o the industrial revolution" 6e presented a reall% $ood picture o #n$lo=Indian and o native lie" 6is portraits o soldiers' natives and o children were vivid and real' with a sot characteriJation" 6is bac&$round is clearl% visualiJed and realisticall% presented since he had a $reat abilit% to create an atmosphere o m%ster%" The apparent carelessness o his st%le was a deliberate and s&ilull% cultivated technique" Eiplin$’s wor&s span over ve decades both as poetr% and prose" 0e$ardin$ the ormer' in *22+ he published his rst volume o poetr%' De)artmental Ditties and other poems ollowed' such as :arrack/room :alladas 1*29C3' The e%en
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UNIT 49
eas 1*29+3' The Fi%e Nations 1*9<@3' Inclusi%e 1erse ;<<=/;>;< 1*9*93 and 0oems* ;<@> 1*9@<3" 5ver the immediatel% ollowin$ %ears he published some o his most exquisite wor&s includin$ his most acclaimed poem 2ecessional" 0e$ardin$ prose wor&s' between *22- and *229 he published six volumes o short stories set in and concerned with the India he had come to &now and love so well" hen he returned to ,n$land he ound himsel alread% reco$niJed and acclaimed as a brilliant writer" ,arlier prose wor&s include 0lain Tales from the Hills 1*2223' oldiers Three 1*2223' The 0hantom 2icksha' 1*2223' ee illie inkie 1*2223' !ife’s Handica) 1*29*3' -any In%entions 1*29@3' The "ungle :ook 1*2943' .a)tains .ourageous 1*29-3' The Days’s ork 1*2923' and his most amed novel' 9im 1*9<*3" 5ther wor&s ollowed' thus "ust/ so tories for !ittle .hildren 1*9*<3' De,its and .redits 1*9C+3' and !imits and 2ene'als 1*9@C3" 4. BIBLIOGRAPH;
#lexander' A" C<<<" A History of 4nglish !iterature" Aacmillan .ress" 8ondon"
12
