Instruments of Power
8
Instruments of Power
How Britain kept their colonies
Introduction
The Premise of this presentation is, that countries and regions brutally conquered by someone who says they are better than everyone don’t usually agree with either the statement, nor the circumstance of being conquered.
All people have a free will.
Instruments of Power used in history by the British Empire
Instruments
Political
-Creating Puppet States that gave the illusion of national independence to a colony, while keeping power over it. Example: Nationalization of the EIC in form of the British Raj
-Or unusual methods, such as getting a population addicted to a certain drug, copious amounts of which are supplied by them. And if said drug gets banned, militarily intervening with the “legitimacy” of defending free trade. Example: Opium in China
Economical
-Economically undermining the colonies, through taxing and exploiting them, as well as isolating them to the point where they are solely dependent on british products, which they obviously only get if they “behave”
Economical
Religious
-Using Religion as a form of manipulating a people towards their goals. Doing this by, for instance, controlling religious leaders or spreading misinformation through established contacts.
Religious
British Military Doctrine
Militarily
-Small stationed garissons
-Reinforced with conscripted locals
-Strong reaction force coming from britain in case of an attack
Brutality
A chief weapon for any ruler is always horror and inhumanity.
Example: Systematically deporting or murdering the male population of a region to deplete it from potential fighters.
Specific Examples
-Opium Wars in China
-Fighting the Continental System in Europe
-British India
-Attack on Copenhagen (twice)
Conclusion
Rebellion under oppression is inevitable, fighting it is prolonging the even more inevitable.