Ramachandra Guha: Most of the former colonies have long since outgrown Empire - IQ2 debates

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Ramachandra Guha speaking in favour of the motion "Britain's former colonies should stop blaming the Empire for their ills" at Cadogan Hall in London on 17th November 2011.
Event info:
The British Empire has a mixed legacy. On the plus side we brought railways, the rule of law and the English language, the world's lingua franca, to far-flung places. But it's also true that in the aftermath of WWII our rapid retreat from Empire was a bit too hasty: colonial administrators with little understanding of local history or culture created new countries by drawing lines on the map, ignoring the affiliations of religion, tribe or language.
So it's hardly surprising that our former colonies blame us for the subsequent wars and tensions that continue to this day in places such as Kashmir and parts of Africa. But isn't it all too easy for corrupt and unpopular leaders to use the Empire as a scapegoat for their failings? 60 years on, isn't it time for our former colonies to take responsibility for themselves? Who's right? Who's wrong? Come to the debate and decide for yourself.

[@CountArtha]

India has taken off like a rocket since the Nineties when they FINALLY learned to love capitalism. Better late than never.

[@DipakBose-bq1vv]

IMF gave India $2.5 billion as loan. As a result India lost at least $2600 billion during the last 25 years for ever.

[@razorloboerrol]

@@DipakBose-bq1vv check your math . It makes no sense. Kindly give me a proper source.

[@wtfamiactuallyright1823]

I'll be taking a closer look into this guys work. 😀

[@mamtaraj8674]

Admirer of Mr Guha. Surprised to see his essays in The Telegraph from Kolkata. But I cannot agree on few points given by him.

[@sppk100]

Really Mr.Guha is a great intellectual..

[@shivamdutta5737]

Speech given much before Indians realised what Hinduphobia is!

[@maddynav4u]

He didnt even mentioned about economic drain of wealth from India escpecially. If he did then you wouldnt be even laughing in a teasing manner then. Why do you guys not encourage world to be a peaceful place rather then always criticizing the nations which are emerging!?

[@denverbritto5606]

That's because the "drain theory" has long been discredited by historians and economists starting with Kirti Chaudhury in the 1960s and continuing with Bishnupriya Gupta and others today.

[@wolfsettgast4945]

disappointingly resentful

[@firehot006]

Lol. It's hard to look up to India as a massive success story right now seeing as they have fallen flat on their face at the Olympics this year. But, I'm sure things will change for them in the future! Plus you can't judge a country just by sporting success....

[@himanshusingh5214]

Olympics needs money, Just look at how much Britain spend last year.

[@saketpatil1306]

Yo u lack common sense, people here don't have privilege as west, so they don't have time for nonsense like sports, but yea in few decades india will be on top

[@firehot006]

@@saketpatil1306 don’t have time for nonsense like sport? So why do they have time for so much cricket then? Moron comment.

[@saketpatil1306]

@@firehot006 oh my god you are alive 😱😱😱😱😱😱 Lol u didn't understand the tone of my comment (our parents here tell us that sports is nonsense from childhood bcoz economic conditions are not that great so just get a SECURE job) but now it's just changing, just see in next 10 years you will hear indians winning in Olympics.