Look at how the British covered India with railroads, and it is easy to view them as modernisers. Look, however, at the abysmal levels of mass illiteracy in the subcontinent they left behind in 1947, and they appear rather differently.
Interpretation
The quote highlights the contrast between the advancements brought by British modernization and the failures in education that persisted after colonial rule.
Linda Colley's quote reflects on the dual nature of colonialism in India, pointing out that while the British introduced infrastructure such as railroads, they simultaneously neglected vital educational developments, resulting in a legacy of mass illiteracy. This juxtaposition challenges the perception of colonial powers as solely benefactors of progress by emphasizing the negative impacts of their role in society and the lasting consequences of their governance.
In practice
In a discussion on the impacts of colonialism in a history class.
Empire in the past was always a far harsher and much more accident-prone business than conventional history books imply. And the costs of these overseas invasions were borne not just by those on the receiving end but - frequently - by ordinary, vulnerable people among or associated with the invaders.
Much of how Americans have always understood their history, culture, and identity depends on positioning Europe as the 'other,' as that 'old world' against which they define themselves.
Vietnam was the defining event for my generation. It spilled over into all facets of American life - into music, into the pulpits, in churches of our country. It spilled over into the city streets, police forces. And even if you were born late in the generation, Vietnam was still part of your childhood.
What distinguishes the historian from the collector of historical facts is generalization.
The Battle of France is over. The Battle of Britain is about to begin. Upon this battle depends the future of Christian civilisation.
One might have thought that 70 years was time enough to work out what really happened in 1939. It isn't the case. Misunderstandings and misinformation abound.
When I was a boy we didn't wake up with Vietnam and have Cyprus for lunch and the Congo for dinner.
The infant periods of most nations are buried in silence or veiled in fable; and the world perhaps has lost but little which it needs regret. The origin and outset of the American Republic contain lessons of which posterity ought not to be deprived: and happily there never was a case in which every interesting incident could be so accurately preserved.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.