The British Thought about Colonialism - Literature review Example

CRITICAL THINKING In 18th and 19th centuries Europe was engulfed and pre-occupied by colonialism. The British thought were more pre-occupied of colonialism than any other country in Europe or rather in the whole world. The British were the thirstiest than the French, Portuguese or the Dutch in establishing their colonial rule. Catherine Hall depicted the overall picture of the powerful whites as the dignified aristocrats with no interest in lesser lives like the middle-class and poor ones. They know only one thing to show their masculinity by their mighty power to suppress the oppressed and rule them as their masters.

In colored community, very less skill level people are there and job opportunities are more in the manufacturing sector, women and racial or ethnic minorities are less to posses the human capital and its characteristics are associated in its job opportunities. To get a job one has to be skilled in a particular area. Every company looks for an ideal candidate who should be an asset to the company and should not become a liability. Colored groups (immigrants from Asia and Africa) earn less compare to whites.

So which is different wages for each category or group. In cultural context colored women are not allowed to grow in their career life or in personal life, they prefer not to work outside the home. Compared to colored the Whites are more liberal and enjoy gender equality provided by the European countries constitutional laws. Whatever the reasons there still exists inequality among these groups. The Morant Bay issue shows how the English tends to show their prevalent masculinity and representations in the ascension to power of the middle class whose concept of gentility was based on religion and dignity.

In this case Thomas Carlyle and John Stuart Mill stood up to for those who are oppressed under the whites. But as we go through the case it can be seen that their arguments depict of keeping a master-slave relationship and not that of a man fighting for human justice and human rights. As Carlyle perpetuates "necessary dependence between master and slave" (Hall, 1992, p.266) noting that "men, to be men should act" (Hall, 1992, p.260) which represents words of Englishmen who believes it is the right of whites to stand up and represent the oppressed.

In Mill's point of view is that a Christian should be given equal rights irrespective of their ethnicity. The society of England changed, as the First World War started. At the beginning of the 20th century, the army constituted 247,437, and the British Army was not a large employer in the nation as actually it should be. During the war, the people of many different classes, and people of all the empires came together, the mixing became the great leveler that led to social change after the war.

References Hall, C., 1992, 'Competing Masculinities: Thomas Carlyle, John Stuart Mill and the Case of Governor Eyre' in White, Male and Middle-Class, Routledge, London, pp. 254-295. Fanon, F., 1967, 'The Man of Color and the White Woman' in Black Skin White Masks, Grove Press, New York, pp. 63-82.