BRITISH IMPERIALISM

Wanganui Chronicle, 10 May 1947, Page 7

BRITISH IMPERIALISM

SOME REFLECTIONS (By Wickham Steed.) Three interesting and seemingly unconnected episodes in the past few days have caused me to reflect upon what is sometimes called “British Imperialism.” The first was the visit to England of Mr. Henry Wallace, former Vice-President of the United States. The second was a proposal made by a delegate from Georgia, the native land of Premier Stalin, to the Asian Relations Conference at Delhi. The third was the issue f?om New Delhi, at the request of Viscount Mountbatten, Viceroy of India, of an appeal signed jointly by the foremost Hindu leader, Mahatma Gandhi, and Mr. Jinnah, President of the Muslim League, to the Indian peoples to refrain from the use of force against each other and to avoid lawlessness in pursuit of their aims.

Last September in New York, Mr. Henry Wallace, while still a member of President Truman’s administration, publicly denounced “British imperialism” as seeking to “drag the United States into war.” During his visit to this country, Mr. Henry Wallace repeatedly denounced the “imperialism” of the United States as tending to lead .the world into war. He also took occasion to praise British policy in India and elsewhere for its tendency to promote freedom and independence of the peoples. Since there has been no change either in the British Government or in “British imperialism” since last September, the reason for Mr. Wallace’s change of view was not evident.

The proposal unexpectedly made 1o the Asian Relations Conference at Delhi by a delegate from the Soviet Republic of Georgia was that English should be chosen as the language of communication between the Asian peoples. He said that English as the international language of commerce was the obvious choice. Mahatma Gandhi agreed with his view at the concluding session of the Conference. This strikes me as a remarkable development in an organisation designed to promote national consciousness among the Asian peonies. The Conference was called bv the Indian Council of World Affairs at the suggestion of Pandit Nehru. Hindu vicePremier in the Provisional Indian National Government. Representatives from 24 Asian countries took part in it, including six republics In the Soviet. Union. Why. it may be asked, should English have been recommended as f he language of this Arian movement? The answer may be that the national independence of India, with her scores of languages and dialects, would hardly have been conceivable without the vse of English as a common tongue bv the educated Hasses of the many Indian peonies. It is a fact--which is often overlooked and sometimes deliberately ignored-—that British administrators in India have long cherished the ideal of creating a united Indian nation fit and able in the course of time to manage its own affairs.

This ideal was proclaimed more than a century ego by the great English historian, Macaulay. who worked for some years in India. Lorr Beveridge, author of the famous social insurance scheme for Britain, who was born in India as the son of a prominent British, administrator, has recorded the fact that his father more than fiftv years ngo advised an Indian Public Services Commission that the whole administration of the country should become Indian and that European interest should bo limited mainly to trade and commerce. Like most British officials, Lord Beveridge’s lather was interested in the Indian people, and sought to foster their political independence.

Hitherto a main obstacle to the a! tainment of Indian unity and independence has been the fierce antagonism between th? Hindu and the Muslim, and to some extent the Sikh rer.fious communities. H has often boon pretended that this antagonism was encouraged, if not created, by the British administration on the principle of “divide and rule.” In reality the anlagdnisrq, has been as deeprated ;y; was the ill-feeling between Ihe l-lugenots and Prote-danls In France, and tin' It .nndheads and the •'aval'lers in England and Scotland, airing the sevelHe.nl I) (<”‘.tur\. 1 i inctnber cli*i iissin•it with Malialin?. Canili him-.elf jome seventeen year* "•o, bill when I urged him to remove Hie obstacle to India”, freedom by . ombining with the ■ Muslims, he an•wered sorrowful!- that he had no ‘inner light’ upon the subject.