Did Zhou Hexuan want to say in 1932 that Britain's strength was greatly reduced after World War II and it could not control its many subordinates, so the colonial system was about to collapse?
Of course it's impossible, because that's divination, not an academic lecture.
Zhou Hexuan started talking about it hundreds of years ago: "When the new sea route was opened in the 15th century, Great Britain was only two small kingdoms of England and Scotland, with a total area of only 220,000 square kilometers and a total population of only 6 million. It is different from the current Great Britain.
The Empire on which the Sun Never Sets is in sharp contrast. At that time, Spain and Portugal crossed the Atlantic Ocean and carried out colonial aggression around the Cape of Good Hope. Britain had no confidence in a head-on contest and could only find another way to target the Northern Sea Route and Africa, and pick up a piece of it.
The West was a leftover that Portugal and Portugal could not take care of. Until the Dutch Revolution, Britain seized the opportunity to defeat Spain and finally entered the colonial period of rapid expansion, eventually becoming the most powerful empire in the world."
Many students in the audience had no big reaction, because this is historical common sense and does not need Zhou Hexuan to repeat it.
"Why do I say that the British colonial system is about to collapse?" Zhou Hexuan said with a smile. "For hundreds of years, Britain's management of its colonies has been very chaotic. There is no specialized agency with full responsibility. Instead, it is managed by many different departments. Britain
The king is the supreme ruler of the colony, the Privy Council is responsible for the supreme legal affairs of the colony and issues orders, the Southern Minister is responsible for appointing the colonial governor, the War Department and the Navy Department are responsible for the defense of the colony, and the Parliament is responsible for formulating relevant laws. In this way, the colony becomes
No one cares about it, but everyone can manage it. Each department handles colonial affairs according to its own interests. There is no communication between departments, and there are even situations where the orders of various departments are contradictory. Therefore, although the British institutions for ruling the colonies
It was very large, but overlapping and lax. The administrative efficiency was extremely low, the power structure was dispersed and chaotic, and the British rule over the colonies was actually very weak."
A British student suddenly raised his hand and said: "Mr. Zhou, I would like to interrupt. Why doesn't the British government set up an agency specifically responsible for colonial affairs?"
Zhou Hexuan smiled and said: "This is a good question. There are two main reasons. One is the check and balance of power, and the other is the competition for interests. Once the British government sets up a specialized colonial affairs agency, then this agency will quickly grow into a behemoth, bigger than the internal affairs,
The ministries of foreign affairs, education, etc. must be strong. This is absolutely impossible. Even the King of England will be afraid. At the same time, the power and interests involved in the colonies are rich, and every department is jealous. It is impossible for them to give up their rights and interests. Therefore,
"The problem with Britain's weak governance over the colonies is not that no one wants to change it, but that it is impossible to change it."
The student said: "I understand, Mr. Zhou, please continue."
"Let's take a look at the types of British colonies," Zhou Hexuan added. "The first is the indirect and direct colonial model. The main example is India. At the beginning, the British government had full power to manage the Indian colonies through the East India Company. By the time Napoleon swept across Europe
During the period, the British government weakened the East India Company and directly managed India. The second was a composite colony, represented by North America, which was jointly managed through the Colonial Trade Bureau, Governor, Council of Counselors and Parliamentarians. The third was a highly autonomous type, such as Canada and Australia.
In New Zealand and so on, the governor has a high degree of autonomy. The fourth is the war coercion type, such as Hong Kong. The British used force and war to force China to cede the concession and take it as its own, establishing direct colonial rule."
The future British Prime Minister Attlee nodded repeatedly as he listened. He had also studied the British colonies and even studied such advanced topics as "the possibility of Indian autonomy", so he believed that Zhou Hexuan's classification of colonial types was very accurate.
Zhou Hexuan said with a smile: "From a historical perspective, although the number of British colonies is increasing, its colonial system is declining step by step. The first is the North American composite colony, where the local Native Americans were basically killed by white people, but
The countries that immigrated from Europe gradually formed a new nation, the American nation. Whether culturally, economically, or politically, the new nation was eager to break away from the mother country, hence the American Revolution. From this point of view, the American composite
The traditional colonial rule model is completely unworkable, so the British government chose to change its methods to allow white-dominated colonies such as Canada and Australia to have a high degree of autonomy, weakening the independent resistance consciousness in these places. But I dare to predict that as long as the British native power further declines,
, these highly autonomous regions will gradually move toward independence."
"Looking at Indian-type colonies, the main people in these colonies are foreign nationalities, culturally very different from the British. The British must rely on force suppression and profit inducement to maintain the normal operation of the colonies. And the colonized peoples
They will resist again and again, and each large-scale wave of resistance will weaken Britain's local dominance and increase Britain's colonial maintenance costs. Once the anti-colonial wave reaches an uncontrollable level, Britain will not only be unable to profit from the colonies,
Instead, a blood transfusion is needed to the colony.”
"As for colonies that are coercive by force, such as Hong Kong. This is a territory where the dominant country exists. It is dangerous and unpredictable. Maybe one day when China becomes strong, it will inevitably take back Hong Kong with all its strength."
"Morally, colonial rule is a barbaric, bloody and inhumane act, especially in Africa and Asia. With the spread of the concept of country and nation, the struggle of the colonized groups will inevitably become more and more intense. This is an unstoppable historical development.
trend."
"During the European War (World War I), Britain destroyed 8 million tons of ships, accounting for more than 70% of the total tonnage of merchant ships. The number of naval deaths was close to 30,000. Britain had essentially lost its maritime hegemony. Due to the post-war economic decline, the huge
The colonial system has become difficult to maintain, resulting in the weakening of its dominance over the colonies."
"In order to restore its own strength, Britain intensified its plunder of colonies after the war, which led to an increasingly active wave of resistance in the colonies. The highly autonomous colonies did not want to transfuse blood for the mother country. This is not just talk. Just last year, the British Parliament passed
The "Act of Westminster" recognized the independent country status of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and South Africa, and Egypt gained independence 10 years ago."
"Britain's global colonial system has developed to the point where only the direct rule type and the force oppression type are left. These two types are the most bloody and brutal, and the easiest to lose control. At the same time, they must also prevent emerging countries from coveting, such as Japan and Germany.
and Italy, to seize British colonies through war."
"And the United States is also a competitor of the United Kingdom. The normal practice of the United States is not to rely on war to rob. As long as the United States is given a good opportunity, the United States will definitely help the colonies become independent, so that it has the right to intervene in these areas."
"Now there is only one war left. As long as another war breaks out in Europe and Britain's strength weakens, the world's colonial pattern will be reshuffled..."
Immediately afterwards, Zhou Hexuan elaborated on the resistance of the first colony and related it to the expansion of global fascist forces. He spoke for about two hours and made the dilemma of the British government very clear, making all the students who attended the lecture realize that Japan
The sun that never sets on the empire is almost setting.
Students from Asia, Africa and Latin America and other backward areas showed joy, while students from the UK felt very frustrated.
"Pah, pah, pah!"
Applause rang out and the students began to ask questions enthusiastically.
When Zhou Hexuan left the classroom, Attlee couldn't help but ask: "Mr. Zhou, how do you think Britain should deal with itself in the future?"
Zhou Hexuan smiled and said: "Take the initiative to give up colonies and try to maintain influence on the original colonies. Human civilization is moving forward, and the colonial era will eventually end. Britain should maintain its gentlemanly demeanor."
"Perhaps, this is the only way." Attlee couldn't help but sigh.
As Zhou Hexuan said, Britain's influence on the colonies is getting weaker and weaker. A few years ago, Attlee also participated in the study of Indian autonomy. That is India, the jewel in the crown of the British Empire. The British government actually began to consider letting
Indian autonomy (a high degree of autonomy for the Governor-General) shows how bad the British Empire had become.
It was not until 15 years later that Attlee had become the British Prime Minister. When he recognized the independence of India and Pakistan, he told international reporters: "Fifteen years ago, a Chinese scholar told me that human civilization is moving forward.
The colonial era will eventually end. Today I am honored to be a promoter of civilization and progress. I feel very proud. The British people and the Indian people will always be good friends. I hope that the two countries can progress and develop together."
Of course Attlee was speaking in a casual way. After he became the British Prime Minister, he even invited Zhou Hexuan to be his international affairs adviser. He would make an international long-distance call every two to three months on average.