The Rise of the Writers of the Republic of China

Could it be that Zhou Hexuan was going to say in 1932 that the British colonial system was going to collapse because of its great loss of power after World War II and its inability to control many of its younger brothers?

Of course not, because that is divination, not an academic lecture.

Zhou Hexuan started talking hundreds of years ago: "When the new sea routes were opened in the 15th century, Great Britain was just two small kingdoms, England and Scotland, with a total area of ​​only 220,000 square kilometers and a total population of only 6 million people. The empire on which the sun never sets is in stark contrast. At that time, Spain and Portugal carried out colonial aggression across the Atlantic Ocean and around the Cape of Good Hope. The leftovers that the West and Portugal could not take into account. Until the revolution in the Netherlands, Britain seized the opportunity to defeat Spain, and finally entered the colonial period of rapid expansion, and finally became the most powerful empire in the world."

Many students in the audience did not have much reaction, because this is historical common sense, and Zhou Hexuan does not need to repeat it.

"Why do I say that the British colonial system is about to collapse?" Zhou Hexuan laughed. "For hundreds of years, the management of the British colonies has been very chaotic. There is no special agency to take full responsibility, but it is managed by many different departments. The British The king is the supreme ruler of the colony. The Privy Council is responsible for the highest legal affairs and issuing orders of the colony. The Minister of the South is responsible for appointing the governor of the colony. The Ministry of War and the Ministry of the Navy are responsible for the defense of the colony. No one cares, but everyone can manage the situation. Each department handles colonial affairs according to its own interests. There is no communication between the various departments, and there are even situations where the orders of the various departments are contradictory. Therefore, although the British institutions governing the colonies It is huge, but overlapping and lax, with extremely low administrative efficiency, scattered and chaotic power structure, and British rule over the colonies is 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 institution specializing in colonial affairs?"

Zhou Hexuan said with a smile: "This question is well raised. 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 special colonial affairs agency, then this agency will quickly grow into a behemoth. Foreign affairs, education and other ministries must be strong. This is absolutely impossible, and even the British king will be afraid. At the same time, the power and interests involved in the colony are huge, and any department is jealous, and it is impossible for them to give up their rights. Therefore The problem of Britain's weak rule over the colonies is not that no one wants to change it, but that it is impossible to change it."

The student said, "I see, please continue, Mr. Zhou."

"Let's take a look at the types of British colonies again," Zhou Hexuan said again, "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. Until Napoleon swept across Europe During the period, the British government weakened the East India Company to directly manage India. The second is a compound colony, represented by North America, which is jointly managed through the Colonial Trade Bureau, the Governor, the Council of Councilors and members. The third is a high degree of autonomy, such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc., the governor has a high degree of autonomy. The fourth is war coercion, such as Hong Kong, where the British used force and war to force China to cede the concession and establish direct colonial rule."

Attlee, the future British Prime Minister, nodded his head while listening. He has also studied the British colonies, and even studied the advanced topic of "the possibility of Indian autonomy", so he believes that Zhou Hexuan's classification of the colonies is very accurate.

Zhou Hexuan said with a smile: "From a historical point of view, although there are more and more British colonies, the colonial system is gradually declining. First of all, there are complex colonies in North America. The local Native Americans were basically killed by white people, but The white people who immigrated from Europe gradually formed a new nation—the American nation. No matter in terms of culture, economy, or politics, the new nation was eager to leave the mother country, so there was the American War of Independence. From this point of view, The complex colonial rule model in the Americas is completely unworkable, so the British government chose to change its means to allow white-dominated colonies such as Canada and Australia to have a high degree of autonomy, and weaken the sense of independence and resistance in these places."

"Let's look at the Indian-type colonies again. The main population of this type of colony is a foreign nation, and their culture is very different from that of the UK. The UK must rely on force to suppress and lure interests to maintain the normal operation of the colony. And the colonized nation There will be resistance again and again, and each large-scale wave of resistance will weaken Britain's local dominance and increase the cost of British colonial maintenance. Once the anti-colonial wave reaches a point where it cannot be controlled, Britain will not only be unable to profit from the colonies, Instead, blood transfusions to the colonies are needed."

"As for the coercion-type colonies, such as Hong Kong. This is a territory with the existence of a major country, which is dangerous and unpredictable. Maybe one day China will be strong, and it will definitely take back Hong Kong with all its strength."

"And 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 resistance of colonized groups will inevitably become more and more fierce. This is an unstoppable historical development. trend."

"During the European War (World War I), Britain damaged 8 million tons of ships, accounting for more than 70% of the total tonnage of merchant ships, and the death toll of the navy was close to 30,000. Britain has essentially lost its maritime hegemony. Due to the post-war economic decline, the huge The colonial system has become untenable, leading to a weakening of the dominance of the colonies."

"In order to restore its own strength, Britain intensified its plundering of the colonies after the war, which led to an increasingly active wave of resistance in the colonies, and the colonies with a high degree of autonomy did not want to transfuse blood for the mother country. This is not just talk. Just last year, the British Parliament passed The Westminster Act recognized Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and South Africa as independent states, and Egypt gained independence 10 years ago."

"Britain's global colonial system has developed to the point where there are only direct rule and force oppression. These two types are the most bloody and brutal, and the most prone to getting out of control. At the same time, it is necessary to prevent emerging countries from coveting, such as Japan and Germany. and Italy, to rob the British colonies by war."

"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 snatch it. As long as the United States is given a good chance, the United States will definitely help the colonies to 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 colonies, and linked it to the expansion of fascist forces around the world. He spoke for about two hours, explaining the predicament of the British government very clearly, and made the students who listened to the lecture realize that the sun of the empire on which the sun never sets is about to set.

Students from backward regions such as Asia, Africa and Latin America all showed happy expressions, while British students felt very depressed.

"Crack clap clap!"

The applause sounded, and the students began to ask questions enthusiastically.

After Zhou Hexuan left the classroom, Attlee couldn't help asking: "Mr. Zhou, how do you think the future of Britain should be?"

Zhou Hexuan said with a smile: "Voluntarily abandon the colonies and try to maintain the influence of the original colonies. Human civilization is moving forward, and the colonial era will eventually end. Britain should maintain its gentlemanly demeanor."

"Perhaps, that's the only way to go." 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 research on Indian self-government—that was India, the jewel in the crown of the king. The British government actually began to consider allowing India to be self-governing (the governor has a high degree of autonomy), which shows how bad the British Empire has become.

Until 15 years later, when Attlee became the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, 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 come to an end. Today I am honored to be a promoter of civilization and progress. I am very proud. The British people and the Indian people will always be good friends. I hope that the two countries can make progress and develop together.”

Of course, Attlee was speaking on the spot. After becoming the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, this guy even invited Zhou Hexuan to be his international affairs consultant. On average, he would make an international long-distance call every two or three months.