Prime Time 7, Coursebook plus Semester Self-checks

1 The legacy of the Empire Before you read a) All of the countries below used to be part of the British Empire. What do you know about them and what do you associate with them? Consider ethnic, religious, cultural, economic, linguistic and geo­ graphical/territorial issues. 1. Pakistan and India 5. Northern Ireland 2. Israel and Palestine 6. Gibraltar 3. Afghanistan 7. Sri Lanka 4. Iraq 8. Zimbabwe b) In pairs, choose one or two countries from the list above and prepare a short presentation of about two to three minutes. Reading: Consequences of the colonial past Read the text about Britain’s colonial past, then choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D) for questions 1–5. Put a cross ( ✘ ) in the correct box. The first one (0) has been done for you. In the following statements top commentators say what difference they think the imperial past made to the role that Britain plays in the world today. Jack Straw’s statement caused much controversy in Britain at the time. A lot of the problems we are having to deal with now are a consequence of our colonial past. (Jack Straw, British Foreign Secretary, 2001–2006) There is a direct link between failed states and contemporary Islamic terrorism. States like Afghanistan and Pakistan have had huge difficulties in fulfilling the hopes of their citizens and developing genuine legitimacy because they were restricted by borders that made no ethnic, cultural, linguistic or even geographic sense imposed by imperial powers. Discontent at illegitimate regimes led to protest, protest has been crushed and its root causes have not been dealt with. Result: violent terroristic activism. Iraq is inherently unstable. So is the Sudan. (Jason Burke, Chief Reporter) Because of the British Empire and the incredible size that it achieved, Britain has interests and responsibilities on a global scale. Where Jack Straw is wrong is to assume that so many global problems were caused by the Empire. The problems were always there – but the Empire allowed two centuries of breathing space from the bloodshed that had been there before and which was likely to come again. (Andrew Roberts, historian; adapted) Britain’s withdrawal from the Empire often left a great deal of unfinished business. In the case of partition (e. g. Ireland, the British Raj and the Palestinian Mandate), the creation of new states was based primarily on religious affiliation making it harder for post-colonial states to build multi-cultural societies. In other parts of the world, borders were left unresolved (e. g. Belize–Guatemala; Guyana–Venezuela), giving rise to dangerous tensions. In Africa, the “Westminster model” proved difficult to sustain and even more difficult to replace once its reputation had been damaged. Britain’s colonial past is not glorious and the first step is to recognise this, but it does provide an opportunity to contribute to a solution to these problems. (Victor BulmerThoma, Director, Royal Institute of International Affairs; adapted) 1  2  14 The British today Nur zu Prüfzw cken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv