Burmese Days: an Example of Imperialism Essay

The situation depicted by Suu Kyi in Burma is of political injustices; the rights of the Burmese to free and fair elections in a democratic nation are negated by despotic leaders who do not practice the Buddhist traditions. According to Austin (82) Suu Kyi became the voice of the people and through her the masses have seen the authoritarian rule which is not acting in their best interests. King presents the social injustices that the blacks and the minorities in American society face. The

This led to a focus on a trading system because Europeans didn’t want to take on territorial responsibilities. During the Old imperialism era, Europeans set up trading posts, ports, and docks. These trading centers benefited the places the mother country was supplying too. They had objectives to protect their trading centers in native places and none to obtain territories in them. Europe’s trade within and between native lands led to cultural diversity which may have caused a small breach in unity. However, the old Imperialism era ended due to high costs in taking over territories and too much time to supply the mother country. There was no time to build up a superior, organized, skilled army for anyone. Also, due to the Industrial Revolution there was now a faster more efficient way to create and manufacture products. Throughout Western Europe, political authority was completely controlled by central governments, while leaders, such as Isabela I, were busy with the concept of how to increase the power of the state. National wealth was widely viewed as the groundwork of national power, governmental controls soon dominated nearly all of the state's domestic economy.

Illnesses such as smallpox killed the majority of Native American populations significantly weakening the Naive Americans allowing for Europeans to more easily conquer them. The transfer of crops from the Americas to Europe allowed for a more population growth and shaped their cuisine to this day. Potatoes and native to the Americas yet they are and were a staple of European diets, most notably the Irish. European discovery of resources in the Americas led to millions of African slaves being shipped to the Americas to work in mines or plantations. This widespread slave trade has influences race relations to this day.

The British colonization of Burma created a racial boundary that had the Burmese dealing with white European supremacy since day one. It is evident throughout George Orwell’s novel, Burmese Days, that the main theme is the superiority of the white Europeans over the non-white Burmese. The white Europeans are extremely racist, sexist, and self centered. The social class system in this novel seems to be a two-tier system. The top tier being the white European elite, while the bottom tier seems to be the rest. The non-white Burmese people constituted the rest. These non-whites are considered second nature to the Europeans and hold such titles and jobs as peasants and servants. Elizabeth often refers them to as “beastly”. She is an

At the same time, the narrator is also the victim of the Imperialism System itself. Under the system, it seems that the British manipulate the Burmese, but in reality, it is the opposite situation. The Burmese had the control over the British, especially people like the author who worked in a country under colonization. Orwell

During the European age of expansion in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, various European nations were colonizing the newly discovered Americas. Spain and France would become prominent players in the Western Hemisphere, both conquering and colonizing new territories. However, each country had different methods of developing their colonies in the New World. Spanish and French settlements contrasted greatly with one another in terms of economic development and Native American relations.

European weaponry first and foremost made it possible for those nations to dominate indigenous people to submit to their will in terms of trade. It even opened up new regions such as Japan that had previously only allowed very minor outside trade. With steamboats that could navigate upstream British soldiers were able to traverse up the Yangtze River and

Logos is used to show logic and persuade an audience by reason. When the author talks about the irony and the reality of imperialism, he compares himself to the figure of a sahib. The comparison to the sahib is a term that was used to name aristocratic rulers. It is an important symbol of their cultural image. British imperialism is a hostile environment and does not justify exploitation by controlling the Burmese people. The story sets the tone of the author’s story to be un-comforting. This story shows his flaws and how he taunts others, even his own people of Burma.

Prior to the 19th century imperialism of both Africa and Asia, revolutions and changes of territories led the Europeans to colonize these continents. The industrial revolution was a major impact to new imperialism. This revolution raised Europe’s economy and forced them to find new opportunities to sell the goods they have produced. Also, the change and loss of territories around the world meant a decline of power for Europe, and yet another reason to imperialize. The 19th century imperialism of Africa and Asia was caused by the industrial revolution because of goods, resources, and new markets in their countries. The industrial revolution also influenced imperialism based on the military and technological advances, such as the invention of

They would go get new raw materials, so they would be able to sell to a new market of people. Secondly, both the Americans and Europeans were both strong in nationalism, which led to competition between countries which made the people of these countries go out and look for areas that they can conquer. Racism was also a factor in Imperialism. Americans and the Europeans and their white race felt they were the best in the world and thought what they stood for was the best, so they wanted

From the start, there were many beneficial reasons for a European nation to imperialize, and by far, one of the most appealing reasons to imperialize other nations was access to raw materials. By the late 1800s, many European nations were seeing rapid growth in industry and manufacturing, but did not have the resources within their continental borders

There were many large-scale transformations that the European empires generated. One of the many examples of the transformations would be the fall of the Native American civilizations. When the Europeans started to build their empire, the Native American population started to fall. Another example would be that the European and African peoples started to construct new societies within the Americas. Silver mines in Mexico and in Peru started the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean trade. The Europeans also exchanged plants and animals with the Americas

Physically, Europeans were more advanced in weapons and disease prevention. Making advances in medicine was very important because, malaria was a prevalent disease that killed many Europeans, discouraging colonies to be made in Africa. Now learning how to combat it was

much on the net about Burmese Days that one can look over when getting ready to write an essay. I have provided one I wrote that is about 2 1/2 pages long and outlines some basic themes as well as analyzes the main character. Tell me what you guys think:

In 1989 the country formerly known as Burma switched its name to Myanmar, meaning the “fast and strong people”. Burma or Myanmar, began as individual states with several powerful monarchs, over time the British government took over. This resulted in the First Anglo-Burmese War that lasted from 1824-1826. The most respected of Myanmar’s military leaders during the war was Maha Bandula, who later died in battle. The British went on to win the war and separate Myanmar into separate colonies in favor of certain ethnicity. Burma gained its independence when a group called the “Thirty Comrades” created the Burmese Independence Army and fought with Japan in World War II. The Army believe that if Japan won then they would grant their country freedom, however when Japan began to weaken the group immediately informed the British Military and agreed to help the British win the war. Aung San was the leader of Burma at the time, and he establish the Burmese Independence Army and later went on to see Burma separate from Britain, however when he assumed the position of leader of his new country he and his cabinet members were assassinated by an opposition group. U Nu, a former cabinet member, he became Burma’s new leader. At last, Burma was given its independence on January 4, 1948. However, the new nation was consistently provoked by ethnic communities and opposition groups, this resulted in multiple civil wars. 10 years later, U Nu was taken