After the fall of The Third Reich, Germany had no choice but to ‘fes up and educate their people on the horrific atrocities committed by the Axis forces over the duration of the Second World War. It was made unequivocally certain that they never forgot what they had done in those long years of massacre and persecution. The heroic deeds and courageous sacrifices made by Britain and its allies during the war are widely celebrated and remembered across the globe. However, “History is written by the victor” (a quote attributed to Winston Churchill, although there being no documented instance of him saying this and no definitive knowledge of its actual origin) seems to be a quote well worth careful consideration given the subject of this article and topics just previously discussed in such. With this now in mind, how much of what we’ve been taught can we really trust and how much has been omitted from our history books? I’m sure we all remember GCSE history; Henry VIII and Britain’s break from Catholicism, 1066 and the Battle of Hastings, even a bit on the beginnings of our archaic system of government. But, curiously, nothing of the genocide committed by the Raj (The British rule of the Indian subcontinent), nothing of the barbaric crusades in the Holy Land and most disgustingly of all, not a single mention of Britain’s fundamental part in the African Slave trade and colonialism. And modern history really isn’t much better I’m afraid. Our involvement in the Middle East over the past nearly three decades has been far from moral and our support of Iraqi rebels and Israel (Israel, by the way, who’s particular favourite pleasurable activity in recent years seems to be playing hide and seek with their civilians in neighbouring Palestine… if hide and seek involved heavily armed Israeli forces seeking fleeing Palestinian civilians and slaughtering them in the streets) seems to be a tad more than questionable. And is any of this even once mentioned by Britain’s education system to the growing and impressionable minds of Britain’s youth? Is it f*ck. We’re taught from a young age, especially in this current political climate of the current Conservative government attempting to impose an abhorrently American brand of nationalism upon us, to be proud of our British heritage and to marvel at our self-proclaimed greatness. But if we really were to take even the slightest glance at our true national heritage, would we be proud? Would we marvel? Or would we stand in awe of the scale of our crimes?
So, to me, Britain calling itself “Great” would be like Piers Morgan claiming to be a sensitive and considerate jar of Gherkins, simply preposterous and nonsensical given the evidence. Unless, of course, we measure greatness in the number of African tribespeople slaughtered or sheer overwhelming grip of bourgeois hands on its populous’ metaphorical bollocks, then I suppose Britain may truly be the greatest.
(Originally written 9/5/2021 on google docs)
