• Wanderer@lemm.ee
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    4 months ago

    Brought law and order to the world. Education. Infrastructure. Destroyed the slave trade. Brought stability and prevented genocides. Created governments. The industrial revolution. Science. Large parts of economics and free trade.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        But isn’t it nice of them to let the Greeks go to see the Elgin Marbles in the British Museum whenever they want for free?

          • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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            4 months ago

            No, it’s free except for special exhibitions. That’s one of the few compliments I’ll give it. That and the curators themselves really know their stuff. There’s a YouTube series where they talk about their areas of expertise. But they don’t get to decide what the museum has acquired and what it is willing to give up.

            https://www.britishmuseum.org/visit

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      I’m pretty sure India had law and order and infrastructure long before the British invaded and colonized it. And Britain benefited from the slave trade for a long time before working to abolish it.

      As far as prevented genocides, I’d ask an indigenous Australian how they feel about Britain preventing genocide.

      • PugJesus@lemmy.worldOP
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        4 months ago

        Honestly, I’m willing to give Britain the slave trade bit. Slavery is ancient, and choosing not just to break free of it, but to actively work for its suppression across the world, deserves some credit, at least.

        The rest, though? Y I K E S