John A. Hobson Quotes
It is difficult for the strongest advocate of national rights to assert that the people in actual occupation or political control over a given area of the earth are entitled to do what they will with "their own," entirely disregarding the direct and indirect consequences of their actions upon the rest of the world.
Hobson, like Mark Twain in America, was a major critic of imperialism.
John A. Hobson, 1858–1940, English economist, social scientist & political critic, Imperialism and the Lower Races, Part II: The Politics of Imperialism, Imperialism, A Study, 1902
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This is one of he earliest uses of the term “policemen of the world.”
Given the time, Mill’s view on the colonies were appreciated by few Englishmen, but turned out to be exactly predict the British reality a century later.
The message was conveyed by the Secretary of State, Sir George Calvert (Lord Baltimore). Parliament and the British King were jockeying for position in their relative powers. King James took the position that Parliament could NOT make laws that affected the American Colonies. Parliament disagreed. Later, some of the American patriots would use this quotation to claim that they were only subject to the King and not to Parliament. For related quotes on the King/Parliament issue, see {639144}, {639143}, {639142}, {639141}, {639140}, & {639137}
Even into the 21st century, the problem was not solved and Muslims from Pakistan continue their futile but tragic terrorist tactics to try and acquire more territory from India." 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma
Hobson, like Mark Twain in America, was a major critic of imperialism.
The White Africaners were attacking the Blacks to force them off their land so the Afrkaners could take over. The country was under British rule and the unarmed Blacks were being slaughtered by the Afrikaners who were British Subjects. Eventually the Boer War set the English against the Afrikaners. See {583902} for a related quotation.
In 1884 Germany had become active in its colonization and outmaneuvered England in taking over Cameroon. Then Germany showed some interest in a part of New Guinea. The English resisted, not for any geopolitical reasons but because the British leaders did not want to be bested by Bismarck.
The Japanese diplomats of the day maintained that in addition to the special needs of Japan {616181} and {616183}, the “white” powers had colonies and if they left Korea, white nations would simply come in and annex it as a colony. The Japanese saw this as a double standard—white nations could have colonies but Asian nations, no. In reality, Colonialism was fading even in the white nations but Japan was coming to it anew. Their timing was on the wrong cusp of history. The example of Ireland transformed to an independent republic shortly thereafter. For colonialism, the handwriting was on the wall but the Japanese preferred not to look at the trend but the then status quo.
He was addressing the Conservatives of Ulster, the Northern Ireland province that was the center of the Orangemen movement of Irish Protestants who were fighting to retain 'Protestant Ascendency' -- which was the social, political and cultural domination of the Protestants (the minority) over the Catholics (the majority). This was best achieved by keeping Ireland a part of Great Britain as opposed to having Ireland as a separate, independent country.
John Atkinson Hobson was an English economist and social scientist. Hobson is best known for his writing on imperialism, which influenced Vladimir Lenin and his theory of underconsumption.
