Why is the UK so poor after it stole so much from other countries with the Briti

Question: Why is the UK so poor after it stole so much from other countries with the British Empire!?
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

I wouldn't say that they are poor!. But a time will come when its pay back for all the atrocities they committed during their rule!. Do you think a nation can do such terrible things without Karma coming back to bite them in the rear!? Their problems now might just be the start of it!. A lot of history is just a one sided opinion, but what they did in those times was horrible!. Anyone can see that!.

EDIT- Nat N, I AM black American!. My ancestors were the victims!. How ignorant can YOU be!? Fool!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

it didn't steal ,it did exploit raw materials but it invested in other countries with the infrastructure remaining a huge investment in the other developing country and it populated , now generations on , the mother country has cut its ties with the empire almost and its markets and raw materials needs to be paid for at a not too competitive price !. it's export market has all but diminished leaving a declining economy and society , typical rise and fall of an empire !. and it is not that poor as a country !. EDIT - the cotton industry is a shining example of rise and fall of social and economic complex systems , britain trades in slaves ( sold by fellow africans too)
invests in raw material ( cotton ) keeps manufacture of retail goods ( clothing) in mother country and sells to dependencies ( U!.S!.A!. Canada ) , one of the greatest economic triangles of all time !. Different time , different mentality , expansionism and competition between spain france , also comes into the arguement bigger than the internet , there's only the elgin marbles and i think they have gone back to Greece !.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Your question contains almost as many errors as words!.
First, Britain is not a poor country!. While it has been surpassed by the USA and some others, it remains in the top ten!.
Secondly, little of its wealth was stolen!. Trade is not theft!. You may say, Britain stole the tea from India and the rubber from Malaya, but excuse me!.!.!.Britain BROUGHT those commodities there!.
Thirdly, having an empire is not necessary for riches!. Switzerland never had colonies, nor did Scandinavia in any number!.
Fourthly, having been a colony does not make a country poor!. Hong Kong was a colony until recently!. The USA started out as colonies!.
On the other hand, Nepal was never a colony!. Afghanistan was never a colony!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Britain is not poor but suffers the fate of many industrialized nations in that manufacturing has shifted to third world countries and left blue collar workers unemployed!. Many small town economies were based on the manufacturers based there!. Education and alternate job training has not been integrated properly to train these blue collar workers in obtaining new positions!. America faces the same challenge!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

The UK isn't poor!. It's one of the richest countries in the world!. I've been to England, it's very nice!. It's just not a global military or political superpower anymore, although it is still a prominent player on the world stage!.

And how many lives did the British Empire save by introducing modern medicine, infrastructure, and capitalism to Third World countries!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

203 is absolutely spot on! the G8 nations are the wealthiest on the planet and we are in there! Look at the size of this place and see how vast the Empire was, we have no reason to suspect that we are poor!. We reap the benefits of our shady Imperialist past and present!

And to suggest that we as a nation did not profit from the slave trade is an absolute non starter!. Vast fortunes were made fuelled by a trade which provided the best turnover, no charge for labour whilst producing commodities which drove the Industrial revolution!. The Tate Gallery which houses some of the world's most valuable art!?!?!? Named after the sugar magnates, guess who grew that then!?

Check out Reynolds book Stand the StormWww@QuestionHome@Com

Your knowledge of slavery is lacking!. Your knowledge of definitions is lacking (NO SURRENDER was being a jerk but not racist!. He was also only being a jerk because your question is the question of a jerk)!.

Do you fail to realise that America is in trillions of debt even though it expolits the former colonised states in Africa by underpaying them for mass produced cash crops making exportation from those countries so great that they are left with insufficient food for their own populations!.

Unlike you I am not a report monkey but if I were I would be highly tempted to report you for what is a highly leading and bigotted question!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

First of all the UK isnt poor by any standard except in your imagination!.
Secondly the Colonial countries always invested far more in the countries that they colonized than they ever took out + they traded modern government, modern medicine, military aide, land and building development, in trade for tea and spices!!!
These countries are only modern today through contact with the West!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Living costs and taxes ain the U!.K are among the highest in the world!. also there is a very high rate of immigration putting burden on the countires benefit system!.

also to Sparkle "they should pay for the horrfic acts which they commited" I'm not being funny but do you think you should pay for the way your ancestors treated black slaves!? How ignorant can you be!?

Answer sparkle - my point is exactly that!. Your ancestors were the victim but also you are blaming a country for the act of those in power which if the same logic were applied would mean that you be held responsible for those same acts being a decedent of those now running your country!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Britain is the 5th richest country in the world out of @194 countries so your question is a bit silly really!.

However if you want to know were the money from the empire went well, two world wars put a dent in it but it really is a silly question as it is based on a misconception!.

Www@QuestionHome@Com

OK Dud, some interesting points, obviously aimed at provocation!. So hear goes!.

The quick answer is two world wars!. Britain lost its empire because, in order to face the tyrany which would have dominated the world and which American would not face upto until the 11th hour (Only joining in on the second round after the Japanese attacked and Hitler declared war on America)!. Many Americans viewed WW2 as little more than tribal warfare amongs the inbred Europeans!.

Unfortunately, although we might have recovered from the first world war, the only way that we were going to make it through the second was via deficit financing (the equivelent of blowing huge wads using the credit card)!. Unfortunately, many post war governments, mainly labour, believed in continuing the use of deficit financing!. Combine this with the greater union power, which increased wages with little productivity and you begin to get the idea!.

After all, Britain is just a small island!. Once you no longer have the wealth of india to back up your buying decisions!.!.!.!.!.

As well as poor Labour policies, Thatcher destroyed much of our industrial capacity in the early 80s, hoping to turn us into Europes warehouse!. Sort of a Euro Hong Kong!. She also saw us developing our service industries, like Banking!. The problem was that the Eurpeans did not need our warehousing, since they could do that themselves!. Service industries only give 1/3 the revenue of production industries!.

Europe is the other issue!. We were faced with a choice!. We could join Europe and be a part of a big, happy trading power, or we could stand alone and try and compete against the might of Europe, America and Asia on our own!. We therefore had to merge much of our Economic resources within the European constraints!.

However, this is the way of empires!. Look at Rome!. Other than the fact that the Vatican acts as the centre of a certain faith, Italy has little going for it!. It is still corupt and has known great poverty and starvation!. Even in the late 19C Italy was dirt poor, thats before 2 world wars!.

What about the Persian Empire, or the Ottoman!?

What of the once proud Greece!.

What of America!? You are in decline!. You just don't know it yet!. China and India are rising stars, especially now that Russia has formed an alliance!. I give your Empire 50 yrs, tops!. (You might not call it an empire, but if it looks like an empire (Economic Imperialism anyone!?), feels like an empire and behaves like an empire!.!.!.!.!.)

As for the slaves thing!. The situation is more complex than you allow!. The Blackbirders left liverpool, stopped off on the West coast, before picking up slaves, dropping any sickly off at the West indies and then depositing them in America!. However, the West coast of Africa was known as the White Mans Graveyard!. This was primarily due to malaria!. We never penetrated the centre!. That is because the Africans themselves collected the slaves, usually from other tribes/factions and delivered them to the waiting ships!.

Britain was the first to pull out of slavery, it is why Freetown got its name!. The Royal Navy would then inforce anti slavery law, boarding ships and freeing slaves etc!.

It took America a civil war to free slaves on paper!. But you still have not totally freed your slaves!. Martin Luther King died well after the civil war!. Bring me your hungry, your tired, ect!. As long as they are not:
Mexican, Chinese, Communist (So much for freedom of speach), Arabs, Indians!. Your track record with the native Americans leads a lot to be desired!. After all, Smallpox was the first successful use of biological warfare!. And your little wars against the plains indian - Ethnic cleansing!?

However, all empires will eventually be accuse of attrocities and theft!. It is what happens after you are no longer the big kid on the block!. The point is that we should learn from it and learn to live with each other!. Don't look for trouble in the past, you will always find it!.

By the way, Guantanimo Bay does sort of rubish your constitution a bit doesn't it!?

Luck

Www@QuestionHome@Com

You are correct when you say our ancestors stole so much from countries within the empire but if you check up on our recent history you will find all of it has been paid back with interest!.

And if you look a little further in history you will find it was the Africans themselves who rounded up and sold the slaves to the slave tradersWww@QuestionHome@Com

Have you any idea how much it costs to Carpet Bomb even a third World Country into obesiance, Iraq, Afghanistan, what used to be Yugoslavia, Loads,I can tell ya!
And do we get any thanks!? no!
And if we try to help Administrate (with tolerance & understanding,of course) we get all the Bleeding Heart Liberals calling us "Empiricists"
The sooner People stop banging on about the so called "Slave Trade"
and who to blame, the sooner we can get on with building a new Empire, based on Exploitation, Fear, and Brutality!.
But not Slavery, cos that would be wrong!.
On, Oh so many levels!.
God Bless, BadBeast x!. Www@QuestionHome@Com

The British Empire has responsibilities towards many of those countries, now!.

also, we allow many immigrants into our country and we bear that financial burden, too!.

Finally, we help many poorer countries with aid every year!.

These are just some reasons why all our supposed wealth has dwindled!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Still obsessing with my country eh Dude!? Maybe you should ask why a country (the USA for example) moralises the rest of the planet about freedoms while openly holding and using torture techniques on prisoners who have never even been charged with a crime!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

America put a very high price on helping us in 2 World Wars!.
How is NO SURRENDER a racist!?
Why does America never mention,that if it wasn't for UK troops helping them during the Korean War,they would have lost it!? Www@QuestionHome@Com

By GDP the UK is the fifth richest nation on Earth and nineteenth by GNI!. Not too shabby!.

Perhaps you can define what you mean by "poor"!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

5 th strongest economy, plenty of money spent on government cars and 2nd homes and the ridiculous Olympic games!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I think it is because we have allowed too many non nationals into the country and like leeches living off the state they are bleeding the lifeblood out of our country!.
Www@QuestionHome@Com

Whatever Yank

Like I'm going to take lectures on morality from people who napalmed Vietnamese children!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

The UK is not poor!.
The wealth is concentrated in a few hands so we have private excess and public squalor like the USAWww@QuestionHome@Com

Most likely because it has to support uneducated folk such as yourself!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

that is really insulting, its like saying why did america have slaves, it was all so many years ago and our country did not profit from any of it, Www@QuestionHome@Com

U!.K!. is one of the richest countries in the world fact!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Because over here in the UK, our government spends too much on crap that we don't need, and on scum that don't deserve it!.Www@QuestionHome@Com