In his famous book “Modern Times: A History of the World from the 1920s to the 1980s“, Paul Johnson made some interesting reflections on colonialism and the “white man’s burden”. He argues that a simple and cheap interpretation of colonialism as a tool for vacuuming resources from underdeveloped landscapes does not reflect reality – in many cases colonies were more prestigious and some colonies were even the target of large-scale infrastructure investments – such as railways in India, Congo roads, ports in Malaysia etc…
When I was in Kyrgyzstan, this post-Soviet country, I expected a strong national mentality in terms of “liberation from the Russian yoke” and pride in an independent landscape. I was surprised how the majority population adored the centuries-old Russian and Soviet past, arguing: “The Russians built our roads, introduced gas pipelines and electrification.” My surprise grew with the fact that children from better families go to Russian-language schools and knowledge of Russian is a sign of good education…