Small Island, Big History: Essays On the British Empire by Christopher Berg

Author:Christopher Berg [Berg, Christopher]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Quest Publications
Published: 2016-03-27T22:00:00+00:00

GOVERNOR-GENERAL CHARLES GORDON AND THE SLAVE TRADE IN EGYT AND SUDAN, 1880

Egypt maintained friendly relations with Great Britain from the time Muhammed Ali saw firsthand the awesome power of the Royal Navy when it bombarded his coastal fortifications in Syria. It seemed a prudent choice to pacify Great Britain rather than rouse her ire. His descendents, too, thought it wise to concede to Britain what she wanted in return for investment capital and her support, both financially and militarily in the region. By the 1870s, Britain's anti--slavery campaign was touching even the remotest parts of the Empire and Egypt was no exception. Egypt was of great strategic importance to Great Britain because of its location as a potential buffer against Russia and other imperial powers. It was also significant in economic terms because of Egyptian control over the Suez Canal and nearly £100 million pounds worth of private financial capital invested in the country. A great deal of effort had been expended in order to make Egypt into a British cash-cow and everything must be done in order to protect such a handsome investment. The Khedive Ismail was well aware of this and when he signed an agreement with Britain banning slavery within his realm, he knew that it was mere lip service. But Britain, in consultation with the Khedive, offered the services of Col. Charles Gordon to oversee the abolition of slavery as acting Governor-General.

The dissemination of British civilization and values began under Lord Palmerston in the 1830s. As foreign secretary and later as prime minister, Palmerston pushed aggressively to inculcate British-ness amongst all the native peoples within the Empire. He sincerely believed, as did many others, that Britain had a divine mandate to spread Christian values, virtue, and higher civilization to all those under their ‘protection’. This was not a passing fancy but a sacred duty entrusted to them by Providence and they would spare no expense in fulfilling this obligation. Charles Gordon exemplified the virtues of that generation and eagerly took up his duties as Governor-General of Equatoria.

Gordon was determined to end slavery though he encountered one obstacle after another. Alice Moore-Harell, formally of Hebrew University, has exhaustively researched Gordon's efforts to eliminate slavery as Governor-General during his first term in the region.[clix] Gordon truly had a Herculean task before him yet he accomplished more in his short tenure than anyone could have expected. Slavery was deeply engrained within African society and was considered a legitimate business venture. There were not a plethora of business opportunities available in southern Egypt, Sudan, or the borderlands. Participation in the slave trade insured a good standard of living and a powerful social network. It provided job security because the demand for slaves was insatiable with the greatest demand coming from the Arabian Peninsula and the Ottoman Empire. The slave trade expanded with the opening of the White Nile and the rising demand for ivory. It was more cost-effective to buy slaves to transport goods across the harsh terrain than it was to sustain a fleet of camels.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.