All Britons Benefited From Colonialism — Regardless Of Class

It was not just the lords and ladies of the empire to benefit from Colonialism; even those far from power got some benefit

“My grandfather was a poor farmer in Scotland. He didn’t benefit one jot from the British Empire” shouted the angry man I was chatting to at the pub. “Only those filthy rich merchants and lords did” he continued.

It’s a common statement I’ve heard over the years from those claiming descent from more humble social classes of Britain, but it is not accurate.

Everybody in British society benefited — from Colonialism; it is just that some did more than others.

Those who benefited can be divided into four groups in order of their share:

• Shareholders and investors of ventures in the colonies
• Colonial administrators working in the Colonies
• Residents of the great British port cities and manufacturing towns
• Other denizens of the UK outside of these places

Shareholders and investors