/his/ — Was this the least defensible example of imperialism?

>>18524243 (OP)
How many former western colonies can match Korea and Taiwan in terms of living standard, education level and the level of development after their independence?

The 2nd Anglo Burmese war
>Burma is accused of breaking a couple minor parts of a treaty it has with Britain, so the British send a captain (George Lambert) to conduct some longboat diplomacy
>The Burmese immediately agree to all demands because they know they'd lose any war with Britain
>This isn't enough for Lambert who keeps demanding more and more, even though he wasn't ordered too. The Burmese keep agreeing to everything.
>Suddenly out of nowhere Lambert boards the Burmese royal galley and captures the emperor
>The Burmese declare war on Britain in response. Britain wins as expected and annexes half the country, including it's entire coastline.
The first anglo-burmese war was a legitimate affair, starting when Britain gave some minor support to the arakan, a people conquered by the Burmese and seeking independence. The third at least had the excuse of "they're getting chummy with the French" (I wonder why). The 2nd was entirely because some naval officers wanted to make a name for himself and starting a war despite everyone else in Burma and Britain wanting peace.

>>18524243 (OP)
Unironically probably the most defensible.
The Japanese stated propaganda intentions was liberation, "Asia for Asians". It was a major reason as to why decolonization began immediately in Asia after 1945, while it took until the 1960s until it began in Africa. It was extremely difficult for western powers to return to control after Japans defeat since the Japanese had allowed a lot of self-governing so the locals had gotten a taste for governing themselves.

>>18524254
USA
Canada
Singapore
Hong Kong
and many more, and being wage slaves with zero social mobility in any place in either Japan, Korea or Taiwan is a grim existence, literal rather be a lazy nig in Nigeria than work 12 hour days six days a week to barely compete with American output, ofcourse this doesnt matter to your neet ass

>>18524254
They were dirty poor after independence. Their rise was pretty much their own merit. Together with Singapore they became the only underdeveloped countries to reach developed status

>>18524263
Another thing the Japanese did was dispel the idea that the Europeans were invincible (Britain' defeat at Singapore for example). Which kicked off several independence wars in SEA specifically.

>>18524263
>stated propaganda intentions
Yes, in their propaganda, in reality they forced the Japanese language onto locals, conscripted the men into grueling work and the women into brothels. Confiscated goods and produce produced by these new colonies. They were just as bad as the Europeans, if not worse.
There's a reason the people in Indonesia/Malaya/Vietnam were so effective in fighting their European overlords once they had returned, it's because they had already spent 4 years doing it against the Japanese.

Imperialism is always and under ever circumstances ever observed, a case of common robbery.

The best you can argue is to state that some cases of Imperialism are a strategy of preventive self-defense, i.e., taking control over neighboring countries before other imperial powers do it, since an imperial power next to your homeland increases the likelihood of becoming the next target.

Yet, even this application to the lesser evil or rational self-interest of a state (how ever a state can claim to have the interest of self-preservation at all!) fails if you consider the terrible human consequences. The death of innocents, the spoiling of life opportunities for even generations etc.

I want to remind the reader that we are not living in a world in which morality executes itself. Thus, two things can be true at the same time: Great global powers need to play along with the power games of their time, like the Cold War; from the point of view of the citizen, any single instance of this power play is deeply wrong and makes you a terrible person.

There are still differences in how you do this things. But being a criminal is still being a criminal, no matter what.

>>18524282
Japan getting utterly demolished by the USA reinforced the supremacy of the white man. It was America's subsequent loss to China in Korea that dispelled their aura of invincibility.

>>18524243 (OP)
it's both true that

a. imperial japan helped east asia repel against western powers to an extent
b. japan itself was a dirty rapist looting scum

>>18524286
>The death of innocents, the spoiling of life opportunities for even generations etc.
But this also happens if another empire comes and conquers you. So the protective self interest argument you dismissed would still stand. In fact, being conquered by one empire could be better than not if the alternative is getting conquered by a worse empire.

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>>18524243 (OP)
When mixue bingcheng ice cream & tea beats your empire

>>18525005
Maybe in your little world, but the turning point was WW2 and the rapid collapse of the European empires there.

>>18525095
The European empires all got their colonies back after Japan got nuked. It was communism or the threat thereof that finally evicted Europeans from Indochina, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong.

>>18525081
>The primary components include:
>Fresh dairy milk
>Heavy cream
humiliation ritual

>>18524285
>There's a reason the people in Indonesia/Malaya/Vietnam were so effective in fighting their European overlords once they had returned, it's because they had already spent 4 years doing it against the Japanese.
Not true.
It was only true in the Philippines, but the US had made plans and preparations to grant Philippines independence prior to the outbreak of ww2.

In Indonesia for example it was the complete opposite: Japan trained and armed locals for the war effort (Peta, Heiho etc). These locals then turned their guns on the Dutch immediately when the war ended and the colonial powers returned.

>>18525103
Kek no.
Indonesia began their war of independence immediately after ww2 ended because Japan had trained and armed the locals and also allowed a lot of self-rule by the Indonesians. The Dutch were met with bullets when they showed up and demanded to rule again.
It had nothing to do with communism and everything to do with naionalism fueled by the war.

Malaysian nationalists were inspired and cooperated with Japanese occupation because they liked the whole "Asia for Asians" Japanese slogram. Japan invested in building a Malaysian identity by putting ethnic Malayans into office.
It had nothing to do with communism and everything to do with naionalism fueled by the war.

In Indochina the Japanese forced the French puppet government to declare independence, and the Viet Minh immediately seized control of Vietnam in 1945 after the Japanese surrender. Japan had also trained the Viet Minh.
It initially had very little to do with communism and everything to do with naionalism fueled by the war.

Not gonna comment on Hong Kong because you're obviously scraping the barrel on that one. Maybe try a bit more actual history and less autism when you post here.

>>18524269
All of them would be way cooler if they were still undeveloped and poor.

>>18524265
>USA
>Canada
Unfair comparison since those were settler colonies. Native American reservations are closer though. Do you really think the Pine Ridge rez has better living standards than Taiwan or Korea? They barely even speak their own native languages anymore too unlike Taiwan or Korea.

>>18525150
Yes, Japan freed Asia by having their own Empire across Asia collapse due to their defeat in WW2. Truly praiseworthy and brilliant strategy by the Japanese, the Lelouch Vi Britannia doctrine.

The fact remains that their occupations were just as if not more brutal than prior colonial rule with forced labor and prostitution and no true self governance.

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>>18525175
You don't understand. Japan killed raped and enslaved southeast Asians so they could one day be free from European colonialists and end up with shittier American puppet governments or communist regimes.