Essays on British Culture

Britain took Hong Kong as a 99-year lease from the Chinese authorities through a treaty in 1898. This happened at a time when China’s Qing dynasty was at its weakest after the first Sino-Japanese war of 1895 and 1895. Thus, Britain presented the Convention for the Extension of the Hong Kong Territory as a means of gaining a strategic trading post that could give Britain power to operate within the Asia-Pacific region. The lease ended on 1st July, 1997 and Britain handed Hong Kong back to China. As of 1997, there was a completely different China from Qing ...

There is a considerable population of Africans in Europe. It is estimated that close to 4.6 Africans are permanent residents of Europe with France being the most-African dominated country in Europe followed by UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Portugal, Switzerland and Turkey in that order among other countries. Nearly 8 million Africans are seasonal occupants of Europe. The following literatures evaluate African’s presence in Europe through different lenses. In his works, Ivan van Sertima give a historical perspective of how Africans found their way into Europe and their role in world civilization. In this book, there is major ...

Some of the greatest works of Victorian literature look at English culture in the 1800s through a critical or jaundiced eye; these works then find ways to expose the restrictive, oppressive and isolationist aspects of British culture that were characteristic of the empire at that time. This is particularly true of Bram Stoker’s Gothic novel Dracula, as it looks critically at race through the personification of Dracula as the feared Other from Eastern Europe, seeking to violate the women of England with his exotic sexuality and behavioral taboos. Looking at Dracula through the lens of race, it becomes ...

One of the most important historical events of all time is the Industrial Revolution in England. The 19th century became a very important time for England where the country was going to take a turn from its purely agricultural state to an industrial one. The most important role leading to this transformation was played by the social and political changes that took place in that era. While coal mining was one of the most profitable and lucrative businesses of the time, the discovery of transport routes and the accompanied cheap cost of transportation became one of the main reasons ...

The opium war which took place in the 19th century was one of the first major defeats of the Chinese government. China had a tremendous amount of wealth which was mostly attributed to the tea trade in the country. Britain had a great demand for this tea, while the country had nothing to offer the Chinese government in return. China was also ignorant to the western revolution and considered the western culture barbaric. China was a traditional country which held strongly to its traditions and culture. While China hoped to keep its culture free of the western culture effect, ...

Introduction

American culture is an amalgamation of different cultures over the years. Trade has always been an important part of the United States. European explorers looking for new trade routes to India discovered the new world. After discovering the new world, they quickly established trading posts. Their main aim was to search for gold and other precious resources in this new country. However, their expectations were not fulfilled but they quickly established trading relationships with native tribes near their settlements. Most of these native tribes were hostile at first but they saw the advantage of trading with the settlers. Relationships ...