Quote:
Originally Posted by WTE_Galway
Completely understandable when you consider they had the largest Colonial Empire ever established.
Pre WWI the Zulu Wars and the Boar War were significant influences.
It was during the Boar War that Britain formulated and implemented the Concentration Camp as a solution to isolating political dissidents and undesirables. A system adopted and taken to extremes later by Hitler.
Early 20th Century the British fought counter insurgency campaigns in Somali, in Iraq (Mesopotamia) and faced an extended insurgency in India.
More recently major insurgencies occurred in Malaya, Kenya and lets never forget Northern Ireland.
These are worth a read:
http://www.jepeterson.net/sitebuilde...s_and_Iraq.pdf
http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc...f&AD=ADA479660 |
It was during the Boar War that Britain formulated and implemented the Concentration Camp as a solution to isolating political dissidents and undesirables
This is true Galway, but it is not true that Britain was somehow the "originator" of this method (if that is what you are suggesting?).
De facto "Concentration Camps" had existed well before, the US for example interning Native American tribes in the 1830's, as well as the Spanish doing employing this method in Cuba. Probably many more countries prior. The only seminal thing about the Boer camps is the British coining of the
phrase itself, not their usage and employment.
A concentration camp is a concentration of individuals, where not necessarily political dissidents, but certainly "undesirables" are detained. Militarily in the short term it was very successful in quelling the effectiveness of the Boer Guerilla campaign, if undoubtedly morally dubious. Civilian Boers died whilst in detention, though it was not its purpose. "Concentration Camp" has now become a synonym for "Death Camp" with this express purpose, primarily because of the Nazi's.
There are "Concentration Camps" ongoing as I write, many just have lovely new sanitized names like "Refugee detention Centres" where adults and children fleeing persecution from terrible regimes are treated like criminals in often appalling conditions, (I believe you are an Aussie so you should be familiar with them?). Smart move by Howard on the 'Christmas Island' job, out of sight out of mind eh? They held one bloke for over 7 years.....his only "crime" being to want to live in Australia.
How are things going with that? I'd be interested to know as I have not been following developments recently. I hear that some have been closed down though, and that things are getting better. Conservatives eh? Smashing folk.
See you may be joining us in "coalition mania", anyway its all the rage! (groan....
)
Thanks for those two links mate, will give em a read.