For my Our nations argument class we created an argument for a specific country we were appointed to and had a debate which took place during the early 1900’s before World War 1. Me and my classmate JH were the United Kingdom and had to create an argument fighting for the UK’s beliefs pre World War 1. I think the funnest thing about this project was the actual debate itself and large amount of argumentativeness discussion that took place. The most challenging was finding out information about other country’s that we could use against them in this heated debate. Below is our argument, counter-argument and crucial facts we obtained through hard research!
1. General Rule
2. Particular Case
3. Result
4. Quotations & Evidence for Trial
1. General Rule (Some say…)
Rule: Colonization only benefits the colonizer.
Case: Great Britain is a colonizer.
Result: Therefore, Great Britain colonizing parts of Africa was for selfish needs.
However, this deduction is invalid because Great Britain colonization helped jumpstart technology and the economy in parts of Africa.
2. Particular Case (The evidence suggests…)
Through colonization Great Britain has achieved….
1. Great Britain helped it’s own people as well as Africans to become an enriched culture.
2. We prevented other countries from taking over Europe by becoming the most prominent Colonizer (the lesser of two evils).
3. We taught advanced methods of farming and made life much easier to live.
3. Result (We argue…)
Therefore, in light of these results, we, the representatives of Great Britain and its people, urge the judges to AFFIRM THE DEDUCTION ON TRIAL AND UPHOLD GERMANY’S RIGHT TO COLONIZE, for Africa’s sake.
Rule: Colonization can benefit all parties.
Case: Great Britain (among other European countries) accomplished many technological and economic milestones via colonization.
Result: Therefore Germany, as well as the rest of Europe has the right to colonize.
4. Quotations & Evidence for Trial (Sorted by…)
Relationship to Colonizer
United Kingdom was a colonizer, they tried to colonize multiple countries in Africa pre 1914. In the picture below you can see which countries in Great Britain colonized in Africa.
“In total Britain ruled over 2,678,156 square miles of land, and rules over 44,420,000 people.”
Uzoigwe, G. N. Britain and the Conquest of Africa; the Age of Salisbury. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, 1974.
Authority to Rule
Great Britain has a Monarchy, they have more sophisticated weapons, a larger army, a larger navy, and overall a larger presence.
How we Rule
We rule a large portion of Africa by Military and economic force. During this time period the United Kingdom is one of the most powerful countries around.
Benefits to Colonization
We are benefitting from colonization because we are the ones ruling other people. We ruled a majority of Africa and made a lot of money by using the resources they had.
Our right to colonize
Great Britain helped Europe, as well as Africa by colonizing. We taught more advanced methods of farming, and an easier way to live. We colonized because countries like Germany started to colonize and become more powerful. If we didn’t nations like Germany would become some super power that then could start to conquer Europe. If we could control Africa we knew that we could control the power and not use it for domination like Germany would have. We were preventing wide-scaled war; doing a service to all and being the lesser of two evils.