History Extra podcast A legacy of inequality: the economic impact of empire
8 snips
May 18, 2022 Kojo Koram, author of Uncommon Wealth: Britain and the Aftermath of Empire, discusses the economic and legal effects of decolonization and how global inequality traces back to empire. Topics include hoarding wealth, legal dispossessions, global power imbalances, and the impact of empire on wealth inequality. The significance of pulling down statues and the economic consequences of empire are also explored.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Decolonisation Is More Than Culture
- Kojo Koram argues decolonisation has been discussed mainly as a cultural issue while its economic and legal legacies are ignored.
- He links modern plutocratic attraction to Britain to imperial-era legal structures like non-dom status and overseas territories.
Reframe Debates To Build Broader Support
- Move decolonisation debates from symbolic culture to legal and economic structures to unite diverse political groups.
- Highlight concrete benefits that elites gain from imperial legacies to win support from working-class communities.
Empire As A Commercial Project
- Koram highlights that British imperialism was largely a commercial project driven by private companies with state backing.
- These corporations acted as de facto sovereign powers that accumulated wealth and authority worldwide.