The British Empire was once one of the largest empires in the world with the famous saying that the sun never sets on British soil. But as the sun set on the colonies, the British often left behind unresolved issues. Their divide-and-rule strategy incited ethnic, religious, or class conflicts, helping to maintain power but also sowing the seeds of conflict.
They drew arbitrary borders, merged incompatible communities, and often withdrew without adequately preparing the new nations. The result was division, civil war, and prolonged instability. Notable examples include India, Palestine, Nigeria, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka. Each country has its own story, but all bear the marks of British colonial legacy.
A country with over 400 million people with many religions and hundreds of languages was divided in just a few months. That was India in 1947.
The British arrived in India in the 17th century through the British East India Company. By the 19th century, they controlled most of the subcontinent from Bengal to Punjab. To rule, they employed a divide-and-rule policy, favoring certain groups like the Sikhs in Punjab and inciting tensions between Hindus and Muslims.
For example, they encouraged the formation of the Muslim League to counter the Indian National Congress led by Hindus. When World War II ended, Britain was financially exhausted and could not maintain its colonies. Pressure from the independence movements of Gandhi and Nehru forced them to withdraw. But instead of leaving a united India, they agreed to a partition plan.
In 1947, Louis Mountbatten, the last British Viceroy of India, oversaw the partition of India into two countries: India, primarily Hindu, and Pakistan, primarily Muslim, which included East and West Pakistan, now Bangladesh and Pakistan. In less than six weeks, he drew the dividing line, ignoring cultural, ethnic, and historical realities, and thus disaster struck. It was a massive migration, with tens of millions forced to leave their homes.
Hindus and Sikhs fled from Pakistan to India. Muslims went in the opposite direction. Migrant caravans were attacked by violent mobs. An estimated 1-2 million people died in religious massacres. Cities like Lahore, Amritsar, and Kakuta were drenched in blood. Women and children were often victims of violence and brutality.
A typical legacy is the Kashmir region. Kashmir is a region with a majority Muslim population but ruled by a Hindu, becoming the focal point of conflict. The India-Pakistan war marked the beginning of a conflict that continues to this day, with major wars and even nuclear tensions. This partition was not just a division of land but also left deep psychological wounds. India and Pakistan remain adversaries, with clashes, attacks, refugee issues, and minority ethnic problems haunting both nations.
After their withdrawal, the British took no responsibility for the consequences they caused. Mountbatten, the last British ruler of India, said, “I did my best,” but with millions dead and tens of millions homeless, was that really his best?
Not far from India is Sri Lanka, a paradise island but also a place where British colonizers sowed the seeds for a nearly 30-year civil war. The British occupied Sri Lanka, then known as Ceylon, in the early 19th century and ruled until 1948. They implemented policies favoring Tamils, a minority group making up about 15% of the population in education and administration, causing discontent among the Sinhala, who made up about 75%. Tamils, traditionally educated, dominated civil service positions despite their smaller population.
The British also brought Tamils from India to work on tea plantations, creating an isolated Tamil plantation community. When Sri Lanka gained independence in 1948, these tensions erupted into a civil war between Tamils and Sinhalese.
After independence, the Sinhala government implemented discriminatory policies. For example, the Citizenship Act stripped plantation Tamils of their citizenship, and the Language Act declared Sinhala as the sole official language, marginalizing Tamils. Educational policies limited Tamil access to universities. In response, Tamils demanded autonomy, and the Tamil Tigers were formed.
The civil war broke out in 1983 and lasted until 2009, resulting in about 100,000 deaths and millions displaced. The Tamil Tigers used bombings while the Sri Lankan army was accused of human rights violations. Sri Lanka, once one of Asia's most promising economies, was devastated.
Although the civil war has ended, tensions between Sinhalese and Tamils still simmer. Tamils continue to feel discriminated against, and the reconciliation process remains incomplete. The British colonial policy favoring Tamils sowed the seeds of an irreparable divide. The British left Sri Lanka with a paradise in name but in reality, it was a ticking time bomb.
Next is Palestine. Palestine is the land of major religions but also where British colonizers left behind an unresolved mess. After World War I, the Ottoman Empire collapsed, and the British took on the mandate for Palestine from the League of Nations. At this time, Palestine was home to Arab inhabitants and a small Jewish community. However, the Balfour Declaration in 1917 by the British, committing to support the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine, created tensions with the Arabs.
In the 1920s-1930s, the British allowed Jewish immigration to Palestine, especially after World War II. This increased conflict between Jews and Arabs, with riots such as the Arab uprising in the 1930s, and the British tried to balance by limiting Jewish immigration, but alienated both sides. By 1947, the British declared they could not resolve the Palestine issue and handed it over to the United Nations.
The UN partition plan under resolution 181 proposed to divide Palestine into two states, one for Jews and one for Arabs. The Jews accepted, but the Arabs rejected it, arguing that the plan was unfair, as Jews made up only about one-third of the population but were allocated more than half of the land. Instead of facilitating a transfer of power, the British withdrew their troops in mid-1948, leaving a power vacuum. Immediately, Israel declared independence, and neighboring Arab countries like Egypt, Jordan, and Syria attacked.
The Arab-Israeli war in 1948 led to about 700,000 Palestinians being expelled or fleeing, creating a refugee problem that persists to this day. Israel occupied most of the land here beyond the UN plan. Areas like the West Bank and Gaza Strip remain disputed. The British failure to mediate between Jews and Arabs turned Palestine into one of the world's major geopolitical flashpoints.
The Israel-Palestine conflict, with ongoing wars and tensions to this day, is a consequence of the British legacy. They once promised both Jews and Arabs but ultimately left, leaving a land mired in endless conflict.
Next is Nigeria. Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa but also where British colonizers sowed the seeds of one of the bloodiest civil wars in history. The British began to control Nigeria in the 19th century, merging regions with completely different cultures and ethnicities. These included Muslims in the North, Christians and those practicing traditional religions in the West, and the predominantly Christian Igbo in the East.
In 1914, the British unified these regions into a single entity called Nigeria but did not build cohesion among the groups. The British ruled indirectly through local leaders, favoring the Muslim North to control other areas. They also encouraged Christians to access Western education, creating social inequality.
When Nigeria gained independence in 1960, the country lacked a common national identity. After independence, ethnic conflicts erupted, and a coup led by the Igbo was met with massacres by the Northern Muslims. Tens of thousands died, and millions fled to the East. In 1967, the Igbo, who were Christians, declared the establishment of a state called the Republic of Biafra in the East. A civil war broke out, resulting in many deaths.
Although Nigeria later became unified, ethnic wounds remain. The Igbo feel discriminated against, and secessionist movements continue. Nigeria's loose federal structure, a legacy of the British, continues to cause instability. Ethnic groups vie for power and resources, especially oil, leading to ongoing conflicts over many years, and insurgents persist.
In Nigeria, the British essentially merged three small countries into one without creating unity. The consequence was that millions paid with their lives.
Finally, there is Myanmar. Myanmar is a country with diverse cultural beauty but also where British colonizers left behind persistent ethnic conflicts. The British occupied Myanmar, which we still call Burma, in the 19th century. After three wars, they directly ruled the central areas, where the Bamar were the majority, and indirectly ruled the border regions, home to the Karen, Shan, and Kachin. To control, the British recruited Karen and other minority groups, and the army created tensions with the Bamar.
The British also brought Indians and Chinese to work in trade and administration, increasing local discontent. When Myanmar gained independence in 1948, the country lacked cohesion among ethnic groups. Immediately after independence, minority ethnic groups like the Karen and Shan demanded autonomy. The British had promised self-determination for these groups but did not fulfill it.
Since 1948, Myanmar has fallen into one of the longest civil wars in the world. Karen groups have always fought against the Bamar government, with tens of thousands dead and millions displaced. Instability has led to coups, with the military in power since 1962, and the military government has repressed minority groups, exacerbating the conflict.
Although not directly related to the British, discriminatory policies against people of Indian descent, including the Rohingya from colonial times, have contributed to the current crisis. Myanmar remains a country divided by ethnicity and religion. Conflicts in Kachin State, Shan State, or the Rohingya crisis exemplify the British failure to build a unified nation.