Which Imperial Power Was the Most Brutal - Europe or China?
Michael Rubin makes what I think is a rather bold claim here:
'At its root, China is an imperialist power, one more brutal than Europeâ??s formerly colonialist powers who, to this day, continue to beat themselves up over their nineteenth and early twentieth century pasts. The Tibetans have been victims, Taiwanâ??whose unique identity is apparent to any visitorâ??might become a victim, and the Uighur Muslims are victims, as are any group who are not Han Chinese.'
I'll admit up front that I know more about Europe's colonial past than I do about China's, but still, the above struck me as off the mark. Is China's current treatment of Tibetans really worse than what the Spanish did to the Incas or what the British did in Kenya? I could be convinced otherwise, but I doubt.
So, dear reader, I ask: over the sweep of history, has China's imperial rule been more violent and brutal than Europe's?
(Photo: Wiki Commons)