Exterminate All the Brutes
“EXTERMINATE ALL THE BRUTES”
Sven Lindqvist’s “Exterminate all the Brutes” explores the idea that genocides have been deeply rooted in European thinking over the last century. It is written in the form of a travel dairy and a historical examination of European racism over the past two centuries. Lindqvist argues that the harrowing racism that led to the Holocaust in the twentieth century had its roots in European colonial policy of the preceding century. The act of genocide itself is not a new one. When we think of genocide today we think Rwanda and the Holocaust. Genocides have been validated by the idea of racial superiority, colonial expansion and imperialism. The most civilized of men are capable of the most brutal acts.
The British were able to conquer 1/3 of the world through their impeccable military strength. The British were masters of the sea; steam boats were used all over the world to carry arms up rivers effectively (pg.48). The British were able to go up into the heart of a continent in search for raw materials or indigenous populations to enslave. The British had the largest colonial conquests ever experienced. The atrocities committed in the name of colonial expansion and imperialism was often justified by superiority military and biologically. With the race of colonial conquest developed the race of arms. The British built and changed the paper cartridge of bullets to brass, making the bullet faster and go further (pg.49). Each European colonial empire had their own gun which would kill accurately and effectively any opponent of the third world. Eventually guns were perfected and early into the colonial era they had developed automatic weapons (pg.49). Theoretically they could subject anyone to their rule, backed by fire power. The indigenous nations did not have such technological advancements therefore didn’t stand a chance against the steel and firepower of the European empires. The Empires felt that this lack of technology was a lack of
Sven Lindqvist’s “Exterminate all the Brutes” explores the idea that genocides have been deeply rooted in European thinking over the last century. It is written in the form of a travel dairy and a historical examination of European racism over the past two centuries. Lindqvist argues that the harrowing racism that led to the Holocaust in the twentieth century had its roots in European colonial policy of the preceding century. The act of genocide itself is not a new one. When we think of genocide today we think Rwanda and the Holocaust. Genocides have been validated by the idea of racial superiority, colonial expansion and imperialism. The most civilized of men are capable of the most brutal acts.
The British were able to conquer 1/3 of the world through their impeccable military strength. The British were masters of the sea; steam boats were used all over the world to carry arms up rivers effectively (pg.48). The British were able to go up into the heart of a continent in search for raw materials or indigenous populations to enslave. The British had the largest colonial conquests ever experienced. The atrocities committed in the name of colonial expansion and imperialism was often justified by superiority military and biologically. With the race of colonial conquest developed the race of arms. The British built and changed the paper cartridge of bullets to brass, making the bullet faster and go further (pg.49). Each European colonial empire had their own gun which would kill accurately and effectively any opponent of the third world. Eventually guns were perfected and early into the colonial era they had developed automatic weapons (pg.49). Theoretically they could subject anyone to their rule, backed by fire power. The indigenous nations did not have such technological advancements therefore didn’t stand a chance against the steel and firepower of the European empires. The Empires felt that this lack of technology was a lack of