British Empire is still being whitewashed by the school curriculum – historian on why this must change
Jeremy Corbyn recently suggested that British schoolchildren should learn about the true history of British imperialism and colonialism. This would include teaching about people of colour as important parts of and contributors to the British nation, not just as victims of slavery.
Corbyn made a strong point when he said, "Black history is British history," meaning that this history should be
Atrocities committed by the British empire and part of the main curriculum, not just focused on for a single month each year. This is a great idea because, as a university teacher who covers South Asian, imperial, colonial, and global history, I see how little students know about these subjects when they start.
Most students I meet come from a school system that focuses almost entirely on English political and religious history, with some 20th-century European history mixed in. They usually learn about famous figures who can easily be seen as "evil," like Hitler or Stalin. But they know very little about Britain's past and even less about how Britain was connected to the wider world. There's almost no understanding of the history of empire, and students haven’t learned about the legacies of that empire – including here in Britain.
On top of that, the history they've learned has been mostly about white men. This means they know almost nothing about the history of women or people of colour, including those who have had major roles in shaping Britain’s past.
Corbyn’s ideas wouldn’t just help bridge the gap between academic history and what’s taught in schools. They would also encourage students to see people of colour as important figures in history. These changes could challenge the narrow ways that students are taught to think about Britain and the world.
However, Corbyn’s proposals have received a lot of backlash, especially from white, middle-aged, right-wing conservatives. Tom Loughton, a Conservative MP and supporter of Brexit, claimed Corbyn's suggestions showed he was "ashamed" of his own country and more interested in criticizing Britain than celebrating all the good it has done over the centuries. Loughton admitted some "bad things" happened during the British Empire, but he believes Britain should still be proud, especially of its role in ending the global slave trade. Jacob Rees-Mogg, another pro-Brexit MP, made similar comments, highlighting Britain’s abolition of the slave trade and saying that while there were “blots” on Britain’s history, there were also “really wonderful” parts.
These kinds of reactions show a huge misunderstanding of British imperial and colonial history, especially how empire affected both the colonised and the colonisers. It's this denial of the true nature of empire that allows people like Loughton and Rees-Mogg to make such statements.
Saying that empire had “good bits” is ignoring the reality of what empire was: the conquest, oppression, and exploitation of millions of people. It also erases the massive violence – both physical and symbolic – that empire created. Praising Britain for ending the slave trade only works if we ignore the very systems of violence and exploitation that kept the trade going for so long, both in Britain and in its empire. Simplifying the past by dividing it into “good” and “bad” bits doesn’t help anyone understand history properly. Plus, when people argue that students should only learn about the “good bits,” it raises the question: whose “good bits” are we talking about?
The idea that teaching kids the “bad bits” of history will make them ashamed of their country is also flawed. Germany, for example, teaches its students about the difficult parts of its past, and it hasn’t made them hate their country. Instead, it has helped create a more thoughtful and critical form of nationalism.
Many of my students have told me that learning about the complexities of empire and studying the connections between different people around the world has helped them understand themselves better. One student even said it helped them “grow as a person.” And really, isn’t that what education is all about?
One powerful time of the violence inflicted by the British Empire is the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919
Why is it that so few British citizens know about these atrocities? it was in Amritsar, India. On April 13th of that year, British Brigadier General Reginald Dyer ordered his troops to fire into a large crowd of unarmed civilians who had gathered for a peaceful protest against colonial rule. The soldiers blocked the exits and fired without warning, killing hundreds and wounding many more in a matter of minutes. This atrocity was a stark reminder of the brutal ways in which the British Empire suppressed dissent and maintained control over its colonies. She states “Students learn very little about brutal violence of British colonial rule.
The massacre ignited a wave of outrage, both in India and globally, and became a key turning point in the Indian struggle for independence. It also exposed the deep contradictions of an empire that claimed to bring "civilization" while committing acts of sheer barbarity. Teaching such events as part of British history is essential for understanding the full scope of the empire's legacy, both in the colonies and at home.