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Britain and Her Empire

They didn't know it at the time, but this was the end of empire - so what was Britain's legacy in the world?

Documentary 1944 18 mins

Overview

A product of a very different era, this issue of March of Time has few bad things to say about imperialism. It summarises recent developments for the British Empire, such as the Indian independence bid and Australia's growing self-sufficiency in industry, with the commentary claiming that colonial rule had spread "freedom" worldwide, and that greater unity should be the way forward.

The brash, ominous voiceovers of Westbrook Van Voorhis were frequently deployed by March of Time to help impress one controversial argument or the other on the viewing public. In this instalment, for instance, Britain's tenacious empire-building receives praise while the black population of South Africa is described in terms of "inferiority". It's not a comfortable watch at all, but is a worthwhile record of the language and imagery used in recent history to discuss race and empire.

Original title

The March of Time 10th Year No. 1

Genres

Documentary

Country

USA

Language

English

Subjects

British Empire

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