31 October 2010

Populist and aristocratic

Africa was a weak continent with weak governments and lots of natural resources just waiting to be plundered. The ancien regime got a couple of generations' new lease on life from the imperialism that fed their moribund hold on power. 
The antisemitism of the late 19th century was a populist thing; the imperialism of the time was an aristocratic thing. The Jews and the Blacks – these were the two targets that presaged the collapse of the ancien regime in Europe. 

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