Can English people explain how they feel about this?

[Green215]

As an English person, do you hold resentment towards any country based on historical grievances like war, invasion, famine, colonialism etc? If so, which; if not, why?

The reason I ask is because I’ve always found it odd how the English tend to be the only people in the world who do not hold such grievances.

Irish people are always complaining about British colonialism; many Scots and Welsh likewise complain about England on a historical basis; Greeks and Turks complain about one another; Africans, Indians, Arabs etc complain about European colonialism and American invasions; China complains about Japanese atrocities and vice versa; Russia complains about German atrocities; post-Soviet states complain about Russian occupation; France and Germany complain about one another; America often complains about the Revolution; Canada complains about the War of 1812; Mexico and Latin American countries and Caribbean countries complain about American invasions or interference or colonialism; some Australians resent British rule etc.

But, rarely do English people demand reparations or sing “rebel songs” or complain about historical grievances. Why?

I could understand if maybe some English people resented Germany due to the two world balls or resented America for things like the Suez crisis and the funding of the IRA. And truth be told, I have come across some English people that are like that. But, they are very few compared to the other peoples I described.

I understand that this is sort of an academic question, but I wanted to come on this forum to ask ordinary English people how they felt and I hope you can give some honest answers rather than sarcastic responses or not answering the question properly.

My grandfather was a prisoner of the Japanese, worked in a slave labour camp and killed by them. My nan once said "don't you hate them", she obviously did but did not want to pass it on.

One of the things many of the POWs and their relatives hated was the fact that there was no justice after the war. Emperor Hirohito remained Emperor Hirohito and even made a state visit to Britain in the 1970s.

@Catsknowbest people don't even seem to realise the involvement of the paramilitaries during the Troubles or the role of the British government. That was the only point I was making.

It's not part of the national culture. Compare with say Northern Ireland where the Battle of the Boyne is an integral part of being a Protestant or Scotland and Bannockburn/Culloden. England just doesn't have the same cultural/social references.

We probably don’t complain about historical grievances because for much of the last 350 years we ruled half the planet, and now are a bit apologetic about that

This ⬆️

Peace in Ireland has only been achieved in my lifetime.

Our relationship with France is like that of siblings, I think. We grumble, complain, poke at each and wind each other up but we generally get on & have each other's backs.

I find the phrase "cheese eating surrender monkeys" terribly offensive.

If you asked my grandpa that question I am 💯 sure he would say Germany. But me? I don’t hate or hold a grudge against any country or people. The past is gone.

Im mixed heritage but consider myself English due to living here my who life/parents born in UK.

My Grandad had a "not amazing" experience with the Japanese during WWII, he was not really a fan for the rest of his life which is fair enough really. I hold no resentment, the "bad things" that happened weren't because the perpetrators were Japanese, but because they were humans, and humans overall can be pretty shitty to one another given half the chance.

interesting. My late father felt the same about the Japanese as a nation but in his final job, as the hall porter for the Chancellor of a University, he met quite a few and it didn't bother him. It was his job to open the door to visitors and welcome them, take coats and so on at private events and hand them over to the butler or host. At larger events, he would greet people at the door and direct them to the cloakroom. Once late in his life, he told me that he now understood that the problem with the Japanese was such a difference in history and culture. Japanese culture was never to surrender or be taken prisoner so they saw European prisoners as having lost all honour so not deserving of any care or nmercy

Of course we have. We do nothing but self loathe and ‘be educated’ by our Celtic neighbours. Nothing will ever be enough for you - we could have a day of mass flagellation to atone for our treatment of Ireland, and even after that we would all be told we are uneducated and have no remorse for the past.

Because it’s not really about that, it’s about certain countries that are unable to let go of grudges for whatever reason. Moral superiority perhaps?

Wow @Uggbootsforever

yes, that’s right. I mean, everything here is German, can’t move for Germans. They invaded us, colonised us, took away our culture and exploited our lands for their own gains.

Oh wait, no they didn’t.

We were at war with Germany and still got off lightly compared to a lot of other places. We were not a target for them, other than being on the other side in the world wars. At the end of WW1, we flexed our muscles and made it clear we were in charge. It paved the way for Hitler to take power and led to world war 2. If we hadn't been so unnecessarily hard on them with the Treaty of Versailles, it’s likely WW2 would never have happened. We definitely did them dirty.

Try again.

I'm English , i have no resentment for any country , i feel good about our relationship with Germany too , my family lost men in the war but so did their families.
I do agree with a pp regarding Scotland and the 'perks' we don't get in England but i don't give it that much thought.

Anyone who thinks it is acceptable to blame people alive today for the actions of people long dead, just might need to visit a pysch ward in my humble opinion.

It's because historically we are the ones doing the war mongering and colonising.

We were the aggressor.

Unless you want to go stupidly far back and have us despise, Romans, Vikings and Normandy?

That's a really good question!

Contrary to what some think, England was invaded and occupied for a considerable period of our history by the Romans, Vikings and Normans. All so long ago and who would we claim reparations from assuming, we wanted to?

Members of my family fought in both WW1 and WW2 and a great uncle of mine was a Japanese POW. Technically, I suppose I should resent Germany and Japan but I don't because I don't see the point. It would be unfair to resent modern day Germans or Japanese because of the actions of some of their ancestors.

Perhaps English people are more inclined to accept the past rather than dwell on it?

I was a kid in the 90s and even then the anti german sentiment was strong. That’s all gone now.

But tbh people are racisr in every country.

Because we shafted everyone and no-one really shafted us? What have we got to complain about?

@ThankGodItsAutumn sorry Scotland does it better.

The historic colonisations and conquest of what is now England are too long ago to be a present hatred, and many English people are descended from the conquerors.

There's a non-serious tradition of mocking the French (and Dutch) dating from the various older European conflicts.

If you could talk to English people who went through the two world wars, there would be loathing and distrust of Germany for a while, men who were p.o.w.s in Japan probably hated the Japanese for what was done to them.

But I think the greatest conflicts for the English have been internal: the factional wars between aristocratic houses, religious conflict and the Civil War and the class wars, pre- and post-industrial revolution. When the upper classes were on their colonial adventures, the peasants and the working class were often in poverty and squalor, tied to service, denied property, education and votes. I think hatred and memory of hatred of the upper classes is more potent for many than hatred of other countries - and that intensifies depending on which English region you're talking about.

Why would I hate a whole nation for the actions of a few?

The England we know today is a product of Roman, Viking, Anglo-Saxon and Norse cultures, among others, so we would be resenting ourselves, wouldn't we?

Practically every nation has episodes of dark history. I don't see the Spanish, French or Portuguese getting as much stick as the English for doing the same things.

Quite a few UK people make comments about Germans but thats more in a Fawlty Towers way than genuine dislike. I did know one pilot who would get enraged if he heard a german pilot over the airways in UK airspace. "my effing grandad didn't lose his life in the war so the Bosch could be in our airspace bla bla" he did get angry too.

@ShesTheAlbatross I'm not sure how you got that from my post?

I was addressing the OPs point about the "Irish always complaining". I thought that was obvious 🤷🏻‍♀️

I once knew an elderly gentleman who'd been in the concentration camps in childhood, he was Polish by birth, and didn't hold antagonism towards the Germans but could never forgive the Russians.

I don't know why...Russia's role in WWII, apart from being our eventual ally, is something I'm ignorant of.

I don’t hate anyone. I think English people are pretty defined by their tolerance - in London at least, (which is why the flags are sad). I can however understand why people hate our historical governments and ruling classes (and feel our working class should join them). I do think people understand that those decisions were really far removed from the everyday person. I think we’re quite an accepting bunch.

Who was having their finest hour in 1840?

France, Belgium and Spain were eyeing up vulnerable countries with dreams of their own Empires which they would go on to invade and brutalise.

The States was busy invading Mexico and slaughtering its natives to expand their territory.

The Ottoman Empire was waging war on Egypt in a bid to expand their territory.

Sometime later on, the Irish began oppressing their own people and busy engaging in what appeared to be their own version of Gilead, locking away women and girls who dared to look at men and subjecting them to modern day slavery.

I don’t think that era throws a great light on anyone.

I don't and work with people from many countries. However, DH's main reason for not liking Naples is because there are pics of Maradona everywhere. He cannot forgive 😆🤔