In his provocative, brilliant book, Empire, historian Niall Ferguson argues not only that Britain Made the Modern World, but that colonisation brought many benefits to former colonies. Ferguson, points, for example, to India’s vast and essential network of railways, and its strong civil service — both legacies of the empire.
Britain built lots of railways in South Africa, too.
They’re mostly lying in ruin, with the high voltage cables supplying them mostly stolen (which is how South Africa manages the feat of exporting more copper than its mines actually produce).
So, what happened?
