this post was submitted on 26 Apr 2026
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Perhaps you’re expecting all colonies to be plantations? The British plantations such as North America, Australia and NZ are still as you’d expect. But most of the empire was run for profit rather than plantation. These colonies were administered by British (later a mix of British and indigenous) civil servants and garrisons but there was no intention to build a lasting presence. The British Empire even told itself it would hand back the non-plantations after they had been “set right” for the benefit of the natives.
The point I’m getting at with colonial powers was that English/French was forced onto the locals in one way or the other. Also, British/French citizens moved to the colonies and maintained a permanent presence there, which had lasting impact all over the world.
They didn’t tend to move permanently unless it was a plantation, they were there for a job and moved back after.