Has Britain Stopped Believing in Itself? — Historian Andrew Roberts
In a Nutshell
Britain has lost faith in its history and future because sustained attacks on its empire have slashed national pride from 86% to 56% in just a few years, leaving people unable to believe in the country's prospects. The same self-destructive pattern is spreading to America, where removing statues of founders like Jefferson severs the link to past achievements that once sustained national greatness. Without pride in its history, Britain—and increasingly the US—will continue to decline.
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
Andrew Roberts expresses pessimism about Britain's trajectory, contrasting it with greater optimism for the United States due to its continued wealth and innovation. He links this outlook to the role of history in national self-perception, noting that history is often deployed politically.
Statistics on British historical pride show a sharp decline: as recently as 2015 (possibly 2010), 86% of people expressed pride in British history, a figure that has since fallen to 56%. Roberts attributes this erosion to sustained attacks on the British Empire that overlook Britain's role in the abolition of slavery while emphasizing only its horrors.
When people cease to be proud of their past or their ancestors' achievements, it becomes difficult to maintain pride in the country's future. Britain has produced extraordinary contributions to the world, yet forgetting these accomplishments undermines national confidence. This historical self-doubt feeds pessimism about Britain's prospects.
Roberts extends his concern to the United States, citing the removal of the Thomas Jefferson statue from New York City Hall as a form of cultural suicide. He argues that failing to admire the nation's founders severs the living link with the past that sustains national greatness.
Despite Jefferson's ownership of slaves, Roberts emphasizes that he authored a constitution that has endured for a quarter of a millennium. Jefferson, along with Washington and others, demonstrated exceptional courage in challenging the world's most powerful empire. Such accomplishments merit recognition rather than erasure through statue removals, a trend Roberts observes occurring in Britain as well.
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