第一章 海难

shipwreck

On January 1, 1900, The Washington Post enthusiastically voiced support for the new century’s overseas colonial endeavors: "They are ours. All arguments against expansion are as dull and laughable as the chatter of magpies." On January 1, 1901, a British newspaper published an article welcoming the arrival of the new century: "We have reason to believe that by the end of the twentieth century, Britain and her descendants will, as they did at the end of the nineteenth century, triumphantly withstand the severe tests ahead. By then, they will live and prosper for generations as a unified imperial nation, becoming a fortress of human civilization." Despite the two catastrophic "collective suicides" in Europe that followed, real history unfolded quite differently from the imperialists' optimistic expectations.

Yet, the trend of Western dominance over the world remained unmistakable - until now that is.



1900年1月1日，《华盛顿邮报》对新世纪海外殖民事业发出了热切的声音：“它们是我们的，所有反对扩张的言论就像喜鹊的叽喳声一样无聊可笑。” 1901年1月1日，英国报纸刊登了迎接新世纪到来的文章：“我们有理由相信，英国和她的子孙在20世纪末将和19世纪末一样胜利的接受住严峻的考验。到那时他们将作为一个团结的帝国民族世世代代生活和繁荣下去，成为人类事业的堡垒。” 尽管在欧洲的