this post was submitted on 29 Sep 2025
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It says "no regard to history or ethnicity" but actually they were highly sensitive to ethnic differences when drawing borders.
They explicitly said the ideal was 3 ethnic groups inside the borders, with a 50:40:10 ratio. They would give power to the '10' in the minority, who would ally with their western oppressors to maintain their position of privilege. The '50' and '40', now the underclasses of society, would often devolve into sectarian violence.
Imperial powers found that this model gives them the maximum control over their colonies with the least amount of investment and intervention. It was brutally effective.