Colonial Diplomacy

"Colonial Diplomacy" was a very engaging and interesting way of showing the world in the 1880's. The aspects that it closely replicated was the communication, importance of geographic location, and balance of power. What the simulation didn't and couldn't show were the inevitable factors of technological advancements, economic strength, and the scale and geography of the territories.

The communication of the late 19th century was shown in two ways: the submitting of orders and the negotiations. The delay of the military movement after the orders were given represent the delay that the armies and rulers had to face. The delay in their time was due to the long distance and the telegraph. By the time a telegram was received and the order is carried out, it would take some time. Like we discussed in class: once an army is mobilized, the order can't be taken back and the army or fleet will execute its demands.

In the simulation, we encounter the same idea. Once the order is given, you can't alter it. Also, there is a delay between turning in orders and receiving a reply. The orders also were complicated at first which could stand for difficulties with telegraph communication, in contrast with 21st century technology and ease of communication. The Brits and Turks demonstrated the importance of not reading the received message and replying in time. This could represent the unreliable underwater telegraph system.

As in reality, geographic location is crucial to the success of a country's expansion efforts and defense. In the case of Japan and Holland, the advantage of having a sea "buffer zone" was the main factor contributing to their success. History proves that being an island (or set of islands) is beneficial. Britain had the North...

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...ing from its starting supply centers, which wasn’t the case in reality. The Dutch and French were contained by Britain and China, and there wasn’t many territories to acquire, so they both focused more on the colonies they already had. The Japanese always had their sights on the Asian mainland but didn’t get much land besides the protectorates of Korea. In the simulation, Japan successfully penetrated Russia and the On the other hand, the expansion of Russia and the decline of Turkey and China approximately resembled history.

“Colonial Diplomacy” was a fun way to learn about negotiation, geography, the empires of the 19th century. Many things about the game were accurate although many things were not. Nevertheless, playing this game was a enjoyable experience. It was very engaging and competitive, which served to make this game a learning experience I won’t forget.