There are two main cultures in War of the Worlds, the Martian culture and the British culture. In the novel there are many cultural similarities between HG Wells' Martians and the 19th century British Empire. These similarities include colonialism, superior intellectual abilities, and advanced weapons. Furthermore, there are also cultural similarities between the human race depicted in the novel and the Tasmanian Aborigines dominated by the British Empire in the 19th century. These similarities include inferior intellectual abilities, primitive weapons, and geographic isolation. The invading Martians are a colonialist culture. Margaret Kohn defines colonialism as “a practice of domination, which involves the subjugation of one people to another” (Kohn). Supposedly, Martians are already the dominant culture on Mars. After conquering their own planet, they moved to Earth to expand their territory further into the universe. Martians are a highly intellectual race and technically far more advanced than the human race. As the narrator states, “intelligences we have hardly dreamed of” (Wells 2). The reason Martians invade Earth is to colonize. The Martians' home planet of Mars is reaching the end of its life. They choose to invade Earth based on its proximity to Mars, warmer climate, and abundant resources. The Martians never show any interest in coexisting with the human race; there is no mention of a peace treaty anywhere in the novel. They intend to dominate the Earth, erasing the human race from existence. Their weapons are highly sophisticated. The main weapon used by the Martians is the heat ray. The heat ray incinerates everything in its path, leaving a “heap of fiery ruins” (Wells 20)... middle of paper... effectiveness when compared to British rifles. The British Empire attempted to impose its cultural values ​​on the indigenous populations; however, the Tasmanians failed to adapt. The natives were comparable to the red grass in the novel; diseases that traveled with the British Empire wiped out many Tasmanians. Like the human race in the novel, the Tasmanians' only chance for survival was to escape the oppression of the British Empire. Works Cited Kohn, Margaret, “Colonialism,” The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2012 edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed. ), URL =2012/entries/colonialism/>.Parker, H.T. “The Australian Aborigine.” The Journal of Negro Education 3.1 (1934): 57-65. Web.Wells, HG “The War of the Worlds”. Class distribution. English 2030-01. Austin Peay State University. Autumn 2013. Print.