THE BRITISH EMPIRE
The British Empire was the largest empire in history and for a time was the foremost global power. It was a product of the European age of discovery, which began with the maritime explorations of the 15th century, that sparked the era of the European colonial empires.
By 1921, the British Empire held sway over a population of about 458 million people, approximately one-quarter of the world's population. It covered about 36.6 million km² (14.2 million square miles), about a quarter of Earth's total land area. As a result, its legacy is widespread, in legal and governmental systems, economic practice, militarily, educational systems, sports, and in the global spread of the English language. At the peak of its power, it was often said that "the sun never sets on the British Empire" because its span across the globe ensured that the sun was always shining on at least one of its numerous colonies or subject nations.
During the five decades following World War II, most of the territories of the Empire became independent. Many went on to join the Commonwealth of Nations, a free association of independent states. This astonishing empire was never undone in the way that the Roman Empire was: instead it dissolved peacefully, by mutual consent, and the British, apart from creating the world's largest empire, also had the privilege of being the only empire builders not to be destroyed in their far flung empire itself.
ORIGINS UNDER ELIZABETH I
The first moves by the British to establish an empire came during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603). Elizabeth was a far-sighted sovereign who financially supported the voyages of exploration, mainly through her favorite, Sir Francis Drake, who in 1580, became the first...
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The outcome of the First World War in 1919, saw the British Empire at its height: the Treaty of Versailles gave Britain most of the German Empire in Africa, while the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in the Middle East led to the British acquisition of Palestine and Iraq in 1918.
DISSOLUTION OF THE EMPIRE AFTER WORLD WAR II
The British Empire only finally started dissolving after the First World War, with the process being speeded up dramatically in the aftermath of the Second World War. The primary reason for the dissolution of the empire was economic and political rather than racial: after the Second World War, Britain was simply too impoverished to continue holding on to an empire created in a previous century, and it was easier to grant independence to the far flung colonies, especially when some of these turned violent.
Imperialism is the way of spreading a country’s power and influence through military force or diplomacy. Great Britain and other European countries took over many countries making empires. According to Document E, Great Britain has taken over the seas and some countries. Great Britain's empire was growing mostly taking over countries in South America and some in Africa. According to the graph in Document C, Great Britain had more of a navy then an army expanding little by little each year. Great Britain was then called the bloodsucker of the world, also causing problems for supplies to get from one country to another. This made it seem as if Great Britain had all the power. World War 1 would have never happened if there was a balance of power in
The epoch of imperialism cannot be defined simply as proliferation of inflated egos tied to the hardened opinions of nationalists, but also a multi-faceted global rivalry with roots of philosophies tainted with racism and Social Darwinism. The technique of each imperialist was specific to the motivations and desires of each combative, predominantly Western power and subsequently impacted the success of each imperialist and its colonies. Driven by industrialization, Europeans were aware of the urgent need for raw materials and new markets to maintain a constant rate of expansion and wealth. Imperialism became a competition; in general, the European countries led with fervor while the non-Western regions deemed likely to be stepped on. Britain was endowed with geographic and political advantages that allowed the country to become the first to unwittingly stumble onto industrialization. Britain was an island, therefore had developed a unique naval strength which subsequently gave Britain leverage when globalization blossomed from expanding maritime trade. Meanwhile, the rest of Europe, including Belgium, trailed behind. Presently, colonized regions still bear the traits and scars from the subjugators of their past.
Britain was not an imperialistic force during the 15th century due to the overwhelming power of Spain and Portugal. These countries had established themselves as titans of the transatlantic system. In fact, “During the fifteenth century [Britain] completely lacked both the economic and strategic potential to participate in early colonialist endeavors” (Wenzlhuemer 362). Britain did not have the financial capabilities to fund such imperialistic efforts and expand their boundaries at that time due to not being as technologically and economically superior like the other empires. However, it all changed after the American Revolution. Britain was powerful at that time, yet Britain became an imperialistic force because many great states around itself were having harsh political climates and instability thus giving Britain an opportunity to take control of foreign areas, and become prosperous all while increasing their military and naval force. It wa...
There is no doubt that British imperialism had a large impact on India. India, having previously been an group of independent and semi-independent princedoms and territories, underwent great change under British administration. Originally intended to consolidate their hold on India by establishing a population that spoke the same language as their rulers, the British decision in the 1830s to educate Indians in a Western fashion, with English as the language of instruction, was the beginning of a chain of events, including a rise in Indian nationalism, that led to Indian resentment of British imperialism and ultimately to the loss of British control over India.
All empires must come to an end. The Mongols, Ottomans, and Holy Roman Empires all don’t exist anymore. Even, the United Stated of America will come to its end in one point in time. Everything that goes up must come down. Even, Rome, one of the world’s greatest civilizations. To summarize, The Roman Empire fell because of ineffective leaders, the crumbling economy, and invasions by the Germanic Tribes.
Britain was committed to imperializing countries that benefitted them. Benjamin Disraeli, the British prime minister during the 1870’s, persuaded Great Britain to imperialize because it was a way to guard vital British markets overseas, resources, and jobs, as well as enhance their well known reputation as being the most powerful country (Butler). Great Britain wanted to spread its culture and religion (Butler). As a result, Christianity was dispersed imperialized countries under the name of Great Britain. Another major reason Great Britain imperialized in Africa was because other European countries that were participating in the “Scramble for Africa” (Berard). This was the time period where certain European countries fought over what countries in Africa to imperialize. Britain wanted more power, and therefore, more land as well. Therefore, they resorted to imperializing lands such as those in Africa.
One country that had imperialism was India. By the mid-1880s, the British East India Company controlled three fifths of India. The cause of British domination was that the land was very diverse and the people could not unite and that the British either paid local princes or used weapons to get control. Positive effects of imperialistic rule in India were that the British set up a stronger economy and more powerful industries. They built roads and railroads. British rule brought peace and order to the countryside. They revised the legal system to promote justice for the Indians regardless of class. Indian landowners and princes, who still owned territory grew rich from exporting cash crops such as cotton and jute. The British introduced the telegraph and the postal system as a means of communication. These improvements and benefits from British rule eventually lead to Indian nationalism. The exposure to European ideas caused an Indian nationalist movement, the people dreamed of ending Imperial ...
In 1857 the British had invaded the nation of Hindustan (India). Many feel that if it were not for the British Empire, India would still be an under developed country. The British established a government system that before did not exist. It was a three level system including the imperial government located in London, the central government located in Calcutta, and later on provincial governments scattered throughout the regions of what was known as the British Raj1. Alt...
The British Empire is the largest empire ever seen on the face of this planet. The empire was divided into two. The first part of the empire revolved around the British colonies in America that were popularly known as the thirteen colonies. These gained independence from Britain in 1783. The second part of the empire, which developed from the first empire, came later. It started during the Napoleonic wars and survived throughout the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century. In fact, the British withdrew from its last colony, Hong Kong, in 1997; indeed the empire lasted for a long time. It developed from India and spun to regions of Africa and Australia. The influence and the power of the empire spun around the world shaping it in different ways. This influence is still evident in many places that fell under its control (Ferguson, 2004). To many people the world is the way it is due to the effects of the British Empire. Certainly, this empire just like other numerous empires before it and after it had triumphs and humiliations; however, the fact that this empire had numerous good effects cannot be overemphasized. The empire impacted positively on Britain and the colonies.
Colonization for the British first began in 1591 when the merchant Sir James Lancaster had been commissioned to set sail by Commander Sir Francis Duke towards the East Indies. Sir James would continue to sail until in September 1592, he would land in Penang remaining there for two years pillaging any rival European ships that were to harbor there. Returning to Britain in 1594 and relaying the news of this newly found area, the British would not become a major participant in Penang’s history until 1786 with the Malay Sultanate of Kedah. During this time, the Burmese and the Siamese armies had increasingly threatened the Sultan of Penang forcing him to cut a deal with then Captain of the British Navy in the Southeast Asia region Francis Light.
Its monarchy has led them to success with nationalism and patriotism, and even some of their own thought that ruling over more countries (particularly India) would make them “the greatest power in the world” (Roberts, p. 225). They were interested in imperializing and having control over others, to spread their beliefs and government across the seas. All they needed was “food, raw materials and cash” while they supplied “minerals and capital and sold services” and traded their goods with Europe (Roberts, p. 50). Trading with other countries and having to rely on Britain for large goods further pushed them as a clutch for some countries to continue their own rule. Queen Victoria, who ruled over Britain, believed that they could not be defeated; the thought of it did not even exist, which brought forth a very arrogant political party. They believed that to follow their type of rule will guarantee results of overall success and power against other countries (Roberts, p. 108). For example, the British antagonized the Egyptians by decreasing employment rates and raising taxes without the possibility of Egyptians becoming part of their own office. With the lack of the people representing themselves, the power of a foreign nation continued to dominate and further influence the colony’s
India was where the riches of the world came from, the jewel in the crown of the British Empire. The British needed to dispel the threat of other Europeans in Africa to maintain control of India, and they did so efficiently. They quickly gained control of both the major sea routes to India and then turned their eyes to the rest of the continent. Whether the British were trying to foster public support or prevent another nation from becoming a threat, all British actions in Africa were directly or indirectly linked to India. The British were motivated by their desire to become powerful, and they skillfully combined enterprise and conquest to create a globe spanning empire centered around the wealth of India.
Power, control, influence and greed all describe the history of the rise and fall with some of the greatest empires, which all involve the jurisdiction of a central state including large quantities of land and diversity amongst it’s people. The growths of empires happen for different reasons such as military, victories, political control and economic growth and can be very short lived or last five hundred years ("Rise and fall of empires (article) |Khan Academy," n.d.). When an empire collapses it happens over a period of time as the central state gradually loses its power. The Roman, Anglo-Saxon and British Empires have many similarities that helped the creation and fall of these kingdoms.
known as the British empire by uniting warring tribes of Scotland then joining the Scottish and
It has led to the development of new dialects and modification of existing ones. The British Empire has been able to spread the language across the globe and to date it is the most widespread language and most used in foreign transactions. Currently, the population of non- native English speakers is higher than native English speakers. This is a clear indication that English has become an international language.