The British Empire ultimately had beneficial effects for its people; they did so through military, and economic aspects. Many advancements and benefits of these aspects led to a stronger empire and better lifestyle of its people. The main reason these advancements occurred was because the British Empire, and the most of the other European countries, were much more technologically advanced. While they enjoyed many years of advancements and developments, they still underwent periods of upheaval and detriment. Overall, the British Empire furthered the livelihood of its people and the world that followed it.
Militarily, the British had the pleasure of being the dominant naval power from 1815 through the early 20th century. It gained its supremacy on the backbone of the industrial revolution. Britain enjoyed effortless naval dominance not only because every one of the other powers found it impossible to build or man the same number of warships, had an insufficient merchant marine to back it up in time of war, lacked adequate overseas bases and possessed an industrial strength that was infantile by comparison, but also because they made little effort to mount any challenge to British military might (Kennedy). This led to the British to develop a vast colonial regime and become the largest empire in history; having colonies or economic control over Canada, India, Australia, a large portion of Africa, a multitude of island colonies, and even territory in Antarctica (Furth). British military power did not stop with its navy. In the late 19th century due to large technological advances in weaponry, the British Empire catapulted to the forefront of those able to wage and win wars. Light-mobile artillery, breech-loading rifles, and the mach...
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...al for all its citizens. There is no denying the impact the industrial revolution had on the economy and how it has improved living conditions drastically over the last two centuries.
The British Empire’s military prowess and economic fervor since the 1500’s has ultimately had a positive impact on its people. The military power it developed through its navy and technological advances drove it to the forefront of global superpowers, arguably the first superpower (perhaps only behind the Mongols). The industrial revolution that stemmed from the British colonies spurred economic growth never seen before in the world. While the height of its power may have passed since the 19th and early 20th century, it still plays a key component in today’s society. This indicates the British Empire has endured successfully, as no empire can stand so long while its people are weak.
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 ...
Century. There were several key factors in Britain’s rapid growth as an international empire. Britain 's development at this time had an important international and military dimension. An empire based on sea power, commerce and naval dominance consolidated British overseas colonization and trade. Three key factors facilitated Britain’s rise to power, the first is warfare, the second is colonization and the third is trade.
The successes of the British colonies are clear, their dominance in naval warfare allowed for their ability to better supply their colonies, and the geographical location of their colonies allowed them to better supply themselves rather than wait on resupply from Great Britain. However, it is not entirely accurate to say that these are what caused Britain to better other colonial powers when facing similar hardship. It would be more accurate to say that the other colonial powers, France and Spain, lost the battle rather than Britain won it. Their methods were different, but the key difference lied in France’s inability to truly value its colonies. The British colonies not only were of large importance to the King of England, but they were also a beacon of hope and prosperity to the general population of the kingdom, which ensured their survival from the
The British Empire gained notoriety for its role as a global power between the late
In the 19th century, Britain obtained unprecedented economic profits in Asia through control of Singapore, as a colony discovered by Thomas Stamford Raffles, and China, as the British sphere of influence began with the Opium War. Under British imperialism, common people in Singapore and China experienced a hard time since the British extracted most interests. Finally, they ended their imperialistic relationships with Britain by gaining political and economic independence.
And provide India with ‘proper’ education and standards. Communication, transport, industrialization, sanitation all improved and slavery, internal relations, conflicts and unacceptable practices all ceased. So Britain’s rule could also be considered the best thing to happen to India.
The first notable positive effect of the empire is industrialization. The British having been ahead in industrial evolution helped spread technology to new places around the world. Particularly, the British Empire was responsible for the development of early industries in their colonies (Balasubramanyam & Wei, 79). They built industries in the colonies such as sugar factories, cotton factories and tobacco industries. Certainly, this was a new development in these colonies that later led to the colonies mechanizing their cottage industri...
The British also brought humanitarian efforts to India, these involve vaccination against diseases, clean water supplies and public sanitation. They manage to get rid of suttee and infanticide. The British successful see the destruction thugs and pest on Indian society. Also allow Hindu windows to remarriage and gives charitable aid in the time of famine. In addition they brought over partial education for population to have a chance of learning
The English also built many institutions in India and set up a productive government. "They have framed wise laws and have established courts of justice"(The Economic History Of India Under Early British Rule). In addition to all these positive effects, Britain also linked India to the modern world through modern science and modern thought. However, where the is good, there has to be bad. British colonization of India had its drawbacks.
The third characteristic of a total war is that a nation utilizes all of its resources towards meeting the needs of the war effort. In the case of total wars a nation’s resources is made up of all of its material resources, industrial resources and importantly its human resources. This characteristic of a total war is the most difficult to definitively determine for the British Empire. The reason for this is that the British Empire is not made up of only one nation. Rather, it includes Britain and a number of colonial territories, each of which played a distinctive role in the British Empire’s war effort. It is incredibly difficult to analyze whether each of the pieces of the empire contributed all or most of its resources towards the war effort. For the sake of brevity this paper will break the British Empire into
"All the leadership had spent their early years in England. They were influenced by British thought, British ideas, that is why our leaders were always telling the British "How can you do these things? They're against your own basic values.". We had no hatred, in fact it was the other way round - it was their values that made us revolt." -Aruna Asaf Ali, a leader of the Indian National Congress. (Masani, quoted in Wood, 32, 1989)
In the 19th century to early 20th century, Great Britain was the global power, the largest empire during the time. Great Britain was controlling India during 1858~1947, this time period is called “British Raj”. British bled Indian by collecting high taxes and had discrimination in society. Gandhi wan...
To start a major positive effect was the British’s aid and improvements on infrastructure. “They had improved telephones and paved roads, brought cars, trains, and postal networks. This was a positive effect because it boosted the economy, standard of living and the flow of information and people.” (Nechtman). Though this had most likely been done to improve the colonizers lifestyle, it was not to be taken for granted. The
All great empires start with a seed, a seed that then turns an empty field into an oasis of life. That seed was the East India Company and from that seed, the East India Company transformed England into what it is most famous for today, a vast empire that ruled the majority of Eurasia. The East India Company started out by looking for a means to new trade and connecting to untouched and unknown places. It can be said that the trade routes and posts that were established in India were the true beginning of the empire. After trade had evolved and became more and more popular amongst European superpowers, the competition increased. The Company stood its ground and instead of only keeping away the competition, The East India Company made alliances with the rivals to strengthen their roots. To defend their newly gained property and its people, they generated armies that had the advanced weaponry and skill of the British Empire. Through alliances, the utilization of armies, and the domination of world trade, the East India Company produced a foundation for the British Empire.
The Roman Conquest of Britain allowed the Roman-Britain’s to become one the most prominent empires of its day. Influences that the Roman’s had brought over had greatly affected the Briton society and its economy. Conquering Britain, actually brought upon a Golden Age. In which, the second century was a time as the historian Gibbon said, “The period in the history of the world during which the condition of the human race was most happy and prosperous” (Lunt 23).