African History

How the British Empire Became the Biggest in the World

Published

2 years ago

December 6, 2022

#britishempire #britishhistory #british

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The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire – https://amzn.to/3QD2QKt

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If you were to look at Britain on a map today, you’d be forgiven for thinking that it’s borders only encompass those of the British Isles.

But if you look at the world as a whole, you will find that there are actually 14 overseas territories where the British government still holds power. From Gibraltar at the entrance of the Mediterranean, to the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, these are the last remaining possessions of Britain’s once mighty empire.

At the height of it’s territorial control, a little over 100 years ago, the British Empire covered one quarter of the globes land mass and ruled almost a third of the world’s population. It was ‘the empire on which the sun never set’.
But how did such a small island nation become the largest and most powerful empire the world has ever seen? This is the history of the British Empire.

During the Age of Discovery in the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal and Spain pioneered European exploration of the globe, and in the process established large overseas empires. Envious of the great wealth these empires generated, England, France, and the Netherlands began to establish colonies and trade networks of their own in the Americas and Asia. A series of wars in the 17th and 18th centuries with the Netherlands and France left England (Britain, following the 1707 Act of Union with Scotland) the dominant colonial power in North America. Britain became the dominant power in the Indian subcontinent after the East India Company’s conquest of Mughal Bengal at the Battle of Plassey in 1757.

The American War of Independence resulted in Britain losing some of its oldest and most populous colonies in North America by 1783. British attention then turned towards Asia, Africa, and the Pacific. After the defeat of France in the Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815), Britain emerged as the principal naval and imperial power of the 19th century and expanded its imperial holdings. It pursued trade concessions in China and Japan, and territory in Southeast Asia. The “Scramble for Africa” and “Great Game” also ensued. The period of relative peace (1815–1914) during which the British Empire became the global hegemon was later described as Pax Britannica (Latin for “British Peace”). Alongside the formal control that Britain exerted over its colonies, its dominance of much of world trade meant that it effectively controlled the economies of many regions, such as Asia and Latin America. Increasing degrees of autonomy were granted to its white settler colonies, some of which were formally reclassified as Dominions in the 1920s. By the start of the 20th century, Germany and the United States had begun to challenge Britain’s economic lead. Military and economic tensions between Britain and Germany were major causes of the First World War, during which Britain relied heavily on its empire. The conflict placed enormous strain on its military, financial, and manpower resources. Although the empire achieved its largest territorial extent immediately after the First World War, Britain was no longer the world’s preeminent industrial or military power.

In the Second World War, Britain’s colonies in East Asia and Southeast Asia were occupied by the Empire of Japan. Despite the final victory of Britain and its allies, the damage to British prestige helped accelerate the decline of the empire. India, Britain’s most valuable and populous possession, achieved independence in 1947 as part of a larger decolonisation movement, in which Britain granted independence to most territories of the empire. The Suez Crisis of 1956 confirmed Britain’s decline as a global power, and the transfer of Hong Kong to China on 1 July 1997 symbolised for many the end of the British Empire. Fourteen overseas territories remain under British sovereignty. After independence, many former British colonies, along with most of the dominions, joined the Commonwealth of Nations, a free association of independent states. Fifteen of these, including the United Kingdom, retain a common monarch, currently King Charles III.

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20 Comments

@Piratemurf

June 24, 2024 at 8:13 pm

Birthday video

Reply
@deansworld27

June 25, 2024 at 10:24 am

One word: Guns

Reply
@Kevin-oh2je

June 25, 2024 at 10:43 am

By taking advantage of the environmentally challenged
In fact challenged in every aspect
🖕🇬🇧

Reply
@davidwright575

June 25, 2024 at 12:11 pm

Learnt more about my countrys history from this video than my school years haha, now living in Australia it baffles me how our tiny country did all this compared to its current state

Reply
@coolishollywood

June 25, 2024 at 12:30 pm

To anyone reading this, please pray for my recovery and send positive thoughts my way.

Reply
@jpmtlhead39

June 25, 2024 at 1:32 pm

A very fascinating thing abaut the British Empire,is the fact that in is Heyday only 5% of the Empire ( land) was inhabited by humans.
The other 95 % of the Empire was inhabited by wild animals or was a barren wasteland. In some (very few) cases vegetation was part of the landscape.
An huge Empire full of "nothing",with a Queen ( King) ruling over an massive pile of rocks and dust.

Reply
@yourmammu

June 26, 2024 at 2:41 pm

An empire founded by Elizabeth I and ended under Elizabeth II

Reply
@sumanthm629

June 26, 2024 at 3:07 pm

The sun never set in the British Empire because even God will not trust them in the dark.

Reply
@smellslikethinice1107

June 26, 2024 at 5:41 pm

Funded by Chinese Opium, slavery, and stolen goods.
Apparently if you end up filthy rich you are admired.
Francis Drake was a former pirate, but was willing to share his bounty…hence Sir Francis.

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@kombatv2069

June 26, 2024 at 11:44 pm

Russia still better history than other history

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@jackofallvidz9418

June 26, 2024 at 11:52 pm

May I also add… We had the largest Empire in the world… and was the only nation to ever give their Empire back!
Our tiny nation sits on northern Europe and proudly has some of the richest history in the world.
Every modern soldier to this day even, is based upon our islands special forces warriors.
We have given incredible inventions, major scientific breakthroughs, aerodynamics, evelotion theory, authors, medicine, language, music, sport, culture, immense engineering, architecture, and infustructure… need i go on!?
I am incredibly proud to have my one of the thosuands of accents across this tiny quirky land. Our country may not be what it once was…. But we are Great Britain and the world wouldnt be the same with out us.
Many nations hate us… but it's only because no one can fathom how a nation that's smaller then Oregan, US, could have achieved such colossal imperium and inovation over the course of thousands of years. Shared witb romans, vikings, saxons and norman invasions.
I would like to express to tbisnday colossal and incredible nations like the, U.S. and Austalia are based upon our culture and way of life.
How could someone who is from this nation not be proud of it. The United Kingdom is just one of a kind. No nation is like us… and i turly believe no nation even gets us… and thats why we do humor and sarcasm best
Our country will come back to us one day. Even if it aint my life time.
Britannia rules the waves. 🇬🇧

Reply
@seanog9440

June 27, 2024 at 7:38 am

That's a very rosy picture of a criminal empire

Reply
@Mr.W00dley

June 27, 2024 at 6:51 pm

This makes me want to play Risk

Reply
@davidsheppard4607

June 28, 2024 at 3:59 pm

Very impressive! Thank you

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@farhat_lamisa

June 29, 2024 at 1:14 am

Idk but history is so wrong in so many ways.

Reply
@samraatdash8236

June 29, 2024 at 1:15 pm

The British Empire spread English. Otherwise Star Wars characters would have faced extreme difficulties to speak with each other. And that, my friend, could have led to misunderstandings and far, far more galactic wars.

Reply
@HamzahAlli-yb8xb

June 30, 2024 at 12:32 am

It was doing, my friend!

Reply
@mikkayosef8008

July 1, 2024 at 2:52 am

British must pay reparations to people.of Bangladesh for their g cide of 5 million Bengalis!!

Reply
@fatherandson1_____

July 1, 2024 at 6:58 pm

Lol not a true empire, a two hundred year quest of cruel discovery of huge swathes of significantly unoccupied lands, with the exception of the theft of india and a few other small holdings.

Reply
@Irina666666

July 2, 2024 at 3:31 am

A fun fact for you Briits: The Black Legend against Spain is the cloak that covers the crimes of the Anglo-Saxons and Protestants.

Spain's reputation was intentionally tarnished and distorted by its enemies, particularly during the 16th to 18th centuries. This was done to discredit Spain's viceroyalties, its people, and its culture.
It was used to divert attention from the wrongdoings of Anglo-Saxon and Protestant nations, implying that they had their own dark histories and crimes that were being overlooked or downplayed while Spain was being unfairly maligned.

But you Brits will learn that when you read it. 😉

Reply