British Empire Research Paper

The British Empire was one of the most extensive empire in world history. It was at one point the largest empire in the world. It was the largest empire by having colonies in Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe, and Oceania. During the 1800s the British controlled lots of this land all at once,but this empire had its ups and downs like any empire. There was the First British Empire, the Second British Empire, the decline of the empire, and the legacy that came with it. First British Empire started when King VII sent John Cabot to look for trade routes. That is when the British expanded to other territories.In 1606 and 1607, settlers colonized the east coast of the US.Walter Raleigh tried attempted to settle along the US
east coast, but the settlement failed.Settlers in the east coast were diverse and interesting.Diversity of the colonies include Catholics in Maryland, Quakers in Pennsylvania, Anglicans in Virginia, and Puritans in Massachusetts (Hyslop and Daniels 266). These colonies eventually became the 13 colonies and were really prospering. Even though the British seem to be prospering, they had a rival that would force them to become strong.
Britain's early rival was France.
Britain and France both wanted to be the most powerful empire in the world. They were both competing in regions both countries settlements were at. Two of the most fought over locations was the St. Lawrence Freeway and India (Gascoigne). A war would be fought between the British and French called the Seven Years War.Great Britain won the war and France had to give up all land east of the Mississippi River in North America. Even though the British saw success from winning the war, the colonists did not see the aftermath of the war the same way because, they would be taxed to pay for
it.
So, the colonists decided to start a revolution that would end the First British Empire.Colonists along the US east coast were being taxed too much that they rebelled. Soon enough,the rebellion turned into a war for independence,and eventually the 13 colonies became the United States (Gascoigne).British land along the east coast was gone forever.
Due to loss of land along the east coast, the British needed redemption. One of the factors for this redemption is The East India Company.This company helped Britain conquer Hong Kong, Singapore, and other Asian countries (“British Empire”). In London, the company held an election in 1764 (Leonard 2). With that election, the East India Company became powerful. They were the most powerful company on the planet during that time. Thanks to the company's success,the British were able to prosper and they entered a Golden Age. The rise of the Golden Age was caused by the French Empire falling apart and the East India Company colonizing land. When France fell apart, they lost important territories like Haiti. One reason why the French fell apart was that Napoleon lost the Napoleonic War in Europe. After Napoleon's defeat, the British solidified themselves as a world empire (Hyslop and Daniels,271-272). With solidifying themselves as a world power, more prospering and development has arrived.
With Great Britain being a world empire, they entered a Golden Age (Britannica). The leader of the British Empire during the Golden Age was Queen Victoria (Gascoigne). An expanded territory and great navy led this Golden Age to continue for a while. Keeping the nation afloat was the only concern the British had when it came to the Golden Age.
So, the British used techniques similar to how the US stayed alive during the 1800s.When it comes to communication, the British used telegrams to communicate (Luscombe). Telegrams are a way to communicate by sending electronic beeps.Railroads were the main way of traveling from colony to colony (Luscombe). With growing food, the British had plantations. The plantations did not have slaves because slavery was abolished (Luscombe).Even in tropical locations,the British found ways to survive in by fighting against tropical diseases. They found ways to fight Malaria and West Nile (Luscombe). Most of the territory the British occupied was in Africa and Asia.Out of all the locations around the world, India was the most valuable colony for the British. Even though the British had a really big empire, the British Empire went downhill during the 20th century.
In the 20th century, the British Empire went from one of the biggest empires in the world to a small country in a matter of a few decades. One of the contributing factors to the British Empire declining is the ideas of dominion status and nationalism. Another factor was that the British fought two big wars in the 20th century: World War 1 and World War 2. With those wars, British resources became really scarce (“British Empire”).The British overworked their colonists outside of the United Kingdom, and the colonists had
enough.
In some places like Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, the British gave those territories dominion status (“British Empire”). Dominion status is where a country can rule itself but the British still have ownership of the dominion`s property. While the British let go of ruling status of some colonies through dominion method. Letting go of other territory was harder for the British.
During the 1940s-1960s, a form of thinking came back to life. This idea is called Nationalism (“British Empire”). Nationalism is a concept where a person express what nation they identify as. During that time period, lots of countries felt that they should rule themselves. India was one of the first to break away from Britain through nationalism. In 1947, Great Britain gave independence to India ( “British Empire”). With India becoming independent,other nations wanted to be free also which led to a rapid decline.
Nationalism swept other nations in Asia as well. Singapore and Malaysia got independence shortly after India. Burma gained independence around the same time as both India, Singapore, and Malaysia. As a matter of fact, Burma was one of the first countries to become independent and sever all ties with Great Britain right away (“British Empire”). Cyprus got independence through violence against Britain.There were multiple Asian countries becoming independent, but Asia was not the only place to have rapid independence.
Africa saw nationalism just like Asia did. The British rapidly left Africa in the 1950s and 1960s (“British Empire”). Not only did the British leave Africa rapidly, other European countries left their African colonies as well. By the 1980s Great Britain's empire was only a dream. In 1997, Hong Kong was given back to China. At that point, the British Empire officially came to a close.
With Hong Kong gone, the British Empire left a legacy for those who were colonized by the British. In most of the former colonies, the government used is modeled after the British Government (“British Empire”). Most of the former colonies speak English as a main language or as a secondary language. Probably the greatest legacy of all is the Commonwealth of Nations. It is an alliance of 53 nations in which they keep close ties with each other and with Great Britain. This is the legacy of the British Empire. Overall, the British Empire was one of the largest empires in the world. The empire started from colonists and became an empire of colonies. But in the end, the British Empire fell to trending movements that was going on in the world.