Text| Stevens
Editor| Stevens
preface
The British Empire was one of the most widely distributed and successful empires in history.
There are many reasons why the British are so successful. First, they have access to resources around the world. Their territory spans six of the seven continents.
The empire was so big that they called it the "empire of the sun never sets."
Because their territory is so large, they have access to most of the world's resources. For example, the British fell in love with tea, which they obtained from India, one of the largest colonies.
They also receive gold and diamonds from South Africa. Secondly, they had (at that time) the most powerful maritime power in the world. Since Britain is an island, they need to have a strong naval force in Europe. They did this by quickly mass-producing battleships.
For example, when Britain entered the First World War in 1914, they had 45 "dreadnought" battleships, almost twice as many as Germany had at that time. Finally, in many of the colonies they ruled, they established democratic governments. Many British colonies were not democratic when they were taken over by the British.
The British, although they were monarchies themselves, brought democracy to many of their colonies. For example, the British brought democracy to India, which was then controlled by the Mughals.
The collapse of the empire
The reason why the "empire never sets" went into decline was because, after the world wars, nationalist ideas arose in their colonies. Eventually, their colonies gained independence and had the option to continue their ties with Britain and other former dependencies of the Commonwealth.
The geography, climate and scenery of the UK all contributed to their success and sustaining their power.
geographical location
England is located in northwest Europe. Britain is also an island. Since it is surrounded by water, they have an advantage, since the enemy can only attack them from battleships.
Their advantageous position allowed them to trade with their colonies. Britain, for example, fought France at Waterloo and Trafalgar and gained superiority in naval battles with its great naval power. Another factor that has helped the UK succeed is the climate, which includes harsh winters and unpredictable weather.
Britain's harsh winter prevented its enemies from attacking or invading them. Unpredictable weather, including frequent rainfall, also made it harder for enemies to prepare. Just like in Russia, when French soldiers were unable to succeed due to harsh climate, the harsh British winter and unpredictable weather were difficult to adapt.
Finally, they have very fertile soil, natural resources, and farms. Their fertile soil allows them to grow a variety of crops. In addition, they have many valuable natural resources such as oil, coal and natural gas. They are also very good at raising sheep.
All in all, Britain's geography, climate, landscape, and resources helped them successfully gain and maintain power over the colonies. The British were mostly Anglican Christians, who slowly spread their faith throughout the empire. First, the British established many Anglican schools and YMCAs in all their colonies.
These schools will be the best in the area, making them more attractive to locals. This is how they skillfully spread their faith all over the world.
Schools teach them that God is represented not by one entity, but by three entities: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. For example, you can still find many YMCAs in countries in the Indian subcontinent. In addition, the British set up missions, orphanages, and churches across the Indian subcontinent and Africa.
Cultural influence on the colony
The British Empire spread faith in the colonies it ruled through the work of missionaries. These missionaries colonized the faith of the natives, just as the British Empire colonized their lands. The spread of Christianity in the colonies was another way for empires to maintain control.
To this day, there are still many active Anglican missions, such as The Mission India. In addition, the Anglican Church considers Easter and Christmas to be very important days in their belief system, including attending weekly church services.
Since the British built many churches to spread Christianity, now all celebrate the festival and many attend church services. For example, there are many famous churches and cathedrals all over India.
One of the largest and most famous churches is St. Paul's Cathedral in Kolkata, West Bengal.
Britain had many great achievements that showed her superiority and helped the empire maintain its position in the world. First, history tells us that British colonization had a huge impact on the art, architecture and music of its colonies.
If you look at Indian art and architecture, you see British and European influences.
For example, in Kolkata, the old capital of the British Empire, you can see many buildings with British architectural styles, such as the Indian Museum, the Writers' House, the YMCA, and the building converted into the Oberoi Hotel. Other influences of colonial architecture are present in cities such as Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai.
You can see the influence of art through the many art schools opened by the British in India. Second, the British have also made great strides in the fields of science, medicine, and war technology. They created many devices that are still in use, which gave them a huge advantage over their peers at the time.
For example, they invented tanks that were massively used in the First World War. They also invented ultrasound, which will continue to save lives and further provide opportunities for research in the field of biology. Finally, another major influence of the British Empire was through its language and literature.
English became very popular in the colonies, and the British also influenced the school system by formulating educational policies for the colonial people. As a result, English became increasingly popular in the British colonies. This is why English has become the lingua franca of the modern world.
In British India, for example, the imperial educational policy soon influenced many Indian writers who began to study English and European literature. In short, it was clear that the British Empire had influenced not only the economies of its colonies, but also their art, music, architecture and literature. Britain's powerful governing bodies and laws helped them colonize a quarter of the world's land.
First, although Britain is a monarchy, they are still one of the most democratic. Britain has a parliamentary system with a prime minister, twenty-two cabinet ministers and ninety-seven other ministers.
Ministers come from different social classes and ethnicities to ensure that legislation is fair for all. This makes their government more likable. In addition, since their monarchy is a constitutional monarchy, the powers of the monarch are limited. This also affected their colonies after independence.
For example, most countries under colonial rule now have similar systems of governance. Secondly, they had very powerful and influential monarchs who ruled the empire with an iron fist. The influence of these monarchs and their policies spread throughout the British Empire.
Impact on the local constitution and economy of the colony
Their laws and sanctions were observed throughout the empire. For example, in former British colonies, such as the Victoria Memorial in Kolkata, Queen Victoria is celebrated. Most countries under colonial rule still use common law.
Common law is an idea that originated in England. When the British came to Asia, they brought with them the concept of common law. Many countries around the world use common law, such as Bangladesh, because of the British Empire. All in all, UK law, government and leaders are a key part of their success.
Their system of governance also spread throughout the colony. The British Empire maintained its dominance in the world through its economic system. First, an important part of the UK economy is trade. Trade was very important to the British Empire because it wanted to trade goods with its colonies.
Britain exported what the colonies needed, and Britain imported what they needed from the colonies. They also grow many crops for trade. For example, the British Empire would trade crops such as wheat, barley and potatoes for wool textiles. Their ships also enabled them to trade with China, India and African countries.
These imports include opium, spices, tea, sugar, silk, rice and tobacco. Another way for the British Empire to maintain its dominance was by stationing large numbers of natives from its colonies in its army. Another source of labor was slaves purchased by the British Empire.
The British would recruit natives in their colonies to join their army. They bought slaves from Africa and shipped them to African colonies like the Americas. For example, many of the soldiers in the British army that fought in the First World War were Indians. Instead of imposing a currency on their colonies, the British let each country keep its own.
Although the idea of a unified currency had emerged, it was quickly rejected because it would exacerbate tensions in the colonies. For example, you can find rupee coins with a portrait of Queen Victoria on it. All in all, the British economy facilitated their colonial efforts and helped them maintain power. Will recruit locals for their army.
The social structure of the British Empire consisted of what we call social classes, for example, Victorian men and women played a clear role in the family and family life. First of all, the social structure during the British Empire was quite rigid, and people were very aware of their place in society.
There is also a big gap between the upper and lower classes. At the top of the hierarchy were royalty, followed by their relatives, dukes, knights, educated privileged classes ("gentlemen"), then merchants, followed by the upper, middle and lower working classes.
These differences created conflict and hostility between different classes. For example, the lower classes hate the upper class and even the middle class because they are excluded from social welfare. Second, family life is also influenced by social class. In high-income households, they will have servants who do the work for them, but in low-income households, families must do their own household chores.
For example, mothers from poor families are responsible for raising children, washing dishes, doing laundry, cooking and cleaning. Which brings me to the next point, gender roles. Gender roles are very specific and society is very structured. Society is very strict about gender roles, especially in the family. At that time, women did not have any agency over money or property. For example, when a woman gets married, her inheritance does not inherit anything from her father, but passes directly to her spouse.
All in all, despite the enormous scale of power and influence, the empire fell apart. Despite this, the UK remains a country that has influence not only on the continent but around the world.
Resources:
The British Empire: Its Beginnings, Declines and Successes