A Brief History of the British Empire

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Great Britain, The country who has been in a the center of some history’s biggest moments. A country in which no other dares to challenge , but try to emulate. A country who were first to industrialize and didn't want anybody else to . How did Great Britain become one of the powerful empire in history and what happen to it ? The first event that help Britain build this empire was the industrial revolution. Coal was really the start of the revolution. Wood used to be the main source of energy but as the population grew wood became harder to carry and more expensive. Coal became more of a potent source of energy. It lead to the first successful steam engine, invented by Thomas Newcomen in 1712. The next move by Great Britain was the buildup of their seapower . The seapower britain had before, already gave them colonies in eastern North America, numerous sugar islands in the Caribbean and a hold in Bengal. The new seapower that britain allowed them a new source of commerce. The triangle slave trade in allowed britain to send over 2 million worker to the new developing company America, which was a major feature in building the empire. With the naval power built up , this is really when the empire really built up. By 1815, Britain established themselves as the worlds great imperial powers . A colony that nobody knew about was the Caribbean, in the island of Barbados and Jamaica, that the brits acquired in the mid 17 century, had a tremendous sugar supply. Another colony that the Brits had was in india, the home of the historic east india company, a trading company made by Great Britain to produce revenue. This growth of Britain's new empire in Africa, India and elsewhe... ... middle of paper ... ...rms that their reign as the world’s greatest empire is faltering. Now in the 21st Century Some imperial links still survive, but the days of this empire a long gone. Works Cited Darwin, John. "Britain, the Commonwealth and the End of Empire." BBC News. BBC, 3 Mar. 11. Web. 01 May 2014. Evans, Eric. "Overview: Victorian Britain, 1837 - 1901." BBC News. BBC, 29 Mar. 2011. Web. 01 May 2014. "Home Front: World War One." BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 02 May 2014. Morgan, Kenneth. "Overview: Empire and Sea Power, 1714 - 1837." BBC News. BBC, 17 Feb. 2011. Web. 02 May 2014. Porter, Andrew. "Britain's Empire in 1815." BBC News. BBC, 17 Feb. 2011. Web. 02 May 2014. Strachan, Hew. "Overview: Britain and World War One, 1901 - 1918." BBC News. BBC, 3 Mar. 2011. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. "Why the Industrial Revolution Happened in Britain." BBC News. BBC, 14 Jan. 2013. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.

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