Pax Britannica

556 Words2 Pages

During the nineteenth century Great Britain had control over many different colonies all over the world. These colonies felt very safe being “under Britain’s wing.” This time period was called the Pax Britannica. There were multiple reasons for the colonies feeling safer with British control. First, Britain was extremely secure itself. Napoleon wasn’t even able to invade the island. Second, in the past Britain was able to keep the peace in it’s own country, during the reforms, without the need for a revolution. Third, Britain controlled key trade routes so the strong Royal Navy was present in all of the world’s waters. However, without any strong opponents, of course British will be the supreme enforcers of peace. That is the main difference between the Pax Britannica in the 19th century and the warfare of the twentieth century. Rising tensions between the European powers began in the late 1800’s and caused the breakdown of continental order. The relationships between the Great Powers of Europe steadily grew tense due to the decline of the Ottoman Empire, leading to the Crimean War...

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