The British Empire ultimately had beneficial effects for its people; they did so through military, and economic aspects. Many advancements and benefits of these aspects led to a stronger empire and better lifestyle of its people. The main reason these advancements occurred was because the British Empire, and the most of the other European countries, were much more technologically advanced. While they enjoyed many years of advancements and developments, they still underwent periods of upheaval and detriment. Overall, the British Empire furthered the livelihood of its people and the world that followed it.
Militarily, the British had the pleasure of being the dominant naval power from 1815 through the early 20th century. It gained its supremacy on the backbone of the industrial revolution. Britain enjoyed effortless naval dominance not only because every one of the other powers found it impossible to build or man the same number of warships, had an insufficient merchant marine to back it up in time of war, lacked adequate overseas bases and possessed an industrial strength that was infantile by comparison, but also because they made little effort to mount any challenge to British military might (Kennedy). This led to the British to develop a vast colonial regime and become the largest empire in history; having colonies or economic control over Canada, India, Australia, a large portion of Africa, a multitude of island colonies, and even territory in Antarctica (Furth). British military power did not stop with its navy. In the late 19th century due to large technological advances in weaponry, the British Empire catapulted to the forefront of those able to wage and win wars. Light-mobile artillery, breech-loading rifles, and the mach...
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...al for all its citizens. There is no denying the impact the industrial revolution had on the economy and how it has improved living conditions drastically over the last two centuries.
The British Empire’s military prowess and economic fervor since the 1500’s has ultimately had a positive impact on its people. The military power it developed through its navy and technological advances drove it to the forefront of global superpowers, arguably the first superpower (perhaps only behind the Mongols). The industrial revolution that stemmed from the British colonies spurred economic growth never seen before in the world. While the height of its power may have passed since the 19th and early 20th century, it still plays a key component in today’s society. This indicates the British Empire has endured successfully, as no empire can stand so long while its people are weak.
And provide India with ‘proper’ education and standards. Communication, transport, industrialization, sanitation all improved and slavery, internal relations, conflicts and unacceptable practices all ceased. So Britain’s rule could also be considered the best thing to happen to India.
The English also built many institutions in India and set up a productive government. "They have framed wise laws and have established courts of justice"(The Economic History Of India Under Early British Rule). In addition to all these positive effects, Britain also linked India to the modern world through modern science and modern thought. However, where the is good, there has to be bad. British colonization of India had its drawbacks.
Britain was endowed with geographic and political advantages that allowed the country to become the first to unwittingly stumble onto industrialization. Britain was an island, therefore had developed a unique naval strength which subsequently gave Britain leverage when globalization blossomed from expanding maritime trade. Meanwhile, the rest of Europe, including Belgium, trailed behind. Presently, colonized regions still bear the traits and scars from the subjugators of their past. Intensity of Rule: [comparing conquerors].
The successes of the British colonies are clear, their dominance in naval warfare allowed for their ability to better supply their colonies, and the geographical location of their colonies allowed them to better supply themselves rather than wait on resupply from Great Britain. However, it is not entirely accurate to say that these are what caused Britain to better other colonial powers when facing similar hardship. It would be more accurate to say that the other colonial powers, France and Spain, lost the battle rather than Britain won it. Their methods were different, but the key difference lied in France’s inability to truly value its colonies. The British colonies not only were of large importance to the King of England, but they were also a beacon of hope and prosperity to the general population of the kingdom, which ensured their survival from the
There is a point of time in certain a country’s history where they become dominant and more powerful than ever before. During this elongated process a country becomes an empire. The British and the Ottomans were states that succeeded in this process, but becoming an empire such as theirs required vast amounts of political and social maneuvering to expand their boundaries, called imperialism. Imperialism is, “a policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force”. By becoming a modern nation enjoying economic prosperity and political stability, the British and the Ottomans created an imperialistic impact over the globe with distinctive motivations and approaches especially during the transition period of gaining ample amount power and influence globally.
"All the leadership had spent their early years in England. They were influenced by British thought, British ideas, that is why our leaders were always telling the British "How can you do these things? They're against your own basic values.". We had no hatred, in fact it was the other way round - it was their values that made us revolt." -Aruna Asaf Ali, a leader of the Indian National Congress. (Masani, quoted in Wood, 32, 1989)
In this essay I examine so called ’American empire’ in order to find out if it exists and if it makes sense to call the USA an empire. In the first part of this essay I examine the hard power of the United States. Even though it is clear that the USA has a huge material preponderance, I come to the conclusion that it is unable to use it to fullfill its political goals in a way that an empire would be able to do. In the second part I proceed to take a look at the soft power of the USA, namely ideological, cultural and structural power. In the end I conclude that it does not make sense to speak of an American empire, because there has never been one and it is unlikely that there will be one in the near future.
In the 19th century, Britain obtained unprecedented economic profits in Asia through control of Singapore, as a colony discovered by Thomas Stamford Raffles, and China, as the British sphere of influence began with the Opium War. Under British imperialism, common people in Singapore and China experienced a hard time since the British extracted most interests. Finally, they ended their imperialistic relationships with Britain by gaining political and economic independence.
The British Empire gained notoriety for its role as a global power between the late
The Roman Conquest of Britain allowed the Roman-Britain’s to become one the most prominent empires of its day. Influences that the Roman’s had brought over had greatly affected the Briton society and its economy. Conquering Britain, actually brought upon a Golden Age. In which, the second century was a time as the historian Gibbon said, “The period in the history of the world during which the condition of the human race was most happy and prosperous” (Lunt 23).
Empire building is a long and tedious work but falling off empire is quicker than building an empire. The British Empire was the largest empire and the most riches the world ever know. British Empire occupies a fifth of the world population and rule over two hundred years by invading country after country. The empire rule overs many country no more than the country of India where the British Empire has ruled over. However it was the effort of merchant within the British east India Company that found in 1559 did take over the country not the British government. They did arrive as traders looking for more place to trade. These did quite from normal and would thwart that their intention was good and peacefully, but over the next 250 years the British presence was more and more adopting in the role of conquerors and governors than merchant looking to trader. Not only would the British Empire has a big effect on India’s history but would have effect on the crown jewel of the British Empire and the western civilization.
Some see the British Empire and its colonization of much of the world as all bad. While it is true they have hindered and hurt many nations and cultures, they also did bring some good to their colonies. India is a nation perfect to show the influence of British colonization, they have the largest English speaking population outside of the US at 125 million people fluent in English, they have adopted much of British’s government policies and framework, and lastly the game of Cricket. British involvement on the Indian subcontinent began early in the 17th Century through the British East India Company and its business ventures and dealings. The early British Empire was composed of several self-governing colonies.
All great empires start with a seed, a seed that then turns an empty field into an oasis of life. That seed was the East India Company and from that seed, the East India Company transformed England into what it is most famous for today, a vast empire that ruled the majority of Eurasia. The East India Company started out by looking for a means to new trade and connecting to untouched and unknown places. It can be said that the trade routes and posts that were established in India were the true beginning of the empire. After trade had evolved and became more and more popular amongst European superpowers, the competition increased. The Company stood its ground and instead of only keeping away the competition, The East India Company made alliances with the rivals to strengthen their roots. To defend their newly gained property and its people, they generated armies that had the advanced weaponry and skill of the British Empire. Through alliances, the utilization of armies, and the domination of world trade, the East India Company produced a foundation for the British Empire.
In the 19th century to early 20th century, Great Britain was the global power, the largest empire during the time. Great Britain was controlling India during 1858~1947, this time period is called “British Raj”. British bled Indian by collecting high taxes and had discrimination in society. Gandhi wan...
The third characteristic of a total war is that a nation utilizes all of its resources towards meeting the needs of the war effort. In the case of total wars a nation’s resources is made up of all of its material resources, industrial resources and importantly its human resources. This characteristic of a total war is the most difficult to definitively determine for the British Empire. The reason for this is that the British Empire is not made up of only one nation. Rather, it includes Britain and a number of colonial territories, each of which played a distinctive role in the British Empire’s war effort. It is incredibly difficult to analyze whether each of the pieces of the empire contributed all or most of its resources towards the war effort. For the sake of brevity this paper will break the British Empire into