How the British Empire Became the Biggest in the World

#britishempire #britishhistory #british

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If you were to look at Britain on a map today, you’d be forgiven for thinking that it’s borders only encompass those of the British Isles.

But if you look at the world as a whole, you will find that there are actually 14 overseas territories where the British government still holds power. From Gibraltar at the entrance of the Mediterranean, to the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, these are the last remaining possessions of Britain’s once mighty empire.

At the height of it’s territorial control, a little over 100 years ago, the British Empire covered one quarter of the globes land mass and ruled almost a third of the world’s population. It was ‘the empire on which the sun never set’.
But how did such a small island nation become the largest and most powerful empire the world has ever seen? This is the history of the British Empire.

During the Age of Discovery in the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal and Spain pioneered European exploration of the globe, and in the process established large overseas empires. Envious of the great wealth these empires generated, England, France, and the Netherlands began to establish colonies and trade networks of their own in the Americas and Asia. A series of wars in the 17th and 18th centuries with the Netherlands and France left England (Britain, following the 1707 Act of Union with Scotland) the dominant colonial power in North America. Britain became the dominant power in the Indian subcontinent after the East India Company's conquest of Mughal Bengal at the Battle of Plassey in 1757.

The American War of Independence resulted in Britain losing some of its oldest and most populous colonies in North America by 1783. British attention then turned towards Asia, Africa, and the Pacific. After the defeat of France in the Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815), Britain emerged as the principal naval and imperial power of the 19th century and expanded its imperial holdings. It pursued trade concessions in China and Japan, and territory in Southeast Asia. The "Scramble for Africa" and "Great Game" also ensued. The period of relative peace (1815–1914) during which the British Empire became the global hegemon was later described as Pax Britannica (Latin for "British Peace"). Alongside the formal control that Britain exerted over its colonies, its dominance of much of world trade meant that it effectively controlled the economies of many regions, such as Asia and Latin America. Increasing degrees of autonomy were granted to its white settler colonies, some of which were formally reclassified as Dominions in the 1920s. By the start of the 20th century, Germany and the United States had begun to challenge Britain's economic lead. Military and economic tensions between Britain and Germany were major causes of the First World War, during which Britain relied heavily on its empire. The conflict placed enormous strain on its military, financial, and manpower resources. Although the empire achieved its largest territorial extent immediately after the First World War, Britain was no longer the world's preeminent industrial or military power.

In the Second World War, Britain's colonies in East Asia and Southeast Asia were occupied by the Empire of Japan. Despite the final victory of Britain and its allies, the damage to British prestige helped accelerate the decline of the empire. India, Britain's most valuable and populous possession, achieved independence in 1947 as part of a larger decolonisation movement, in which Britain granted independence to most territories of the empire. The Suez Crisis of 1956 confirmed Britain's decline as a global power, and the transfer of Hong Kong to China on 1 July 1997 symbolised for many the end of the British Empire. Fourteen overseas territories remain under British sovereignty. After independence, many former British colonies, along with most of the dominions, joined the Commonwealth of Nations, a free association of independent states. Fifteen of these, including the United Kingdom, retain a common monarch, currently King Charles III.

[Irina]

To the surprise and disappointment of many Brits, the phrase "The empire on which the sun never sets", was first used to describe the empires of Charles V (Charles I of Spain), and his son, Phillip II.

[randr]

I’m English, my Nan was born in 1919, it amazes me to think that she was alive when Britain was the most powerful nation on Earth. WW1 and then WW2 marked the end of us as a world power. By the way, Nan lived till she was 101, passing away just short of her 102nd birthday in 2021.

[JamieB]

Incredible how such a small nation has had such a huge impact world wide

[McfcRich]

Its mad to think such a tiny little island conquered & changed so much

[danielspencer]

Do you know what's mad? I was born and raised in England and not ONCE was the British Empire mentioned in my school lessons. Only now in my mid thirties am I educating myself on such an unbelievably important facet of our modern history.

[MohamedShou]

Empires rise and Empires fall. It’s still remarkable how the British Empire at it’s height ruled a quarter of the world

[sueweston]

When my late dad was at school in the 1930s they were taught that the sun never set on the British Empire

[lankuntravel]

I love all history documentary and appreciate all the time and effort of making so we can learn. But please turn down this dramatic music so I can process the information better. Subscribed.

[LeHappiste]

Many people fail to realize that in 1776, the British Empire only consisted on the Eastern coast of North America and some parts of India.
Spain had the largest empire in the world at the time. The British Empire only became huge in the later half of the 19th century.

[real.ocelot]

We still live in a world created by the british, modern economy, democracy, sports, borders etc ... quite impressive, only the greeks and romans left such a legacy

[danielhall]

I'm British
I'm proud of my history
I'm proud of my culture
I'm proud of my heritage

Yet I'm ashamed of what we have become

[anubisgod]

Keep in mind the British empire had already shifted their gaze to the east and Asia before the American revolution. One of the primary factors that helped the colonists win the war was because the British had their primary forces in India at the time. A lot of the soldiers sent to the American colonies were older and even some retired

[paul]

2nd recommended video, both phenomenal. Great narration, script, score, takes you into the story. 🍻

[alanwallis]

cheers for that it was very well explained and thanks for adding cooks part in this many programs tend to leave him out .

[viralityac]

One crazy thing that I have noticed is the total lack of education around the British Empire in general. It seems to be a bit of a taboo subject these days but it's an incredible peice of history. The British Empire is responsible for many terrible things but also many great things, and neither negates the other. They influenced the world and modern society on a scale that no other entity has before or after it. It's quite remarkable really.

[PickBit]

Not having to worry about invasions over land by surrounding superpowers and thus being able to concentrate military efforts on the seas sure makes a pretty huge difference.
Also forsaking ambitions on the continent and going for colonies in underdeveloped countries without a real ability to muster cohesive armies to defend themselves, like European states could, is indeed the smart move when isolated geographical position easily affords that option. Just looking at what Portugal and the Netherlands were able to achieve despite being significantly smaller and on the continent, it's not that surprising that Britain was able to do even more

[wesleysanders]

Excellent video, impressive you managed to get all this into 23 minutes!!

[acecrowncat]

Thank you for this episode. I m from Europe, Latvia. It is interesting to watch. Thank you for the effort what you put in this video.

[harveyholmes]

It’s kind of crazy the British Empire feels like this distant relic of history when in the grand scheme of things it essentially just ended. For the first 15 years of my Grandpa’s life India was under British rule, the Republic of Ireland didn’t exist and Ireland was still under dominion and yet in the UK the political attitude is towards it is ‘the past is the past’

[Ashakku]

A great explanation and overall a great video. Thank you for making quality videos like this for free.