British Empire

British Empire Scots: Breetish Empire Scottish Gaelic: Ìmpireachd Bhreatainn Irish: Impireacht na Breataine Welsh: Yr Ymerodraeth Brydeinig Cornish: Emperoureth Breten Veur
Union Flag or Union Jack Left: 1707–1801; Right: 1801–present
All areas of the world that were ever part of the British Empire. Current British Overseas Territories have their names underlined in red.
Demonym(s)	Briton, British

The British Empire was the largest empire in history and, for a century, was the foremost global power. The British Empire included the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories.

The Empire started with England's overseas possessions in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. It grew into the largest empire the world has ever known during the 19th and early 20th centuries.^[1]

The British Empire was the first of the European powers to ban slavery, and used the Royal Navy to suppress the Atlantic slave trade by the West Africa Squadron.^[2]

By 1922, more than 458 million people lived in the colonies and territory of the British Empire. This was more than one fifth of the world's population at that time. The Empire was larger than 33,700,000 km² (13,012,000 sq mi), almost a quarter of the Earth's total land area.^[3] The British Empire's large influence left a mark on many aspects of the modern world: constitutional, legal, linguistic, and cultural legacies. Called "the Empire on which the Sun never sets"' it stood as a sign of British strength and dominance across the globe.

The Age of Discovery saw Portugal and Spain carving vast empires. This sparked England to create its own colonies and trade networks.^[1] England, France, and the Netherlands sought to harvest wealth and resources in the Americas and Asia, with Britain eventually emerging as the dominate colonial power in North America and the Indian subcontinent.

In the 19th century, Britain's naval and imperial might surged to new heights, starting a period of prosperity and peace known as Pax Britannica. The combination of trade from factories (the industrial revolution) and shipping guarded by a navy, was the basis of wealth.

Controlling a significant portion of world trade, Britain wielded economic influence over regions such as Asia and Latin America.^[4] Some colonies earned greater autonomy, becoming Dominions.

While challenges emerged as the 20th century dawned, Britain's spirit endured. Even in the face of increased competition from Germany and the United States in the early 20th century, the Empire's legacy endured, shaping the course of world history.

World War I weakened the Empire, and World War II accelerated this decline.^[5] Also, the ideas of mechanization and manufacture were becoming well known. Other countries could do this, too. Labour costs in (for example) China were much lower than they were in Britain. It is possible that without WWII Britain would still have been in control of manufacturing in large parts of the world. But WWII did happen, and one consequence was the dominance of the United States and China.

Decolonization movements emerged in the post-war era, leading to the granting of independence to many territories, including India.^[6] Yet, the British Empire's influence endures, connecting former colonies and dominions in the Commonwealth of Nations, with many sharing the bond of a common monarch, now King Charles III.^[7]

When Britain gave Hong Kong back to China on 1 July 1997, it marked the effective end of the British Empire. Britain still has some overseas territories.^[8]

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Ferguson, Niall (2003). Empire : the rise and demise of the British world order and the lessons for global power. Internet Archive. New York : Basic Books. ISBN 978-0-465-02328-8.
2. ↑ Walvin, James (2012). "Why Did the British Abolish the Slave Trade? Econocide Revisited". Slavery & Abolition. 32 (4): 583–588. doi:10.1080/0144039X.2011.625777. ISSN 0144-039X. S2CID 145248305.
3. ↑ Maddison, Angus (2001). The world economy: a millennial perspective. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. pp. 98. ISBN 92-64-18608-5.
4. ↑ Porter, Andrew N.; Louis, William Roger, eds. (2009). The nineteenth century. The Oxford history of the British Empire / Wm. Roger Louis, ed.-in chief (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0-19-924678-6.
5. ↑ Hyam, Ronald (1976). Britain's imperial century, 1815 - 1914: a study of Empire and expansion. London: Batsford. ISBN 978-0-7134-3089-9.
6. ↑ Lloyd, Trevor Owen (2003). The British Empire: 1558 - 1995. Short Oxford history of the modern world (2. ed., reprinted ed.). Oxford: Oxford Univ. Pr. ISBN 978-0-19-873134-4.
7. ↑ "About us". Commonwealth. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
8. ↑ Welsh, Frank (1997). A history of Hong Kong (rev. ed.). London: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-00-638871-5.