The British Empire (Part 2)

The British Empire is the largest (14.1 million square miles) and most

populous (532 million people) empire in history. It is the reason why

English is one of the world's most important languages, why 1/3 of the

world drives on the left, and why much of the world uses the

parliamentary system. Another testament to its power is the fact that

one of its former colonies, the United States of America, is the

current hyperpower.

In addition to colonizing the British Isles

and North America (discussed in part one), Britain colonized islands in

the South Atlantic, the South Pacific, and the Mediterranean (for the

purpose of Royal Navy bases). Britain also colonized Australia as a

penal colony. A joint-stock company, the British East India Company,

also controlled India from 1600 to 1857, when power was transferred to

the British crown as a result of the Sepoy rebellion. Significant

territorial gains were also made in Africa after the Berlin Conference

of 1884 during the Scramble for Africa time period. However, all of

these possessions became independent one-by-one after WWII, with the

exception of a few overseas territories. Most of the former colonies

still have ties to Britain through the Commonwealth of Nations.

For more information, read:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/2003_34_thu_01.shtml

http://www.bl.uk/learning/histcitizen/uk/armada/back/backd.html

http://www.britishempire.co.uk

The Penguin Book of Historic Speeches by Brian MacArthur

The Dictionary of Battles by David Chandler

The Guinness Book of Military Blunders by Geoffrey Regan

The Oxford Book of Military Anecdotes by Max Hastings

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