presentation british empire

The British Empire

Look at this map and the diagram about the British Empire in 1922

An 'empire' is a group of countries ruled over by a single monarch or country.

An empire doesn't need an 'emperor'.

The British Empire comprised Britain, the 'mother country', and the colonies, territories located out of Britain but ruled by the British.

The British began to conquer colonies in the 16th century.

By 1783 Britain had a large empire, with colonies in America and the West Indies . This 'first British Empire' came to end after the American Revolution.

However, in the 19th century, the British built a second worldwide empire with colonies in Asia and Africa .

The first British Empire (16th-18th centuries)

Some important facts :

• In 1497, only five years after Christopher Columbus sailed to the America, the Italian explorer John Cabot, financed by English merchants, discovered new lands in Canada .
• After 1612, the East India Company began to build up a small empire of trading posts in India .
• The first English colonies were formed in North America : Captain John Smith founded a permanent colony at Jamestown in Virginia.

Britain was defeated in the American War of Independence (1775‒1783) and this meant the loss of the American colonies and the end of the 'first British Empire'.

• More than 400 million people were part of the British Empire.
• Britain became the 'Mother Country of a fifth (⅕) of the land in the world.
• Countries such as New Zealand, Australia, China, India, Malaysia and part of Africa became British colonies.

The second British empire (18-19th centuries)

The British Empire after 1924

After the First World War it became increasingly difficult for Britain to hold on to her Empire. It became clear that:

• Britain could no longer afford an Empire
• Britain had no right to rule peoples who did not want to be ruled by Britain
• Britain realised that the Royal Navy was not strong enough to protect all the Empire anywhere in the world

As a consequence:

• Ireland rebelled between 1919 and 1921. In 1920‒1921 it was divided into Northern Ireland, which was part of the UK, and the Irish Free State which in 1949 became the completely independent Republic of Ireland and left the Commonwealth.
• There was a strong independence movement in India:
• Mohandas Gandhi led a non-cooperation movement which refused to obey British

laws, eg the Salt March, 1930

• In 1935 the Government gave Indians control of everything except foreign

The Commonwealth

The British Empire was over and replaced by a voluntary organisation of former colonies called the Commonwealth :

• In 1926, the British government agreed the Balfour Declaration – that Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa were completely independent countries, "freely associated as members of the British Commonwealth of Nations".
• In 1947, India and Pakistan were given independence.
• Most of Britain's African and Caribbean colonies achieved independence in the 1960s.
• In 1997, Britain formally handed Hong Kong back to China.

TIME TO PLAY IN GROUPS!!!

Use the information above and your knowledge about countries worldwide to play in groups of 4 or 5 the game on the link below. The group with most correct answers in 5 minutes will be the winner. Don’t forget to read the “How to play” before starting to play:

http://www.sporcle.com/games/zeppelinoid/countries_of_the_british_empire

The British Empire (1776-1900)

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Lesson details

Key learning points.

• In this lesson, will learn about the development of the British Empire in the years 1776-1900. We will introduce some key features of British colonialism. This will make us ready for the rest of this enquiry, in which we will explore what British colonialism looked like in different parts of the world in the nineteenth century.

This content is made available by Oak National Academy Limited and its partners and licensed under Oak’s terms & conditions (Collection 1), except where otherwise stated.

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Timeline of the British Empire

A short history of the rise and fall of the British Empire…

Jessica Brain

The British Empire is remembered for its extensive, long-lasting and far-reaching imperial activities that ushered in an era of globalisation and connectivity. The British Empire began in its formative years in the sixteenth century and flourished and grew dramatically, lasting until the twentieth century.

Key Events:

1497 – John Cabot is sent by King Henry VII on an expedition to discover a route to Asia via the Atlantic. Cabot managed to reach the coast of Newfoundland and believed he had made it as far as Asia. 1502 – Henry VII commissioned another voyage, a joint venture between the English and Portuguese to North America. 1547 – Italian explorer Sebastian Cabot, employed by the English Crown, returned to England with information about the Spanish and Portuguese overseas explorations. 1552 – English naval officer Thomas Wyndham brought back sugar and molasses from Guinea. 1554 – Sir Hugh Willoughby, an English soldier and navigator, led a fleet of vessels in search of a northeast route to the Far East. Whilst he perished during the journey, the other vessel was successful in creating a trade agreement with Russia. 1556 – The Tudor conquest of Ireland led to land confiscation to be used for plantations. 1562 – The English naval commander John Hawkins began his involvement in the slave trade between West Africa and the New World. Hawkins, alongside Francis Drake, were given permission for privateering raids against Spanish ports in the Americas showing the determination to catch up with the success of the Spanish and Portuguese in this new “Age of Discovery”.

1577 – Francis Drake began his circumnavigation of the world which he completed in 1580. 1578 – The Levant Trading Company was founded in London for trading with the Ottoman Empire. 1597 – The Act of Parliament was passed which allowed transportation of convicted criminals to the colonies. 1600 – Formation of the East India Company . 1604 – Attempts made to establish a colony in Guiana.

1607 – Captain John Smith and the Virginia Company managed to establish the first permanent settlement in the Americas at Jamestown . 1615 – Defeat of the Portuguese at Bombay in a dispute with the English over trading rights. 1617 – Sir Walter Raleigh begins his voyage to find ‘El Dorado’. Meanwhile a smallpox epidemic sweeps through New England, decimating the Native American population.

1620 – The Mayflower set sail from the port of Plymouth and began the journey with around one hundred passengers, mainly Puritans seeking a new life away from persecution across the Atlantic. 1624 – Settlements successfully established at St. Kitts. 1627 – Settlements established in Barbados. 1628 – Settlements established on Nevis. 1633 – English trading post established in Bengal. 1639 – The English settle at Madras. 1655 – The island of Jamaica was taken from the Spanish and annexed. 1660 – The founding of the Royal African Company. The Navigation Acts were passed in order to protect trading networks and products from rival powers such as the Dutch.

1661 – Charles II received a Dowry present from the Portuguese after his marriage to Catherine de Braganza, in the form of Tangier and Bombay. 1664 – The English gained control of the Dutch colony of New Netherland, renaming the settlement New York. 1666 – The Bahamas were successfully colonised. 1668 – English East India Company takes over Bombay. 1690 – Job Charnock formally founded Calcutta on behalf of the East India Company. (This has been disputed and is not universally recognised). 1708 – British East India Company and a rival company were merged into the United Company of Merchants of England, trading to the East Indies. 1713 – The Treaty of Utrecht successfully concludes the War of the Spanish Succession. This treaty allows Britain to make considerable territorial gains in the Americas and Mediterranean, including Newfoundland, St Kitts, Hudson’s Bay as well as Gibraltar and Minorca. The treaty also included Britain’s right to import slaves into Spanish colonies. 1719 – Ireland declared inseparable from Britain by the British Government.

1727 – War broke out between Spain and Britain, resulting in the siege of Gibraltar by the Spanish. In the same year the Quakers raised the subject of the abolition of slavery in the colonies. 1731 – English factory workers prevented from emigrating to America. 1746 – Madras captured by the French. 1750 – The British and French entered discussions on boundaries in North America. 1756 – Minorca lost to the Spanish. 1759 – Major-General James Wolfe sails up the Saint Lawrence River and captures Quebec City from the French. His victory resulted in the unification of Canada and the American colonies under the British crown. Wolfe, “The Hero of Quebec”, was fatally wounded by three musket shots. 1763 – Rising tensions between the European powers vying for monopoly in certain areas, settlements and trading ports result in the Treaty of Paris which redistributed imperial lands. The areas of Lower Canada, land up to the Mississippi, Florida, India and Senegal were ceded to Britain. The British returned Cuba and Manila to the Spanish as part of the treaty. 1765 – The Stamp Act and Quartering Act was not well-received in the American colonies. 1769 – The Great Famine of Bengal killed over 10 million people. In the same year Captain James Cook arrived in Tahiti before making his way to New Zealand. 1770 – Captain James Cook claimed New South Wales for Britain.

1773 – The Boston Tea Party, a reaction to Britain’s ability to levy taxes. Rising signs of discontent in America with British rule; only a matter of time before opposition turns to violence and revolt. 1775 – The American war of Independence breaks out and lasts until 1783. 1783 – Conclusion of the international conflict of the American War of Independence, impacted by French involvement, with the Treaty of Versailles. Britain is forced to recognise the independence of 13 colonies. Florida ceded back to the Spanish; Senegal ceded back to France. As part of the agreement however Britain retained imperial control in the West Indies and Canada. 1787 – The British politician William Wilberforce, a member of the Clapham Sect, began his campaign to end slavery in British colonies. This led to a free colony being established in Sierra Leone. 1788 – The first ships carrying convicted criminals from England arrived at Botany Bay, Australia. This marked the beginning of tens of thousands of people being transported, usually for petty crimes, across the world. 1801 – Irish Act of Union unites Britain and Ireland.

1805 – Victory for Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar allows the Royal Navy to have control of the seas. 1806 – Cape of Good Hope occupied by the British. 1807 – Prohibition of shipment of slaves in British ships or to British colonies. Formation of the Royal Navy’s West Africa Squadron , tasked with suppressing the slave trade by patrolling the West African coastline in search of illicit traders. 1812 – The War of 1812 and the burning of the White House , a Union Flag was subsequently raised over Washington. 1813 – English East India Company lost its trading monopoly with India. 1816 – The Congress of Vienna was yet another attempt to establish peaceful terms between European powers. Britain returned Dutch and French colonies. 1819 – Singapore founded by Sir Stamford Raffles . 1821 – Sierra Leone, Gambia and the Gold Coast form British West Africa. 1833 – The abolition of slavery throughout the British Empire . 1839 – The Opium Wars between China and Britain, resulting from the trade of opium leading to widespread addictions. As a result the trade was forbidden in China and any opium found was destroyed. The British viewed this as an attack on free trade and destruction of British property; thus war ensued. 1841 – Britain occupied the island of Hong Kong.

1842 – Treaty of Nanking concluded the First Opium War and ceded Hong Kong to the British. 1843 – Maori revolt against British rule in New Zealand. 1853 – Construction of railways in India. 1856 – The Second Opium War . 1858 – East India Company dissolved. 1870 – British troops were withdrawn from Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

1876 – Queen Victoria took the title Empress of India. 1878 – Occupation of Cyprus. The British send an ultimatum to the Zulu King Cetshwayo demanding that he disbands his army within 30 days, thus starting the Anglo-Zulu War . 1879 – Zulus victorious at the Battle of Isandlwana , leaving 1,329 British dead included 52 officers and 806 non-commissioned officers and men. In March at the Battle of Kambula a British force fought off 22,000 Zulu warriors. In June at the Battle of Ulundi the Zulu army are all but destroyed marking the end of the Anglo-Zulu War, it also marked an end to the Napoleonic dynasty . 1800 – The First Boer War between the British and the South African Republic. 1889 – At the instigation of Cecil Rhodes , the British South Africa Co (BSAC) was awarded a royal charter to expand the British Empire and to exploit colonial resouces; Rhodesia established. 1894 – Uganda became a protectorate. 1895 – The Jameson Raid, an unsuccessful raid by the British against the Transvaal Republic.

1899 – Outbreak of the Second Boer War, fought between the British Empire and the two Boer States known as the Republic of Transvaal and the Orange Free State. An accumulation of tension over a century’s old rivalry between the two powers, escalated by the profits gained from the Witwatersrand gold mines, led to the Boer Ultimatum . 1917 – The Balfour Declaration announced support for a “national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine.

1931 – The Statute of Westminster gave Dominions constitutional autonomy. 1947 – Declaration of Indian Independence and the partitioning of India and Pakistan. 1948 – British withdrawal from Palestine. 1952 – Mau Mau Rebellion broke out in opposition to white British colonial rule in Kenya. 1956 – Sudan gained independence, closely followed the next year by Ghana. One by one British colonies throughout the African mainland declared independence in the next decade, concluding in 1966. The one exception was Namibia which was late to achieve independence in 1990. In the following decades numerous other countries across the globe proceeded to gain their independence from Britain, with some leaving colonial rule on specific dates whilst others achieved independence through a longer process initiated by dominion status. The breaking up of the British Empire dominated the twentieth century landscape and ushered in a new era of global relations. 1972 – Asians expelled from Uganda. 1982 – Falklands War. 1997 – Hong Kong handed back to Chinese. Present Day – Britain and the Commonwealth Nations.

The British Empire was a crucial component in shaping lives, peoples, travel, economy, technology, politics and culture for hundreds of years. For better or worse, the impact of the British Empire has earned its place in the history books.

Jessica Brain is a freelance writer specialising in history. Based in Kent and a lover of all things historical.

Published: 8th February 2019.

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Colonialism and imperialism: Understanding the British Empire's quest for global dominance

British colonialism and imperialism were some of the most powerful forces in world history. During the centuries of expansion, the British Empire's reach extended into nearly every continent and left an impact on societies that is still evident today.

At its heart, British imperialism was driven by a mix of ambition, wealth, and a belief in cultural superiority. While this ambition resulted in a vast empire, it also brought about significant conflicts and resistance.

What is colonisation and imperialism?

Colonisation is the process of taking ownership of someone's land for another country's own use.

Whereas imperialism is the use of political, economic, and military power to extend a nation's authority by establishing control over other territories.

The two concepts are often used interchangeably, but there are some important distinctions.

Colonisation is different to imperialism in that it generally refers to the physical occupation of a territory, whereas imperialism can refer to both occupation and economic domination.

A number of different European nations relied upon imperialism and colonisation to expand their empires in the early modern period.

Such countries included France, Spain, the Netherlands, and Portugal.  By the start of the 20th century, most of Africa and Asia was controlled by a small number of European empires. 

The birth of the British Empire

The British Empire was one of the largest empires in world history. At its peak in the 19th century, it controlled a quarter of the world's population and a third of its land surface. 

British colonialism began in the late 15th century with the explorations of John Cabot.

However, England did not establish a permanent colony in the Americas until the early 17th century with the founding of Jamestown in 1607.

These early voyages were primarily motivated by a desire for wealth and prestige.

However, as the British Empire expanded, other motivations came into play, such as the desire to spread Christianity or to gain a strategic advantage over rival European powers.

The imperial experience had a profound effect on both colonized and colonizing nations.

In the colonies, Indigenous peoples were often displaced, exploited, and discriminated against.

In Britain, the imperial experience led to a sense of national superiority and a belief in the right to rule over other peoples.

Why did European powers expand?

Britain's early explorations were motivated by a desire for wealth and power. The British crown was specifically interested in commodities and cash crops like tobacco, sugar, and spices.

These commodities were then sold in European markets for a profit.

The British also established control over strategic trade routes, like the Spice Route, and through the use of entities like the East India Company. 

Imperialism also had an impact on economic development. Colonies provided raw materials and markets for British goods, helping to fuel the Industrial Revolution .

Therefore, the desire to make money drove much of early European expansion.

Not only did the acquisition of new territories mean the discovery of new trade goods, but the more regions that a country controlled meant that they had more people to sell their products to.

As a result, the larger an empire became, the more its wealth increased.

However, critics argue that imperialism led to exploitation and underdevelopment in the colonies.

They point to the high taxes that colonized peoples were required to pay, as well as the damaging effects of economic competition between colonial powers.

In addition to economic motivations, British colonialism was also driven by political and social factors. 

The establishment of representative democracy in Britain since the 17th century led the British to believe that it was the best form of government.

They claimed that if they could spread democracy around the world, that every nation would benefit.

In a similar way, British society believed that their morals (what they believed to be 'right' and 'wrong') was superior to any other social system in the rest of the world.

Therefore, they thought that all of humanity would benefit from adopting British culture.  

The expectation of spreading this culture on all other people was known as the 'White Man's Burden' among the British people.

Then, in the 19th century, Social Darwinism, a belief in the superiority of some races over others, also played a role in British imperialism.

This ideology justified Britain's right to rule over other peoples, on the grounds that they were 'racially inferior'.

How slavery was used to build colonies

During the era of British colonialism and imperialism, slavery was an important part of the economy.

Early colonisers had hoped to use the local peoples of their colonies as a form of cheap labour on farms and in mines.

However, diseases like smallpox and constant warfare made this impractical.

As a result, the British turned to Africa as a source of enslaved people. Slaves were brought from Africa to work on plantations in the Americas and the Caribbean.

They were also used in other parts of the world, including India and Southeast Asia. 

Between the 16th and 19th centuries, an estimated 12 million Africans were taken from their homes and sold into slavery.

The slave trade was extremely profitable for British ship owners and merchants. It is estimated that between 1750 and 1830, the British slave trade generated an estimated profit of £100 million.

Eventually, the slave trade was abolished in 1807, but slavery itself continued to exist in British colonies until it was finally made illegal in 1833.

The impact of the Industrial Revolution

The wealth and natural resources gained by Britain from its colonies were some of the crucial factors which led to the Industrial Revolution .

The Industrial Revolution began in Britain in the late 18th century and spread to other parts of the world in the 19th century. 

This period of rapid economic growth was fuelled by the development of new technologies, like the steam engine and the Spinning Jenny.

The Industrial Revolution led to a dramatic increase in the production of goods, which helped fuel the growth of the British Empire.

It also had a profound impact on social and economic life, transforming Britain from a primarily agrarian society into an industrial powerhouse.

As a result of the increased production of food and luxury goods, the Industrial Revolution caused a rapid increase in Britain's population and wealth.

It also had a profound effect on British society, as people began to move from rural areas into cities to work in factories.

What were the major British colonies?

The British colonisation of North America began in the 16th century, when England established colonies in Virginia and Newfoundland.

Colonisation continued in the 17th century, as the British founded New England, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.

In the 18th century, Britain's thirteen American colonies became a prosperous and populous part of the empire. 

In Canada, French colonisation began in the 16th century, but British domination began with the defeat of France in the Seven Years' War (1756-1763).

After this conflict, Britain gained control of all French territory in North America east of Louisiana.

In the 19th century, British colonists began to settle in the western part of Canada, creating the provinces of Manitoba (1870) and British Columbia (1871).

In Australia, colonisation began in 1788 with the establishment of a British penal colony in New South Wales.

This was followed by the founding of other colonies, including Tasmania (1803), Western Australia (1829), and Victoria (1851).

In 1901, these colonies were federated to form the Commonwealth of Australia.

In India , British colonisation began in the 18th century with the establishment of trading posts along the coast.

In 1757, the British gained control of Bengal after defeating the local rulers at the Battle of Plassey in 1757.

This victory is seen as the beginning of British rule in India. 

American War of Independence

The process of colonisation and imperialism created regions of social and military tensions in different parts of the world.

Not only were the First Nations peoples willing to fight to retain their independence from European domination, but many of the European settlers also started to resist control.

In North America, Native American tribes fought against European settlers in a series of wars, the most famous of which was the French and Indian War of 1754-63.

Likewise, in Australia, the  First Nations people resisted British attempts to take over their land during the Frontier Wars.

In New Zealand, the Maori people fought against British colonisation in the Maori Wars between 1845 and 1872.

The British Empire faced a significant crisis in 1776, when the European colonists that occupied the 13 North American colonies declared their independence from Britain.

These colonies were wealthy and expanding, but they were also subject to strict imperial controls.

This led to tension between the colonists and the British government, which came to a head with the American War of Independence , which lasted from 1775 to 1783.

With significant economic and military support from France, the American colonies successfully repelled British attempts to bring them back under submission, and as a result, they were able to force the British to accept their independence. 

After eight years of fighting, the colonists were victorious, and the United States of America was born.

Criticism of British colonialism and imperialism

The effects of British colonialism were far-reaching. In the colonised nations, it led to the displacement of Indigenous peoples, the introduction of new technologies and religions, and changes in economic and political structures.

British colonialism and imperialism have been criticised for their negative effects on Indigenous peoples and on the development of colonised countries.

Critics argue that colonialism led to exploitation, racism, and underdevelopment in the colonies.

They also point to the negative impact of British cultural imperialism, which imposed Western values and ideas on colonised peoples.

In the colonising nations, such as Britain, it often resulted in the growth of a wealthy elite, while the majority of the population remained poor.

The increasing gap between the rich and poor in Europe was exacerbated by the Industrial Revolution.

The long-term impact of the British Empire

The British Empire finally came to an end in the mid-20th century. India and Pakistan gained independence in 1947, while Sri Lanka became independent in 1948.

Ghana and Kenya gained independence later, in 1957 and 1963, respectively.  The Empire was dismantled, and the process of decolonisation began.

The legacy of British colonialism and imperialism is still evident today. In many parts of the world, British colonial boundaries were used to create modern nation-states.

This has led to conflict in some regions, as different groups compete for control over territory.

In addition, the legacy of British imperialism can also be seen in the language, culture, and institutions of many former colonies.

Even after the decline of the British Empire, the English language remains one of the most important international languages in trade and business.

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British Empire Timeline

The British Empire

Mar 14, 2019

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The British Empire. Chapter 25 (pp. 720 – 734). introduction. During the 18 th and 19 th centuries, the British built an empire that would grow to eventually encompass 1/3 of the world’s landmass At the same time, Spanish and Portuguese power declined

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Presentation Transcript

The British Empire Chapter 25 (pp. 720 – 734)

introduction • During the 18th and 19th centuries, the British built an empire that would grow to eventually encompass 1/3 of the world’s landmass • At the same time, Spanish and Portuguese power declined • British sought raw materials and consumer markets for finished goods • Included territories in: • South Asia (India) • Southeast Asia • Oceania (New Zealand & Australia) • Africa

India Under British Rule • In the late 1600s, Mughal power in India began a rapid decline • Hindu subjects challenged the Mughals • Formed the Maratha Confederation • Fought a 27 year war to end Muslim rule in India

India Under British Rule • During the Maratha Empire, the British established a large trade presence • British East India Company • Sepoys: Indian soldiers hired to protect British trade • British took over major cities of Calcutta, Madras & Bombay

India Under British Rule • In 1857, for a variety of social and religious reasons, the sepoys rebelled against British forces • Indian Revolt of 1857 • Led to dissolution of East India Company • India was now directly governed by the British Crown • British Raj (1858 – 1947)

The British Raj • 1858, Queen Victoria becomes Empress of India • Strengthened control over colonly • “Westernization, Anglicization, and modernization” • Proclaimed equality under law and “technically” allowed some forms of self government • Former Mughal princes pledged loyalty for autonomy • Indian Civil Service

The British Raj • Prior to British rule India had an economically productive and agriculturally based economy • Leading exporter of cotton textiles • British introduction of cheap factory-produced textiles led to decline of India’s economy

The British Raj • British rapidly built up India’s infrastructureto more productivly farm natural resources • Railroads • Canals • Telegraph lines

Britain’s Eastern Empire(Africa, Asia and the Pacific)

Colonies and Commerce • 1795, Dutch ceded control of Cape Colony (South Africa) to British • British established a large settler colony • Profited from port trade • British citizens displaced previous Dutch settlers • Resulted in the Great Trek

Colonies and Commerce • British seized control of numerous territories in Asia • Malacca (again form the Dutch) • Singapore • Burma (Myanmar)

Imperial Policies and Shipping • British sought trade rather than territory • New colonies meant to serve as ports • New clipper ships increased speed and cargo capacity of oceanic trade

Australia and New Zealand • 1769 - 1778, British Captain James Cook explored New Zealand & eastern coast of Australia • Native communities succumbed to disease • Ex. Maoryi

Colonization of Australia and New Zealand • At first, British used Australia as a penal colony • As more settlers arrived, British allowed self-government to avoid independence movements • Also, made colonists responsible for their own expenses • British also settled New Zealand for seal hunting and whaling

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British Empire facts!

Discover the full story behind this important piece of world history….

Spanning over 400 years , historians continue to research and discover new things about the British Empire . And today more than ever, people are recognising , questioning and understanding the full story behind this important part of world history. Let’s find out more in our British Empire facts…

British Empire facts

In the 16th Century, Britain began to build its empire – spreading the country’s rule and power beyond its borders through a process called ‘ imperialism ‘. This brought huge changes to societies , industries , cultures and the lives of people all around the world .

What is an empire?

Empire is a term used to describe a group of territories ruled by one single ruler or state . Empires are built by countries that wish to control lands outside of their borders . Those lands can be close by or even thousands of miles away . For example, the Roman Empire (1st – 5th Centuries A.D.) stretched all the way from Britain to Egypt.

Throughout history, empire builders have introduced new people , practices and rules to their ‘new’ lands and used its resources for their own gain , at the expense of the indigenous people – the people that inhabited the land first. This process is called ‘ colonialism ‘. This was no different with the British Empire…

What was the British Empire?

The British Empire is a term used to describe all the places around the world that were once ruled by Britain. Built over many years, it grew to include large areas of North America , Australia , New Zealand , Asia and Africa , as well as small parts of Central and South America , too. 

How big was the British Empire?

The size of the British Empire – the amount of land and number of people under British rule – changed in size over the years. At its height in 1922 , it was the largest empire the world had ever seen, covering around a quarter of Earth’s land surface and ruling over 458 million people .

Why did Britain* want an empire?

The 16th Century is often referred to as the ‘ Age of Discovery ‘ – new thinking about the world and better shipbuilding led to more exploration and the discovery of new lands.

England , in what is now Britain , wanted more land overseas where it could build new communities, known as colonies . These colonies would provide England with valuable materials, like metals , sugar and tobacco , which they could also sell to other countries.

The colonies also offered money-making opportunities for wealthy Englishmen and provided England’s poor and unemployed with new places to live and new jobs .

But they weren’t alone. Other European countries were also exploring the world, discovering new lands and building empires, too – the race was on, and England did not want to be left behind…

*It wasn’t until 1707 that Scotland joined with England and Wales to become The Kingdom of Great Britain.

Where were the first colonies.

The first English colonies were in North America , at the time known as the ‘ New World ‘. Creating colonies was no easy task for the English! In 1585, the famous explorer Sir Walter Raleigh tried and failed to build an English settlement at a place called Roanoke in Virginia . It wasn’t until 1607 that Captain John Smith founded the first permanent English colony at Jamestown in Virginia.

The ‘First British Empire’

Over time, the English would claim more and more territories. This sometimes meant fighting with other European nations to take over their colonies.

Over the course of the 17th and 18th centuries , England gained major colonies in North America and further south in the West Indies , today known as the Caribbean Islands . Here, the climate was perfect for growing crops like sugar and tobacco, so they set up farms known as plantations .

Trading settlements were also created in India by a company called the East India Company . This company became so powerful, it allowed England to control of the trade of luxury goods like spices, cotton , silk and tea from India and China , and it even influenced politics.

The years 1775-1783 were a turning point in British history, as the nation lost a huge part of its empire in the American War of Independence . Feeling ‘American’ rather than ‘British’, and resentful of sending money back to Britain, 13 colonies in North America united and fought to be free from British rule. With the help of Spain , France and the Netherlands, they won the war, and gained independence , becoming the United States of America . This marked the end of what is now called the ‘ First British Empire ’. 

The ‘Second British Empire’

Although Britain had lost a huge part of its North American territories, it claimed new lands in the late 18th Century and early 19th Century, forming the ‘ Second British Empire ‘. Colonies were founded in parts of Australia , and later Trinidad and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka ), Singapore and Hong Kong ( China ) as well as other parts of Asia .

From 1881 to 1902, Britain competed with other European empire-builders in what became known as the ‘ Scramble for Africa ’. By the early 1900s, huge parts of Africa – including Egypt , Kenya , Nigeria and large areas of southern Africa – all came under British rule. The British Empire was larger and more powerful than ever…

As Queen of Great Britain, Queen Victoria was also Queen of all the countries in the British Empire. She was even Empress of India! Here she is pictured on a Canadian postage stamp during her reign.

The British Empire and Indigenous Peoples

The power and wealth that Britain gained as it built its empire came at a price , and tragically, the price was paid largely by the Indigenous Peoples – tribes and communities who had lived in Britain’s so-called ‘new’ lands for centuries. 

The unjust treatment of Indigenous Peoples ran the course of the British Empire. For example, in North America, local people were taken advantage of by greedy traders, robbed of their land and even faced violence and death at the hands of British settlers.

During the Second World War , India suffered some of the worst famines (lack of food) in human history, partly caused by the British government taking vital supplies away from the Indian people to support the war effort elsewhere – causing the death of millions.

Indigenous Peoples in Africa were affected in their millions . The British took valuable materials like gold , salt and ivory out of Africa and sent it back to Britain, and elsewhere. The British were also heavily involved in the Transatlantic Slave Trade in West Africa – more on that, in the next section.

Many Indigenous Peoples, including Indigenous Australians , lost not just their land, food and possessions, but their traditions, too. When British settlers arrived, they forcibly replaced the beliefs , language and traditions of Indigenous populations with their own, removing their cultural identities .

Governments and settlers drew up new borders and land boundaries that split the local people into new countries and categories that didn’t represent them or reflect their heritage , history and customs . In some countries, these changes are still a source of conflict, even now.

Today, many Indigenous communities are trying to reconnect with the heritage the British tried to erase, by celebrating their cultural identities and protecting them for the future.

Slavery and the British Empire

One of the most horrific parts of the history of the British Empire was its involvement in the trade of enslaved people – people who were made the property of others and forced to obey their owners’ demands.

Throughout history, slavery has existed on all continents and in many societies , but when the European imperialists arrived in Africa in the 15th Century, they began the most organised slave operation the world had ever seen – the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

Over the next 400 years, European traders bought and sold an estimated 12 million African people , who were forcibly taken from their homes and shipped across the ocean to the Americas and Europe , where their buyers forced them to work.

Of those 12 million Africans, British slave traders are estimated to have bought and sold over 3 million people – although only 2.7 million are believed to have survived the journey – during which they were cruelly packed onto ships in crowded, dirty conditions. Many enslaved people were only children, like you, and were separated from their parents and siblings .

Slavery made Britain incredibly wealthy . It provided slave owners with unpaid labour to farm expensive items like sugar , tobacco and cotton , which they could sell for huge profits – at the expense of the enslaved people and their homelands. It also largely funded Britain’s Industrial Revolution , which only went on to make Britain richer.

Britain banned the trading of enslaved people in its empire in 1807 , (known as Abolition) but it was a further 26 years until it outlawed slavery altogether (known as Emancipation).* Although, even when ‘free’, former enslaved people continued to suffer in racist societies. People considered them less important than white people, and used these beliefs to help them justify the former trading of enslaved people .

Even when slavery was abolished , former slave owners were paid compensation by the British government for the loss of their human ‘property’ . No compensation was paid to the enslaved people themselves! The compensation sum was vast , and in fact, the loan taken out to pay for it was still being paid off by British tax payers as recently as 2015!

Many former slave owners went on to invest their compensation money in businesses – some of which still exist today – or in development projects like the British railways . Therefore, even though slavery had ended, its legacy continued to live on.

In fact, you can still see evidence of the profits of slavery in Britain today. Just take a look at the impressive 18th and 19th Century buildings that line cities like London , Liverpool and Bristol and the grand, stately homes in the British countryside.

*Slavery continued in territories run by the  East India Company until 1843.

Why did the british empire collapse.

Over the course of the 20th century, Britain’s empire broke down in stages. After the First World War (1914-1918) there was a feeling of ‘ nationalism ’ sweeping the globe, whereby countries should have the right to be independent and rule themselves. In 1926, Canada , Australia , New Zealand and South Africa became independent, meaning they were no longer under British control.

So, why were these countries given independence first? Well, by this time these countries had large white populations of European descent , living under the rule of formal governments . They were therefore considered to be more experienced and ‘able’ to run their own country successfully, which would benefit the empire as a whole. Racist views held by the British at the time meant that other British colonies – with large populations of non-white people – weren’t granted independence, even when they asked for it…

Over the next decades, however, the remaining colonies continued to push for independence. After the Second World War, Britain no longer had the wealth or strength to manage an empire overseas. Many colonies had fought for the British during the war (although people of colour were mainly given low-rank positions), and were making their own plans for independence .

In 1947, India won its independence , and from the 1950s to 1980s, African colonies also fought for and won their independence . The last significant British colony, Hong Kong, was returned to China in 1997 . What had taken hundreds of years to build, was broken down far quicker!

That said, there are some small fragments of the British Empire that still exist today, known as ‘British Overseas Territories’. These are mainly self-governing countries separate to the United Kingdom, that continue to share a bond with Britain. They include Anguilla, Bermuda, British Antarctic Territory, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Monserrat, Pitcairn Islands, St. Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands.

The fight for independence

An Indian postage stamp remembers the 1942 ‘Quit India’ movement, which fought for freedom from British rule.

In their efforts to free themselves from British rule, many people were treated cruelly – and, in some cases, demands and protests were met with violence from British forces.

In 1919, for example, in an event known as the Amritsar Massacre , the British imprisoned and killed thousands of Indian people taking part in a peaceful independence protest .

Years later, in 1950s Kenya, one of the most horrific events in British history took place during the ‘ Mau Mau Uprising ‘. In response to protests and violent riots, the British executed Kenyans and imprisoned many in camps , where they were forced to live in inhumane conditions – and even tortured. Estimates on the number of Kenyans affected varies hugely, but many believe that thousands were executed, tens of thousands imprisoned and over a million were forced from their homes and made to live elsewhere .

The truth about what happened in Kenya was hidden for many years , and only truly came to light in 2013, after a group of Kenyan victims won a court battle that forced the British government to apologise and pay them compensation for their sufferings.

What is the Commonwealth?

As the British Empire began to fall, it was replaced by what is today called The Commonwealth (or The Commonwealth of Nations) – an organisation that countries can choose to join, or leave. It began in 1931, when the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa formed the British Commonwealth of Nations . Today, it is made up of over 50 countries who work and trade together. They also share a common set of values, including fair political elections , the respect of human rights and working towards international peace . 

What do we think about the British Empire today?

By the time the British Empire came to an end, it had truly left its mark on the world . Countries had experienced huge social , economic and political changes under British rule. But what the British Empire left behind is a complex topic that is questioned and discussed to this very day…

In the past, the British largely looked proudly on its empire , as a period that brought power and wealth to Britain, funding exciting new inventions, technology, the trade of exotic goods and helping other countries to ‘modernise’.

When the empire was being built, British people largely believed they were doing the right thing. In their eyes, they were improving and developing lands and bringing order to non-white countries which – due to racist attitudes – they thought were ‘uncivilised’ and ‘backward’. The British also believed they were doing the work of God by spreading Christianity – which they considered to be the ‘right’ religion. 

Today, those British attitudes are changing. People are learning more about the wrongs that the Empire forced on Indigenous Peoples and the long-lasting damage that it left on its overseas territories, long after the empire was over.

While empire made Britain richer, its lands overseas became poorer , as much of the wealth was taken and sent back to Britain, or enjoyed by British landowners. This created vast differences in wealth – not only between countries, but between people of different races , too.

In societies across the British Empire, people of European descent (with white skin) were seen as ‘superior’ and had more wealth, rights and privileges than Indigenous people, especially enslaved people, and later, their descendants – who had darker or black skin. 

In the USA, even after the abolition of slavery in 1865 , African Americans faced huge prejudice and discrimination , being treated as ‘inferior’ to white citizens. Much was the same in South Africa, too, where a racist system, called ‘ apartheid ’, was introduced to keep black and white people separate.

In fact, following European imperialism, people of colour have had to work incredibly hard for equal rights and opportunities . Sadly, this struggle is still ongoing in countries around the world, including the United Kingdom . Even though laws state everyone should be treated equally regardless of race , people continue to face hardships and disadvantages because of the colour of their skin .

The good news is that more and more people are speaking out against racism and their voices are being heard. And thankfully today, more than ever, organisations, charities, governments and individuals around the world are working together to create a future where everyone is treated fairly and equally .

And you can help, too!

– Treat everybody equally, no matter the colour of their skin.

– If you see or hear someone being treated unfairly, because of where they come from or what they look like, tell a trusted grown-up, like a parent or teacher.

– Learn about different people and cultures around the world, and encourage others to do the same! You can find lots of fab features on different countries and cultures, here .

– Discover the stories of famous figures who have fought for equality, such as Rosa Parks , Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King . 

What did you think of our British Empire facts? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Images ⓒ getty images: ‘british empire throughout the world’ map (172849572), illustration of jamestown, st helena (1130096285), wood engraving of tobago (1211948053), canada postage stamp (93298541), polynesian and australian indigenous people (1201874497), enslaved people boarding a vessel (157479463), british empire 1914 map (96229510), quit india postage stamp (175417247), commonwealth of nations flags (135350558), paper people (1187828086)., words by: paul kane and molly groarke, special thanks to the museum of british colonialism and the british empire & commonwealth collection., leave a comment.

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