The Rise and Fall of the Briti
Britain began to become an empire as early as the seventeenth century, and it lasted until the mid nineteenth century. The Empire survived many obstacles and rulers. Some rulers however strengthened the Empire and Britain in general. During the seventeenth century Britain fought several very successful wars against the Dutch, French and Spanish. As Kelley Ross claims in her article The Worlds Greatest Empires, these campaigns left Britain with much of the eastern coast of North America, the St. Lawrence Basin in Canada, parts of Africa for slave acquisition, areas of the Caribbean and political interests in India (24). At this point the British Empire had begun formation. The Empire lasted through many rulers, gathering more colonies and power with the passage of time. However, no ruler controlled and caused as much growth in the vast empire as Queen Victoria. The British Empire was formed with mercantilist ideas, headed by Cromwell and the Stuart's; however the empire was at its peak during the reign of Queen Victoria. But because of twentieth century superpowers like Germany and the USSR, as well as uprisings in attempts at independence by many of Britain's colonies, the Empi
Leaving Europe without an imperial superpower. re fell in the mid twentieth century. Some of the countries like Ireland and Iraq have broken free of British rule, but never let the scars of being British property heal, and still bear hatred to this day. At this point most believed that Britain was still the worlds leading industrial power. Many colonies revolted, especially the English speaking colonies (63). However the purpose and policies of the Empire stayed the same (26-27). Britain's empire was at its strongest while Queen Victoria was its leader. WWI also showed new superpowers throughout Europe and Asia. It was also responsible for an increase in trading. Britain continued to grow for another century, engaging in Imperial Wars, which dominated most of the eighteenth century. With this belief, Africa and China were also taken over. As Britain expanded more and more, Queen Victoria found it necessary to have a foreign policy. The Commonwealth of Nations stood as a symbol of how Britain treated their colonies, because to this day the above countries and Britain still have close ties.
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