British Empire: Its Beginning, Downfall and Success

The British Empire was one of the widest spread and most successful empires in history. There are many reasons why the British were so successful. Firstly, they had access to resources throughout the world. Their territory spread across six of the seven continents. The empire was so big that they called it the “The empire on which the sun never sets'. Since their territory was so large, they were able to get their hands on most of the world's resources. For example, the British were in love with tea, which they obtained from one of their largest colonies, India. They also obtained gold and diamonds from South Africa. Secondly, they (at the time) had the strongest maritime force in the world. 

Since The United Kingdom is an island, they needed to have a strong naval presence in Europe. They did so by rapidly mass-producing battleships. For example, in 1914 when Britain entered WWI, they did so with 45 “Dreadnought” battleships, nearly double what the Germans had at the time. Lastly, in many of the colonies that they ruled, they established democratic governments. Many British colonies weren’t democratic when they were taken over by the British. The British, although a monarchy themselves, brought democracy to many of their colonies. For example, the British brought democracy to India which was a then controlled by the Mughals which were monarchs. The empire did eventually collapse. That was because, after the world war, the idea of nationalism grew in their colonies. Eventually, independence was granted to their colonies with the option to remain associated with Great Britain and other former dependencies in the Commonwealth of Nations. Geography Britain’s location, climate, and landscape all contributed to their success and the maintaining their power. 

England is located in northwestern Europe. Britain is also an island. Since it is surrounded by water, they have the advantage since enemies can only attack them from battleships. Their favorable location allowed them to trade with their colonies. For example, the British fought with the French in Waterloo and Trafalgar and gained superiority in maritime warfare because of its formidable naval forces. Another factor that helped Britain in her success was the climate, which included harsh winters and unpredictable weather. Britain’s harsh winters prevented its enemies from attacking or invading them. The unpredictable weather, including frequent rainfall, also made it harder for the enemy to prepare. Much like in Russia, when the French soldiers weren’t able to succeed due to the harsh climate, Britain’s harsh winters and unpredictable weather would be hard to adjust to. Finally, they had very fertile soil, natural resources, and farms. Their fertile soil allowed them to grow many types of crops. Furthermore, they had many precious natural resources such as petroleum, coal and natural gas. They also were very good at sheep rearing. For example, Britain has massive oil reserves and many mines. All in all, Britain’s location, climate, landscape, and resources helped them succeed in gaining and maintaining its power over its colonies. 

The British were mostly Anglican Christians and they slowly spread their faith throughout their empire. Firstly, the British set up many Anglican schools and YMCA’s across all their colonies. The schools would be the best schools in the area, thereby making them more appealing to locals. That is how they subtly spread their faith throughout the world. The schools would teach them that God is represented by not one but three entities: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. For example, you can still find many YMCA’s in the countries of the Indian subcontinent. Furthermore, the British also set up missions, orphanages, and churches throughout the Indian Subcontinent and Africa. The British Empire spread its religious beliefs in the colonies that it governed through the work of missionaries. These missionaries colonized the beliefs of the locals just as the British Empire colonized their land. The spread of Christianity in the colonies was another way for the empire to maintain control. To this day, there are still many active Anglican missions such as The Mission India. In addition, The Anglican Church considered Easter and Christmas to be very important days in their belief system, including attending the weekly services of the church. Since the British built many churches in their attempt to spread Christianity, the holidays are now celebrated by all and many people attend services at churches. For example, there are many famous churches and cathedrals across India. One of the biggest and most famous ones is Saint Paul’s Cathedral in Kolkata, West Bengal. Therefore it is evident that the influence of British rule did not only include government, trade, language, and education, but also the influence of religious beliefs and customs. 

Britain had many great achievements that showed her superiority and helped the empire maintain its status in the world. To start, history has shown us that British colonial rule had a great impact on its colonies’ art, architecture, and music. If you take a look at Indian art and architecture, you can see the influence of British and European styles. For example: In Kolkata, the old Capital of the British Empire, one can see many buildings that have British architecture, such as The Indian Museum, The Writer’s Building, the YMCA, and the building that has been converted into the Oberoi Grand hotel. Other influences of colonial architecture also exist in cities like Mumbai, Delhi, and Chennai. You can see influences of art through the many schools of art which were opened by the British in India. Secondly, the British also made great strides in the fields of science, medicine, and warfare technology. They created many devices that are still in use, which at the time gave them massive advantages over their counterparts. For example, they invented the tank which was heavily used in WWI. They also invented the ultrasound, which would go on to save lives and further enable research opportunities in the field of biology. Lastly, another major influence of the British Empire was through its language and literature. English became very popular in the colonies where the British also influenced the school system by creating an educational policy for the colonized people. As a result, English became more and more prevalent in the British colonies. That is how English became the lingua franca of the modern world. For example, in British India, the empires educational policy quickly influenced many Indian writers to learn from English and European literature. In conclusion, it is evident that the British empire not only influenced the economies of its colonies, but also influenced their art, music, architecture, and literature. 

Britains strong governing body and laws helped them colonize one-fourth of the world. First of all, although Britain is a Monarchy, they are still one of the most democratic countries. Britain uses the parliamentary system where there is a prime minister, twenty-two cabinet ministers, and ninety-seven other ministers. The ministers come from a variety of social classes and ethnicities to ensure legislation was fair to all. This made their government more likable. Also, since their monarchy is a constitutional monarchy, the monarch's power is limited. This also influenced their colonies after independence. For example, most of the countries which were under colonial rule, now have similar systems of governance. Next, they have had very powerful and influential monarchs who governed the empire with an iron fist. The influence of these monarchs and their policies were felt across the British empire. Their laws and sanctions were upheld throughout their empire. For example, Queen Victoria is celebrated throughout Britain’s previous colonies such as the Victoria Memorial in Kolkata. Most countries which were under colonial rule still use common law. Common law was an idea that started in Britain. When the British came to Asia, they brought the idea of common law with them. Many countries in the world use common law, such as Bangladesh, because of the British Empire. To conclude, British law, government, and leaders were a crucial part of their success. Their system of governance also spread throughout their colonies. 

The British empire maintained its dominance in the world through its economic systems. First off, a vital element of the economy of the British economy was trade. Trade was very important for the British empire because it wanted to trade goods with its colonies. The Empire exported things that the colonies wanted, while the empire imported things they needed from the colonies. They would also grow many crops to trade. For example, the British empire would trade crops such as wheat, barley, and potatoes for woolen textiles. Their ships also gave them access to trade with China, India, and African countries; these imports included opium, spices, tea, sugar, silk, rice, and tobacco, among others. Another way the British empire maintained its dominance was through the large presence of locals from their colonies in its military. Another source of labor was the slave that the British empire bought. The British, in their colonies, would recruit locals for their military. They bought the slaves from Africa and transported to its colonies such as the Americas. For example, many of the soldiers in the British Army who fought in WWI were Indian. Thirdly, the British did not force one currency upon its colonies, but instead, they let countries keep their own currency. Although the idea for a uniform currency had risen, it was quickly shot down as it would raise tensions in the colonies. For example, you can find rupee coins with QueenVictoria’s likeness on it. To summarize, Britain's economy boosted their efforts in colonization and helped them maintain their power.  

The social structure during the British Empire consisted of what we call social classes, and the men and women during the Victorian Age, for example, had clear roles in home and family life. Firstly, the social structure during the time of the British Empire was quite rigid; people were very aware of their place in society. There was also a large gap between the upper and lower classes of people. At the top of the hierarchy was the royal family, followed by their relatives, dukes, knights, the educated and privileged class (the “gentry”), then the merchants, tradesmen (the group that today would be the businessmen), followed by the upper, middle, and lower/working classes. These divisions created conflict and hostility between the different classes. For example, the lower classes resented the upper and even the middle classes of people because they were excluded from the benefits of society. Secondly, family life was also affected by social class. In upper-income families, they would have servants to do their work for them, but in lower-income families, the families themselves would have to do household chores. For example, mothers in poorer households would raise the children, do the dishes, the laundry, cook, and clean. That brings me to my next point, gender roles. Gender roles were very specific and society was very structured. Society was very rigid about gender roles, especially in the family. Women, at the time, had no agency over money or property. For example, when a woman gets married, instead of inheriting anything from her father, her inheritance goes straight to her spouse. To conclude, Britain’s rigid social structure helped them maintain order in the empire. 

In conclusion, despite the scale of power and influence, empires fall apart, so the British Empire did the same. Nevertheless, Great Britain still remains an influential state not only on the European continent, but also throughout the world.