Trace and Tell your Family's Empire Stories
Country Histories
Established over three centuries, the British Empire was the most extensive in the world. At its height it included territories on all continents and comprised about a quarter of the world's population and area, an estimated 458 million people and over 35 million square kilometres of land.
At the peak of its power during the Victorian era, it was said that "the sun never sets on the British Empire", so widely did its colonies span the globe. Yet by the mid-twentieth century the Empire was in decline, with increasing numbers of former colonies gaining their independence.
Today, Britain maintains control over just a handful of foreign territories, but British influence remains apparent throughout the world, in fields as diverse as economics, the military, sports and government. The English language remains an official language in many former colonies.
However, the repercussions of darker aspects of imperialism such as the exploitation of people and resources, war and massacres of indigenous peoples also resonate down the centuries and cannot be ignored.
Browser by chapterBy the 1870s Britain was experiencing increasing competition from other industrialising nations, such as Germany and the United States, keen to establish their place in the world market. The 'Long Depression' of 1873-96 contributed further to the waning of British dominance and her share of world trade fell from a quarter in 1880 to a sixth in 1913.
More and more, leaders in Europe and the United States began to see the benefits of acquiring new overseas territories which could be secured as closed export markets as well as suppliers of raw materials.
European expansion during this period was aggressive and determined. It focused primarily on Africa, although Britain also established colonies in Southeast Asia and in Cyprus. Fear of Russian expansion led to Britain invading Afghanistan and waging three disastrous wars with the Afghans. Cyprus was established as a base in case of Russian attack on the Ottoman Empire.
A sense of racial superiority also characterised European expansion: native populations were not considered capable of governing themselves and such attitudes have persisted amongst some white settlers ever since.
While some settled colonies were able to develop a balanced infrastructure, those acquired purely for the supply of raw materials tended to become dependent on one cash crop. The manipulation of tension between diverse racial and religious groups in order to maintain imperial power also left a legacy of conflict and partition from Ireland to India and from Cyprus to Zimbabwe.
