NationMaster - Encyclopedia: British colonial empire

The British Empire was the most geographically extensive empire in world history and for a substantial time was the foremost global power. It was a product of the European age of discovery, which began with the maritime explorations of the 15th century, that sparked the era of the European colonial empires. Download high resolution version (1116x849, 158 KB)The World in 1897. ... Download high resolution version (1116x849, 158 KB)The World in 1897. ... This is a list of the largest empires in world history. ... The top global powers usually have relatively high military budgets, reflecting their powerful military capabilities. ... See also Age of Sail. ... (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ... In general, the word colonial means of or relating to a colony. In United States history, the term Colonial is used to refer to the period before US independence. ...

By 1921, the British Empire held sway over a population of about 458 million people, approximately one-quarter of the world's population.^[1] It covered about 36.6 million km² (14.2 million square miles),^[2] about a quarter of Earth's total land area. As a result, its legacy is widespread, in legal and governmental systems, economic practice, militarily, educational systems, sports (such as cricket, rugby and football), and in the global spread of the English language. At the peak of its power, it was often said that "the sun never sets on the British Empire" because its span across the globe ensured that the sun was always shining on at least one of its numerous colonies.^[3] This article concerns the common-law legal system, as contrasted with the civil law legal system; for other meanings of the term, within the field of law, see common law (disambiguation). ... The Houses of Parliament in London The Westminster system is a democratic, parliamentary system of government modeled after that of the United Kingdom system, as used in the Palace of Westminster, the location of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... The armed forces of the United Kingdom, commonly known as the British Armed Forces or Her Majestys Armed Forces, and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown[1], encompasses a navy, army, and an air force. ... Bowler Shaun Pollock bowls to batsman Michael Hussey. ... A BCRFC match at Boston College Rugby football, often just referred to as rugby, refers to sports descended from a common form of football developed at Rugby School in England. ... Football (soccer) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... An anachronous map showing areas pertaining to the Spanish Empire at various times over a period exceeding 400 years. ... This article refers to a colony in politics and history. ...

During the five decades following World War II, most of the territories of the Empire became independent. Many went on to join the Commonwealth of Nations, a free association of independent states. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...

Growth of the British Empire

Ireland

The Normans first arrived in Ireland and established a presence by force in 1171 in order to support a Norman invasion. During the 14th century Norman rule became restricted largely to The Pale (a coastal region around Dublin). By 1550 a committed policy of colonisation of the country had been adopted^{[citation needed]}, which culminated in the Plantation of Ulster in 1608, following the Nine Years war (1594-1603). In the meantime, the plantations of Ireland formed the templates for the empire^[4], and several people involved in these projects also had a hand in the early colonisation of North America e.g. Humphrey Gilbert, Walter Raleigh, Francis Drake and Ralph Lane. Norman conquests in red. ... Events Saladin abolishes the Fatimid caliphate, restoring Sunni rule in Egypt. ... List of Captains present at the Norman Invasion of Ireland 1st of May 1169 List of persons who collaborated with Dermot MacMorrogh during the Invasion Richard Strongbow Earle of Pembroch, (Pembroke) Robert Fitz-Stephen, Harvey de Montmarish, Maurice Prendergast, Robert Barr, Meiler Meilerine, Maurice Fitz-Gerald, Redmond nephew of Fitz... The Pale refers to at least two geographic areas: The Pale of Settlement in which imperial Russia allowed Jews to live. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: , Statistics Province: Leinster County: DÃ¡il Ã‰ireann: Dublin Central, Dublin North Central, Dublin North East, Dublin North West, Dublin South Central, Dublin South East European Parliament: Dublin Dialling Code: 01, +353 1 Postal District(s): D1-24, D6W Area: 114. ... The Plantation of Ulster was a planned process of colonisation which took place in the northern Irish province of Ulster during the early 17th century in the reign of James I of England. ... The Nine Years War (Irish: Cogadh na Naoi mBliana) in Ireland took place from 1594 to 1603 and is also known as Tyrones Rebellion. ... Plantations in 16th and 17th century Ireland involved the seizure of land owned by the native Irish and granting of it to colonists (planters) from Britain. ... Sir Humphrey Gilbert (c. ... Not to be confused with Walter Raleigh (professor). ... Sir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral, (c. ... Sir Ralph Lane (~1530 - 1603) was an English explorer of the Elizabethan era. ...

Stuart era

In 1603, King James VI of Scotland succeeded to the English throne. The following year he negotiated the Treaty of London, ending hostilities with Spain, and the first permanent English settlement followed in 1607 at Jamestown, Virginia. During the next three centuries, the United Kingdom extended its influence overseas, and the new country officially consolidated its political development at home with the 1707 Acts of Union, where the Parliament of England and the Scots Parliament were united in Westminster, London, as the Parliament of Great Britain, giving birth to the United Kingdom as a political entity. England and Scotland had been unified under the Scottish monarchy, but not formally and politically, in 1603. The union of the parliaments a century later completed the process. James VI and I King of England, Scotland and Ireland James VI of Scotland and I of England (Charles James) (19 June 1566–27 March 1625) was a King who ruled over England, Scotland and Ireland, and was the first Sovereign to reign in the three realms simultaneously. ... The Somerset House Conference. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The Acts of Union were a pair of Acts of Parliament passed in 1706 and 1707 (taking effect on 1 May 1707) by, respectively, the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland. ... The English parliament in front of the King, c. ... The parliament of Scotland, officially the Estates of Parliament, was the legislature of the independent Kingdom of Scotland. ... Westminster is a district within the City of Westminster in London. ... The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative institution in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories (it alone has parliamentary sovereignty). ...

Scottish role

There were several pre-union attempts at creating a Scottish overseas empire, with various Scottish settlements in North and South America. Nova Scotia was perhaps Scotland's greatest opportunity at establishing a permanent presence in the Americas, but its most infamous^{[citation needed]} was the ill-fated Darien scheme which attempted to establish a settlement colony and trading post in Panama to foster trade between Scotland and the Far East. Motto Latin: Nemo me impune lacessit (English: No one provokes me with impunity) Capital EdinburghÂ¹ Language(s) Gaelic, Scots Government Monarchy King/Queen - 843-860 Kenneth I - 1587â€“1625 James VI - 1702-1714 Anne Legislature Parliament of Scotland History - United 843 - Union of the Crowns March 24, 1603 - Act of... Scottish colonization of the Americas consisted of a number of failed or abandoned settlements in North America, a colony at Darien, Panama and a number of wholly or largely Scottish settlements made as part of Great Britain. ... Motto: Munit Haec et Altera Vincit(Latin) One defends and the other conquers Capital Halifax Largest city Halifax Regional Municipality Official languages English Government - Lieutenant-Governor Mayann E. Francis - Premier Rodney MacDonald (PC) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 11 - Senate seats 10 Confederation July 1, 1867 (1st) Area... The Darien scheme was an unsuccessful attempt by the Kingdom of Scotland to establish a colony on the Isthmus of Panama. ... The far east as a cultural block includes East Asia, Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia and South Asia. ...

After the Acts of Union 1707 many Scots, especially in Canada, Jamaica, India, Malaya, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand, took up posts as administrators, doctors, lawyers, armed servicemen and teachers in what had become the new, or Second British Empire^{[citation needed]}. Progressions in Scotland itself during the Scottish enlightenment led to advancements throughout the empire. Scots settled across the Empire as it developed and built up their own communities such as Dunedin in New Zealand. Large numbers of Scots settled in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and Rhodesia. The Acts of Union were a pair of Acts of Parliament passed in 1706 and 1707 (taking effect on 1 May 1707) by, respectively, the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland. ... â€œScotâ€ redirects here. ... Map of Peninsular Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia (Malay: Semenanjung Malaysia) is the part of Malaysia which lies on the Malay Peninsula, and shares a land border with Thailand in the north. ... The Scottish Enlightenment was a period of intellectual ferment in Scotland, running from approximately 1740 to 1800. ... Dunedin (ÅŒtepoti in Maori) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the region of Otago. ... Southern Rhodesia, todays Zimbabwe. ...

Colonisation

In 1583 Sir Humphrey Gilbert claimed the island of Newfoundland for Elizabeth I. This reinforced John Cabot's prior claim to the island in 1497, for Henry VII, as England's first overseas colony. Gilbert's shipwreck prevented ensuing settlement in Newfoundland, other than the seasonal cod fishermen who had frequented the island since 1497. However, the Jamestown colonists, led by Captain John Smith, overcame the severe privations of the winter in 1607 to found England's first permanent overseas settlement. The empire thus took shape during the early 17th century, with the English settlement of the eastern colonies of North America, which would later become the original United States as well as Canada's Atlantic provinces, and the colonisation of the smaller islands of the Caribbean such as Saint Kitts, Barbados and Jamaica. Sir Humphrey Gilbert (c. ... For other uses, see Newfoundland (disambiguation). ... 1497 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... the world is coming to the end!!!!! cod is going to eat up alive and do us hard up the emmm. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... John Smith (1580 â€“ June 21, 1631), was an English soldier, sailor, and author. ... Betsy Ross purportedly sewed the first American flag with 13 stars and 13 stripes representing each of the 13 colonies. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... Atlantic Canada consists of the four Canadian provinces on the Atlantic Ocean: Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. ... â€œWest Indianâ€ redirects here. ... Country Saint Kitts and Nevis Archipelago Leeward Islands Region Caribbean Area 65 sq. ...

The sugar-producing colonies of the Caribbean, where slavery became central to the economy, were at first England's most important and lucrative colonies.^[5] The American colonies, which provided tobacco, cotton, and rice in the south and naval materiel and furs in the north, were less financially successful, but had large areas of good agricultural land and attracted far larger numbers of English emigrants.^[6] Slave redirects here. ... Shredded tobacco leaf for pipe smoking Tobacco can also be pressed into plugs and sliced into flakes Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the fresh leaves of plants in genus Nicotiana. ... Cotton ready for harvest. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Materiel (from the French for material) is the equipment and supplies in Military and commercial supply chain management. ... An Alberta fur trader in the 1890s. ...

England's American empire was slowly expanded by war and colonisation, with England gaining control of New Amsterdam (later New York) via negotiations following the Second Anglo-Dutch War. The growing American colonies pressed ever westward as colonists sought new agricultural lands, a search that dispersed settlers across vast landmasses in North America. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2048x1441, 306 KB) Year 1770 Technique de: Ã–l auf Leinwand en: Oil on canvas Dimensions de: 151 Ã— 213 cm Current location de: National Gallery of Canada, de: Ottawa Source The Yorck Project: DVD-ROM, 2002. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2048x1441, 306 KB) Year 1770 Technique de: Ã–l auf Leinwand en: Oil on canvas Dimensions de: 151 Ã— 213 cm Current location de: National Gallery of Canada, de: Ottawa Source The Yorck Project: DVD-ROM, 2002. ... The Death of General Wolfe is a well-known 1770 painting by artist Benjamin West depicting the final moments of General James Wolfe on the Plains of Abraham during the 1759 Battle of Quebec. ... Self Portrait of Benjamin West, ca. ... New Amsterdam (Dutch: Nieuw Amsterdam) was the name of the 17th century town which grew outside of Fort Amsterdam on Manhattan Island in the New Netherland territory (1614â€“1674) which was situated between 38 and 42 degrees latitude as a provincial extension of the Dutch Republic since 1624. ... Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the state of New York and the entire United States. ... The painting Dutch attack on the Medway, June 1667 by Pieter Cornelisz van Soest, painted c. ...

During the Seven Years' War the British defeated the French at the Plains of Abraham and captured all of New France in 1760, giving Britain control over a great part of North America - principally what is now Canada and land east of the Mississippi. The British and Colonial victory over France in Seven Years War led to a stronger sense of security on the part of the North American colonies, as many colonists no longer felt the need for British protection following the ousting of the French from North America.^[7] Combatants Prussia Great Britain Hanover Portugal Brunswick Hesse-Kassel Austria France Russia Sweden Spain Saxony Naples and Sicily Sardinia The Seven Years War(i) (1754 and 1756â€“1763), incorporating the Pomeranian War and the French and Indian War enveloped both European and colonial theatres. ... The Battle of the Plains of Abraham, fought September 13, 1759, was a decisive battle during the French and Indian War, the U.S. name for the North American phase of the Seven Years War. ... Capital Quebec Language(s) French Religion Roman Catholicism Government Monarchy King See List of French monarchs Governor See list of Governors Legislature Sovereign Council of New France Historical era Ancien RÃ©gime in France - Royal Control 1655 - Articles of Capitulation of Quebec 1759 - Articles of Capitulation of Montreal 1760 - Treaty...

Later, settlement of Australia (starting with penal colonies from 1788) and New Zealand (under the crown from 1840) created a major zone of British migration. Matthew Flinders proved New Holland and New South Wales to be a single land mass by completing a circumnavigation of it in 1803. His recommendation that the continent be known as Australia was accepted^{[citation needed]}. In 1826 New Holland was formally claimed for Britain with the establishment of a military base, soon followed by a colony in 1829. The colonies later became self-governing colonies and became profitable exporters of wool and gold. Some colonists, it could be argued, also committed a form of genocide against native populations, most notably in Tasmania.^[8] See also British colonisation of the Americas, Scottish colonization of the Americas, Welsh colonization of the Americas, Colonial history of America Captain Matthew Flinders RN (16 March 1774 â€“ 19 July 1814) was one of the most accomplished navigators and cartographers of his age. ... Map of a part of New Holland made by William Dampier in 1699 New Holland is a historic name for the island continent of Australia. ... Capital Sydney Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Professor Marie Bashir Premier Morris Iemma (ALP) Federal representation - House seats 50 - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05) - Product ($m) $305,437 (1st) - Product per capita $45,153/person (4th) Population (End of March 2006) - Population 6,817,100 (1st) - Density 8. ... A self-governing colony is a colony with an elected legislature, in which politicians are able to make most decisions without reference to the colonial power with formal or nominal control of the colony. ... Long and short hair wool at the South Central Family Farm Research Center in Boonesville, Arizona Wool is the fiber derived from the fur of animals of the Caprinae family, principally sheep, but the hair of certain species of other mammals such as goats, alpacas, llamas and rabbits may also... GOLD refers to one of the following: GOLD (IEEE) is an IEEE program designed to garner more student members at the university level (Graduates of the Last Decade). ... British colonization of the Americas began in the late 16th century. ... Scottish colonization of the Americas consisted of a number of failed or abandoned settlements in North America, a colony at Darien, Panama and a number of wholly or largely Scottish settlements made as part of Great Britain. ... Welsh colonization of the Americas began in the 19th century. ... Territories in the Americas colonized or claimed by a European great power in 1750. ...

Free trade and "informal empire"

The old British colonial system began to decline in the 18th century. During the long period of unbroken Whig dominance of domestic political life (1714–62), the Empire became less important and less well-regarded, until an ill-fated attempt (largely involving taxes, monopolies, and zoning) to reverse the resulting "salutary neglect" (or "benign neglect") provoked the American War of Independence (1775–83), depriving Britain of her most populous colonies, although British investment continued to play a major role in the United States economy until the First World War.^{[citation needed]} Pax Britannica (Latin for the British Peace, modelled after Pax Romana) refers to a period of British imperialism after the Battle of Waterloo, which led to a period of overseas British expansionism. ... Image File history File links Yorktown80. ... Image File history File links Yorktown80. ... John Trumbull, 1756â€“1843 John Trumbull (June 6, 1756 â€“ November 10, 1843) was a famous American artist from the time of the American Revolutionary War. ... The Whigs (with the Tories) are often described as one of two political parties in England and later the United Kingdom from the late 17th to the mid 19th centuries. ... John Trumbulls Declaration of Independence, showing the five-man committee in charge of drafting the Declaration in 1776 as it presents its work to the Second Continental Congress The American Revolution refers to the period during the last half of the 18th century in which the Thirteen Colonies that... The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), also known as the American War of Independence, was a war fought primarily between Great Britain and revolutionaries within thirteen of her North American colonies. ...

The period is sometimes referred to as the end of the "first British Empire", indicating the shift of British expansion from the Americas in the 17th and 18th centuries to the "second British Empire" in Asia and later also Africa from the 18th century^{[citation needed]}. The loss of the Thirteen Colonies showed that colonies were not necessarily particularly beneficial in economic terms, since Britain could still profit from trade with the ex-colonies without having to pay for their defence and administration^{[citation needed]}. In 1775, the British claimed authority over the red and pink areas on this map and Spain ruled the orange. ...

Mercantilism, the economic doctrine of competition between nations for a finite amount of wealth which had characterised the first period of colonial expansion, now gave way in Britain and elsewhere to the laissez-faire economic liberalism of Adam Smith and successors like Richard Cobden. A painting of a French seaport from 1638, at the height of mercantilism. ... Laissez-faire is short for laissez faire, laissez passer, a French phrase meaning to let things alone, let them pass. First used by the eighteenth century Physiocrats as an injunction against government interference with trade, it is now used as a synonym for strict free market economics. ... Classical liberalism (also known as traditional liberalism[1] and laissez-faire liberalism[2]) is a doctrine stressing the importance of human rationality, individual property rights, natural rights, the protection of civil liberties, constitutional limitations of government, free markets, and individual freedom from restraint as exemplified in the writings of Adam... Adam Smith FRSE (baptised June 5, 1723 O.S. / June 16 N.S. â€“ July 17, 1790) was a Scottish moral philosopher and a pioneering political economist. ... Richard Cobden Richard Cobden (June 3, 1804 â€“ April 2, 1865) was a British manufacturer and Radical and Liberal statesman, associated with John Bright in the formation of the Anti-Corn Law League. ...

The lesson of Britain's North American loss — that trade might be profitable in the absence of colonial rule — contributed to the extension in the 1840s and 1850s of self-governing colony status to white settler colonies in Canada and Australasia whose British or European inhabitants were seen as outposts of the "mother country". Ireland was treated differently because of its geographic proximity, and incorporated into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801, which was a result of the Irish Rebellion of 1798 against British rule. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A self-governing colony is a colony with an elected legislature, in which politicians are able to make most decisions without reference to the colonial power with formal or nominal control of the colony. ... Australasia Australasia is a term variably used to describe a region of Oceania: Australia, New Zealand, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. ... Motto Dieu et mon droit(French) God and my right1 Anthem God Save the King (Queen) Territory of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Capital London Language(s) English2 Government Constitutional monarchy Monarch - 1801â€“1820 George III - 1820â€“1830 George IV - 1830â€“1837 William IV - 1837â€“1901... Depiction of the battle of Vinegar Hill The Irish Rebellion of 1798 (Ã‰irÃ Amach 1798 in Irish), or 1798 rebellion as it is known locally, was an uprising in 1798, lasting several months, against the British dominated Kingdom of Ireland. ...

During this period, Britain also outlawed the slave trade (1807) and soon began enforcing this principle on other nations. By the mid-19th century Britain had largely eradicated the world slave trade. Slavery itself was abolished in the British colonies in 1834, though the phenomenon of indentured labour retained much of its oppressive character until 1920.^{[citation needed]} This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Slave redirects here. ... An Indentured Servant (or in the U.S. bonded labourer) is a labourer under contract to work for an employer for a specific amount of time, usually seven to eight years, to pay off a passage to a new country or home. ...

The end of the old colonial and slave systems was accompanied by the adoption of free trade, culminating in the repeal of the Corn Laws and Navigation Acts in the 1840s. Free trade opened the British market to unfettered competition, stimulating reciprocal action by other countries during the middle quarters of the 19th century.^{[citation needed]} Free trade is an economic concept referring to the selling of products between countries without tariffs or other trade barriers. ... The Corn Laws, in force between 1815 and 1846, were import tariffs ostensibly designed to protect British farmers and landowners against competition from cheap foreign grain imports. ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: Navigation Acts The English Navigation Acts were a series of laws which, beginning in 1651, restricted the use of foreign shipping in the trade of England (later Great Britain and its colonies). ...

Some argue^{[citation needed]} that the rise of free trade merely reflected Britain's economic position and was unconnected with any true philosophical conviction. Despite the earlier loss of 13 of Britain's North American colonies, the final defeat in Europe of Napoleonic France in 1815 left Britain the most successful international power^{[citation needed]}. While the Industrial Revolution at home gave her an unrivalled economic leadership^{[citation needed]}, the Royal Navy dominated the seas^{[citation needed]}. The distraction of rival powers by European matters enabled Britain to pursue a phase of expansion of her economic and political influence through "informal empire" underpinned by free trade and a strategic preeminence based on naval dominance^{[citation needed]}. The battle of Waterloo, by William Sadler This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... The battle of Waterloo, by William Sadler This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Combatants First French Empire Seventh Coalition: United Kingdom Kingdom of Prussia Kingdom of the United Netherlands Kingdom of Hanover Nassau Brunswick Commanders Napoleon Bonaparte, Michel Ney Duke of Wellington, Gebhard von BlÃ¼cher Strength 73,000 67,000 Coalition 60,000 Prussian (48,000 engaged by about 18:00) Casualties... Combatants Austria[1] Portugal Prussia[1] Russia[2] Spain[3] Sweden United Kingdom[4] Ottoman Empire[5] Holy Roman Empire[6] French Empire Holland Kingdom of Italy Kingdom of Naples Duchy of Warsaw Bavaria[7] Saxony[8] Denmark [9] Commanders Archduke Charles Prince Schwarzenberg Karl Mack von Leiberich Gebhard von... Pax Britannica (Latin for the British Peace, modelled after Pax Romana) refers to a period of British imperialism after the Battle of Waterloo, which led to a period of overseas British expansionism. ... British colonization of the Americas began in the late 16th century. ... World map showing the location of Europe. ... NapolÃ©on I, Emperor of the French (born Napoleone di Buonaparte, changed his name to NapolÃ©on Bonaparte)[1] (15 August 1769; Ajaccio, Corsica â€“ 5 May 1821; Saint Helena) was a general during the French Revolution, the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier Consul) of the French Republic from... In the context of international relations and diplomacy, power (sometimes clarified as international power, national power, or state power) is the ability of one state to influence or control other states. ... A Watt steam engine. ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore the Senior Service). ... Free trade is an economic concept referring to the selling of products between countries without tariffs or other trade barriers. ...

Between the Congress of Vienna of 1815 and the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, Britain was the world's sole industrialised power^{[citation needed]}, with over 30% of the global industrial output in 1870. As the "workshop of the world", Britain could produce finished manufactures so efficiently and cheaply that they could undersell comparable locally produced goods in foreign markets. Given stable political conditions in particular overseas markets, Britain could prosper through free trade alone without having to resort to formal rule. In the Americas the informal British trade empire was backed by the shared interests of Britain in the tenets of the United States' Monroe Doctrine, which declared that the New World was no longer open to colonisation or political interference by Europeans. As the United States did not yet have the military strength to enforce this doctrine, the British were largely left with a free hand to enter the new markets in Latin America created after independence from Spain and Portugal, and British commercial supremacy lasted until the outbreak of World War I.^[9] The Congress of Vienna by Jean-Baptiste Isabey, 1819. ... Combatants Second French Empire North German Confederation allied with south German states (later German Empire) Commanders Napoleon III Otto Von Bismarck, Helmuth von Moltke the Elder Strength 400,000 at the beginning of the war 1,200,000 Casualties 150,000 dead or wounded 284,000 captured 350,000 civilian... U.S. President James Monroe The Monroe Doctrine is a U.S. doctrine which, on December 2, 1823, proclaimed that European powers would no longer colonize or interfere with the affairs of the nations of the Americas. ...

British East India Company

The British East India Company was responsible for the annexation of most of the Indian subcontinent along with the conquest of Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaya and other surrounding Asian countries. These countries became large sources of revenue for the empire and by the nineteenth century Britain had become economically dependent on India.^[10] The British East India Company, sometimes referred to as John Company, was the first joint-stock company (the Dutch East India Company was the first to issue public stock). ... Map of South Asia (see note) This article deals with the geophysical region in Asia. ... British Malaya was a set of states that were colonized by the British from the 18th and the 19th until the 20th century. ...

The British East India Company originally began as a joint-stock company of traders and investors based in Leadenhall Street, in the City of London, which was granted a Royal Charter by Elizabeth I in 1600, with the intent to favour trade privileges in India. The Royal Charter effectively gave the newly created Honourable East India Company a monopoly on all trade with the East Indies. The Company transformed from a commercial trading venture to one which virtually ruled India as it acquired auxiliary governmental and military functions, along with a very large private army consisting of local Indian sepoys, who were loyal to their British commanders and were an important factor in controlling the Company's Asian conquests.^[11] The British East India Company became one of the first multinational corporations,^[12] but its territorial holdings were subsumed by the British crown in 1858, in the aftermath of the events variously referred to as the Sepoy Rebellion or the Indian Mutiny. Leadenhall Street is a principal street of the City of London. ... The City of London is a geographically-small city within Greater London, England. ... A Royal Charter is a charter given by a monarch to legitimize an incorporated body, such as a city, company, university or such. ... Elizabeth I redirects here. ... The Indies, on the display globe of the Field Museum, Chicago The Indies or East Indies (or East India) is a term used to describe lands of South and South-East Asia, occupying all of the former British India, the present Indian Union, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Maldives, and... A sepoy (from Persian سپاهی Sipâhi meaning soldier) was a native of India employed as a soldier in the service of a European power, usually of the United Kingdom. ... A multinational corporation (MNC) is a corporation or enterprise that manages production establishments or delivers services in at least two countries. ... An engraving titled Sepoy Indian troops dividing the spoils after their mutiny against British rule gives a contemporary view of events from the British perspective. ... An engraving titled Sepoy Indian troops dividing the spoils after their mutiny against British rule gives a contemporary view of events from a British perspective. ...

In 1615, Sir Thomas Roe was instructed by James I to visit the Mughal Emperor Jahangir (who ruled over most of the Indian subcontinent at the time, along with Afghanistan and parts of eastern Persia). The purpose of this mission was to arrange for a commercial treaty which would give the Company exclusive rights to reside and build factories in Surat and other areas. In return, the Company offered to provide to the emperor goods and rarities from the European market. This mission was highly successful^{[citation needed]} and Jahangir sent a letter to the King through Sir Thomas. The British East India Company found itself completely dominant^{[citation needed]} over the French, Dutch and Portuguese trading companies in the Indian subcontinent as a result. In 1634, the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan extended his hospitality to the English traders to the region of Bengal, which had the world's largest textile industry at the time. In 1717, the Mughal Emperor at the time completely waived customs duties for the trade, giving the Company a decided commercial advantage in the Indian trade. By the 1680s the Company's revenues were large enough that it was able to raise its own army, comprised mainly of indigenous Indian people who were placed under the command of British officers who were primarily English or Scottish. Such Indian soldiers were called sepoys. Sir Thomas Roe (or Row) (c. ... James Stuart (19 June 1566 â€“ 27 March 1625) was King of Scots as James VI, and King of England and King of Ireland as James I. He ruled in Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567, when he was only one year old. ... It has been suggested that Mughal Era be merged into this article or section. ... The following list of Indian monarchs is one of several Wikipedia lists of incumbents. ... n ... Map of South Asia (see note) This article deals with the geophysical region in Asia. ... Motto (official) EsteqlÄl, ÄzÄdÄ«, jomhÅ«rÄ«-ye eslÄmÄ« 1(Persian) Independence, freedom, Islamic Republic (national) Anthem SorÅ«d-e MellÄ«-e ÄªrÄn 2 Capital (and largest city) Tehran Official languages Persian Demonym Iranian Government Islamic Republic - Supreme Leader - President Establishment - Proto-Elamite Period 8000 BCE - Middle... , For other uses, see Surat (disambiguation). ... Map of South Asia (see note) This article deals with the geophysical region in Asia. ... Shahbuddin Mohammed Shah Jahan (also spelled Shah Jehan, Shahjehan. ... Bengal (Bengali: à¦¬à¦™à§à¦— BÃ´ngo, à¦¬à¦¾à¦‚à¦²à¦¾ Bangla, à¦¬à¦™à§à¦—à¦¦à§‡à¦¶ BÃ´ngodesh or à¦¬à¦¾à¦‚à¦²à¦¾à¦¦à§‡à¦¶ Bangladesh), is a historical and geographical region in the northeast of South Asia. ... A sepoy (from Persian سپاهی Sipâhi meaning soldier) was a native of India employed as a soldier in the service of a European power, usually of the United Kingdom. ...

Expansion

The decline of the Mughal Empire, which had separated into many smaller states controlled by local rulers who were often in conflict with one another, allowed the Company to expand its territories, which began in 1757, when the Company came into conflict with the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj Ud Daulah. Under the leadership of Robert Clive, the Company troops defeated the Nawab on 23 June 1757 at the Battle of Plassey, mostly because of the treachery of the Nawab's former army chief Mir Jafar. Mir Jafar's treachery turned the battle into a mere skirmish^{[citation needed]}. This victory, which resulted in the virtual conquest of Bengal, established the British East India Company as both a military and commercial power. However, the Company did not claim absolute authority over the territory for a long time. They preferred to rule through a puppet Nawab who could be blamed for the administrative failures caused by excessively avaricious economic exploitation of the territory by the Company. This event is widely regarded^{[citation needed]} as the beginning of British rule in India. The wealth gained from the Bengal treasury allowed the Company to strengthen its military might significantly. This army (comprised mostly of Indian soldiers, called sepoys, and led by British officers) conquered most of India's geographic and political regions by the mid 19th century and thus the Company's territories were substantially augmented. Clive This work is copyrighted. ... Clive This work is copyrighted. ... Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive of Plassey (September 29, 1725 - November 22, 1774) was the statesman and general who established the empire of British India. ... Combatants British East India Company Siraj Ud Daulah (Nawab of Bengal), La Compagnie des Indes Orientales Commanders Colonel Robert Clive (later Governor of Bengal and Baron of Plassey) Mir Jafar Ali Khan (Commander-in-chief of the Nawab), M. Sinfray (French Secretary to the Council) Strength 2,200 European soldiers... It has been suggested that Mughal Era be merged into this article or section. ... Nawab (Urdu: Ù†ÙˆØ§Ø¨ ) was originally the subadar (provincial governor) or viceroy of a subah (province) or region of the Mughal empire. ... Bengal (Bengali: à¦¬à¦™à§à¦— BÃ´ngo, à¦¬à¦¾à¦‚à¦²à¦¾ Bangla, à¦¬à¦™à§à¦—à¦¦à§‡à¦¶ BÃ´ngodesh or à¦¬à¦¾à¦‚à¦²à¦¾à¦¦à§‡à¦¶ Bangladesh), is a historical and geographical region in the northeast of South Asia. ... MÃ®rzÃ¢ Mah. ... Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive of Plassey (September 29, 1725 - November 22, 1774) was the statesman and general who established the empire of British India. ... is the 174th day of the year (175th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1757 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Combatants British East India Company Siraj Ud Daulah (Nawab of Bengal), La Compagnie des Indes Orientales Commanders Colonel Robert Clive (later Governor of Bengal and Baron of Plassey) Mir Jafar Ali Khan (Commander-in-chief of the Nawab), M. Sinfray (French Secretary to the Council) Strength 2,200 European soldiers... Syed Mir Muhammed Jafar Ali Khan, or Mir Jafar (born 1691 â€“ died February 5, 1765) was a monarchical ruler (Nawab) of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. ... A sepoy (from Persian سپاهی Sipâhi meaning soldier) was a native of India employed as a soldier in the service of a European power, usually of the United Kingdom. ...

The Company fought many wars with local Indian rulers during its conquest of India, the most difficult being the four Anglo-Mysore Wars (between 1766 and 1799) against the South Indian Kingdom of Mysore ruled by Hyder Ali, and later his son Tipu Sultan (The Tiger of Mysore) who developed the use of rockets in warfare. Mysore was only defeated in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War by the combined forces of Britain and of Mysore's neighbours, for which Hyder Ali and especially Tipu Sultan are remembered in India as legendary rulers^{[citation needed]}. There were a number of other states which the Company could not conquer through military might, mostly in the North, where the Company's presence was ever increasing amidst the internal conflict and dubious offers of protection against one another. Coercive action, threats and diplomacy aided the Company in preventing the local rulers from putting up a united struggle against British rule^{[citation needed]}. By the 1850s the Company ruled over most of the Indian subcontinent and as a result, the Company began to function more as a state and less as a trading concern. The Anglo-Mysore Wars were a series of eighteenth-century wars fought in India between the Kingdom of Mysore (then a French ally) and the British East-India Company, represented chiefly by the Madras Presidency. ... South India is a linguistic-cultural region of India that comprises the four Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Pondicherry, whose inhabitants are collectively referred to as South Indians. ... Flag of former princely state of Mysore. ... Hyder Ali or Haidar Ali (c. ... Portrait of Tippu Sultan, 1792 Tippu (Tips) Sultan (full name Sultan Fateh Ali Tippu), also known as the Tiger of Mysore (November 20, 1750, Devanahalli â€“ May 4, 1799, Srirangapattana), was the first son of Haidar Ali by his second wife, Fatima or Fakhr-un-nissa. ... The Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1798â€“1799) was a war in South India between the Kingdom of Mysore and the British East India Company under Lord Wellesley. ... A state is a political association with effective dominion over a geographic area. ...

The Company was also responsible^{[citation needed]} for the opium trade with China against the Qing Emperor's will, which later led to the two Opium Wars (between 1834 and 1860). As a result of the Company's victory in the First Opium War, it established Hong Kong as a British territory. The Company also had a number of wars with other surrounding Asian countries, the most difficult probably being the three Anglo-Afghan Wars (between 1839 and 1919) against Afghanistan, which were mostly unsuccessful from the British perspective^{[citation needed]}. Sir Joshua Reynolds, “George Clive and his family with an Indian maid”, painted 1765. ... Sir Joshua Reynolds, “George Clive and his family with an Indian maid”, painted 1765. ... Sir Joshua Reynolds in a self-portrait Colonel Acland and Lord Sydney, The Archers, 1769. ... Opium is a narcotic drug which is obtained from the unripe seed pods of the opium poppy . ... The Qing Dynasty (Manchu: daicing gurun; Chinese: 清朝; pinyin: qīng cháo; Wade-Giles: ching chao), sometimes known as the Manchu Dynasty, was founded by the Manchu clan Aisin Gioro, in what is today northeast China expanded into China proper and the surrounding territories of... Combat at Guangzhou during the Second Opium War The Opium Wars (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), or the Anglo-Chinese Wars were two wars fought around the middle of the 19th century (1840-1843 and 1856-1860 respectively) that were the climax of a long dispute between China and Britain. ... Combatants Qing China British East India Company Commanders Daoguang Emperor Charles Elliot, Anthony Blaxland Stransham The First Opium War or the First Anglo-Chinese War was fought between the United Kingdom and the Qing Empire in China from 1839 to 1842 with the aim of forcing China to import British... A series of three wars between Britain and the Afghans in the 19th century and early 20th century was formerly called the Afghan Wars but is now referred to as the Anglo-Afghan wars perhaps to distinguish them from the civil strife in the 1980s. ...

// Company Rule, 1757-1857 Expansion and territory It was not until the middle of the 19th century that almost all of the territory that now constitutes Bangladesh, India and Pakistan came under the rule of the British East India Company. ... This article is about the History of South Asia. ...

Collapse

The Company's rule effectively came to an end exactly a century after its victory at Plassey. During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the British faced their toughest military challenge during their rule in India. It occurred when the Company's Indian sepoys rebelled against their British commanders. The rebellion began at Meerut, a town east of Delhi, when a few sepoys mutinied against their English officers and killed them. Then, the rebellion spread like wild fire over most of northern India, especially the modern states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi. It immediately gained the support of almost every section of Indian society (except the westernized Indians like Raja Rammohan Roy who believed that British rule was necessary to mitigate the social evils prevalent in Indian society at that time), most notably the zamindars, peasants and Indian princes. The rebellion was a result of many factors, social, political and economical. By 1857, the inhabitants of India grew greatly dissatisfied with British rule, the character of which was perceived to be oppressive and exploitative by them. There was simmering discontent with British rule and only a spark was necessary to set it afire.^[13] One such event that surely seemed trivial to the Company at the time, but that turned out to have dire consequences, was the Company's introduction of the Pattern 1853 Enfield rifle. Its gunpowder containing paper cartridges were claimed to be lubricated with animal fat and had to be bitten open before the powder was poured into the muzzle. Eating cow or pig fat was forbidden for religious reasons for the vast majority of the soldiers. Beef products were forbidden for the Hindu majority, likewise pork for the large Muslim minority. ^[14] Combatants Indian patriots, Rebellious East India Company Sepoys, 7 Indian princely states, deposed rulers of Oudh and Jhansi, Nana Sahib and allies, Indian civilians in some areas. ... A sepoy (from Persian Ø³Ù¾Ø§Ù‡ÛŒ SipÃ¢hi meaning soldier) was a native of India employed as a soldier in the service of a European power, usually of the United Kingdom. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... , Delhi (Hindi: , Urdu: , Punjabi: ), sometimes referred to as Dilli, is the second-largest metropolis in India after Mumbai with a population of 13 million. ... The Indo-Gangetic Plain is a rich, fertile and ancient land encompassing most of northern and eastern India, the most populous parts of Pakistan, and virtually all of Bangladesh. ... , Uttar Pradesh (Hindi: , Urdu: , translation: Northern Province, IPA: , ), often referred to as U.P., is the most populous and fifth largest state in the Republic of India. ... , Bihar (Hindi: à¤¬à¤¿à¤¹à¤¾à¤°, Urdu: Ø¨ÛØ§Ø±, IPA: , ) is a state of the Indian union situated in the eastern part of the country. ... , Madhya PradeÅ› (HindÄ«: à¤®à¤§à¥à¤¯ à¤ªà¥à¤°à¤¦à¥‡à¤¶, English: , IPA: ), often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. ... , Delhi (Hindi: , Urdu: , Punjabi: ), sometimes referred to as Dilli, is the second-largest metropolis in India after Mumbai with a population of 13 million. ... Raja Ram Mohan Roy. ... Zamindar, also known as Zemindar, Zamindari, or the Zamindari System (Persian: Ø²Ù…ÛŒÙ†Ø¯Ø§Ø±) were employed by the Mughals to collect taxes from peasants. ... // British Pattern 1853 Enfield Rifle- Musket The P53 Enfield Rifle-Musket was the standard British Infantry weapon from 1853-1867. ...

Although Company and Enfield representatives insisted that neither cow nor pig fat were being used, the rumour persisted and many sepoys refused to follow orders involving the use of the weapons using those particular cartridges. Sepoy Mangal Pandey of 5th Company, 34th Regiment of the Bengal Native Infantry, who would later become a symbol of Indian resistance to British rule, was hanged on the 8th of April as a punishment for having attacked and injured British superiors at the introduction of the rifle increasing tension at a time when Indians had come to resent decades of British rule under which they felt like second class citizens; exploited and seen as incapable of Home Rule^{[citation needed]}. Mangal Pandey (c. ... Look up company in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... British regiment A regiment is a military unit, consisting of a variable number of battalions - commanded by a colonel. ... This article or section needs additional references or sources to improve its verifiability. ... Devolution or Home rule is the pooling of powers from central government to government at regional or local level. ...

In the past, Indians had feuded as much with other Indians as they did with the British. This has greatly aided the British in their conquest, for example, during The Battle of Plassey in which they benefited from the defection of the opposing army commander. There had yet to occur any sort of unified uprising against British authority. But in 1857, a number of events such as the Enfield cartridge issue catalysed the Mutiny eventually bringing about the end of the British East India Company's regime in India. Although Indians had achieved a great victory through common purpose in spite of sectional differences, their immediate situation turned for the worse^{[citation needed]}. The British quickly suppressed the rebellion. Although this was a tough challenge considering that Indian sepoys vastly outnumbered their British officers, they could do it with relative ease for their organisation and communication was vastly superior to the Indians, who lacked the effective communication, organisation and weapons required to organise such a large scale rebellion against a powerful adversary. The rebellion came to a decisive end when the British finally took control of Delhi, which was the centre of the rebellion. The fall of Delhi was followed by a large scale massacre of the inhabitants of Delhi by British forces.^[15] Combatants British East India Company Siraj Ud Daulah (Nawab of Bengal), La Compagnie des Indes Orientales Commanders Colonel Robert Clive (later Governor of Bengal and Baron of Plassey) Mir Jafar Ali Khan (Commander-in-chief of the Nawab), M. Sinfray (French Secretary to the Council) Strength 2,200 European soldiers... An engraving titled Sepoy Indian troops dividing the spoils after their mutiny against British rule gives a contemporary view of events from a British perspective. ... The British East India Company, sometimes referred to as John Company, was the first joint-stock company (the Dutch East India Company was the first to issue public stock). ...

The Company's failure to demonstrate effective control over its conquered Indian territories caused British financial and political entities to become uneasy about the security of their interests in India and what that meant for the future of the Empire. By 1857, India was a tremendously large part of the Empire's economy. The disaster of the Mutiny in particular had a tremendous influence on the Crown's policy regarding the most effective way to govern India^{[citation needed]}. As a result, the Crown and British government assumed direct rule over the Indian sub-continent for 90 years following the dissolution of the Company.

The period of direct rule in India is referred to as the The Raj during which the nations now known as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar were collectively known as British India. The flag of British India British India, circa 1860 The British Raj (Raj in Hindi meaning Rule; from Sanskrit Rajya) was the British rule between 1858 and 1947 of the Indian Subcontinent, which included the present-day India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Burma (Myanmar), whereby these lands were under the colonial... Anthem God Save The Queen/King British India, circa 1860 Capital Calcutta (1858-1912), New Delhi (1912-1947) Language(s) Hindi, Urdu, English and many others Government Monarchy Emperor of India - 1877-1901 Victoria - 1901-1910 Edward VII - 1910-1936 George V - January-December 1936 Edward VIII - 1936-1947 George...

The flag of British India British India, circa 1860 The British Raj (Raj in Hindi meaning Rule; from Sanskrit Rajya) was the British rule between 1858 and 1947 of the Indian Subcontinent, which included the present-day India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Burma (Myanmar), whereby these lands were under the colonial... This article is about the History of South Asia. ...

Breakdown of Pax Britannica

Britain's overseas commercial dominance had been able to draw on most of the accessible world for raw materials and markets. This dominance was won through successive victories over the Spanish, Dutch, and French between the 16th and 19th centuries. Utilizing its naval supremacy, Britain mastered control of the world's raw materials and markets. Under its mercantilistic and protectionist policies, this ensured a near permanent stranglehold and global industrialization. However, under similar programs practised by its progeny in the now independent United States, that dominance was slowly being challenged. Additionally Britain abandoned its protectionist policies in favor of free trade simultaneously as other Continental powers implemented their own protectionist and government promoted industrialization programs. Under the influence of commercial and financial vested interests this policy of free trade continued to be practised under successive ministries despite Britain's declining global relative industrial and trade economic value. This situation gradually deteriorated during the late 19th century as other powers began to advance their protectionist programs and sought to use the state to guarantee their markets and sources of supply. By the 1870s, British manufactures in the staple industries of the Industrial Revolution were beginning to experience real competition abroad^{[citation needed]}.

Industrialisation progressed rapidly in Germany and the United States, allowing them to catch up with the British economy as world leader. By 1870, the German textile and metal industries had surpassed those of Britain in organisation and technical efficiency and usurped British manufactures in the domestic market. By the turn of the century, the German metals and engineering industries would even be producing for the free trade market of the former "workshop of the world".^{[citation needed]} Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Britannia on a 2005 Â£2 coin. ...

While invisible exports (banking, insurance and shipping services) kept Britain "out of the red," her share of world trade fell from a quarter in 1880 to a sixth in 1913^{[citation needed]}. Britain was losing out not only in the markets of newly industrialising countries, but also against third-party competition in less-developed countries. Britain was even losing her former overwhelming dominance in trade with India, China, Latin America, and the coasts of Africa^{[citation needed]}. However, this loss of supremacy was not so much a matter of Britain falling behind as it was a matter of other regions catching up in industrialization. Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ...

As a result, Britain's commercial difficulties deepened with the onset of the "Long Depression" of 1873–96.^{[citation needed]} This was a prolonged period of price deflation punctuated by severe business downturns. After nearly twenty years of self-evident failure of its free-trade policies, the combined results finally pressured the commercial and financial interests out of government dominance and returned a more protectionist oriented policy crowd. This retrenchment of Britain's trade system caused the other European Continental Powers to quickly move on their objective of abandoning the vestigial remnants of the early 19th century British Free-Trade system particularly by Germany in 1879 and in France in 1881 when they ended their former trade agreements with the British Empire. The Long Depression (1873 â€“ 1896) affected much of the world from the early 1870s until the mid-1890s and was contemporary with the Second Industrial Revolution. ...

The resulting limitation of the British Empire's domestic markets to European governments led the French government to attempt engineering a recreation of its earlier Empire in Africa. Soon Germany and finally Britain pushed forward in demarching respective colonial spheres in Africa, all with the goal of establishing newer sheltered overseas markets united to the home country behind imperial tariff barriers under which new overseas subjects would provide export markets free of foreign competition, while supplying cheap raw materials. Although she continued at times to attempt to adhere to free trade until 1932, Britain mitigated its risk by joining the renewed scramble for formal empire rather than allow areas under her influence to be seized by rivals. Year 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1932 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Britain and the New Imperialism

The policy and ideology of European colonial expansion between the 1870s and the outbreak of World War I in 1914 are often characterised as the "New Imperialism"^{[citation needed]}. The period is distinguished by an unprecedented pursuit of what has been termed "empire for empire's sake", aggressive competition for overseas territorial acquisitions and the emergence in colonizing countries of doctrines of racial superiority which denied the fitness of subjugated peoples for self-government^{[citation needed]}. The term New Imperialism refers to the colonial expansion adopted by Europes powers and, later, Japan and the United States, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries; approximately from the Franco-Prussian War to World War I (c. ... Queen Victoria and Benjamin Disraeli File links The following pages link to this file: Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield British Empire New Imperialism Theories of New Imperialism User:Mackensen/Benjamin Disraeli Categories: Public domain images ... Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 â€“ 22 January 1901) was the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837, and the first Empress of India from 1 May 1876, until her death on 22 January 1901. ... Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield (December 21, 1804 - April 24, British Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and author. ... â€œThe Great War â€ redirects here. ... For other uses, see Race (disambiguation). ...

During this period, Europe's powers added nearly 8,880,000 square miles (23,000,000 km²) to their overseas colonial possessions^{[citation needed]}. As it was mostly unoccupied by the Western powers as late as the 1880s, Africa became the primary target of the "new" imperialist expansion, although conquest took place also in other areas — notably south-east Asia and the East Asian seaboard, where Japan joined the European powers' scramble for territory. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... For alternative meanings for The West in the United States, see the U.S. West and American West. ... // Development and commercial production of electric lighting Development and commercial production of gasoline-powered automobile by Karl Benz, Gottlieb Daimler and Maybach First commercial production and sales of phonographs and phonograph recordings. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ... Geographic East Asia. ...

Britain's entry into the new imperial age is often dated to 1875, when the Conservative government of Benjamin Disraeli bought the indebted Egyptian ruler Ismail's 44% shareholding in the Suez Canal for £4 million to secure control of this strategic waterway, a channel for shipping between Britain and India since its opening six years earlier under Emperor Napoleon III. Joint Anglo-French financial control over Egypt ended in outright British occupation in 1882. The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is the second largest political party in the United Kingdom in terms of sitting Members of Parliament (MPs), the largest in terms of public membership, and is the second oldest extant political party in the world. ... Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, KG, PC, FRS (December 21, 1804 â€“ April 19, 1881), born Benjamin DIsraeli was a British Conservative statesman and literary figure. ... Ismail Pasha, known as Ismail the Magnificent (December 31, 1830–March 2, 1895) was khedive of Egypt from 1863 until he was removed at the behest of the British in 1879. ... Suez Canal, seen from Earth orbit, NASA. Ships moored at El Ballah during transit The Suez Canal (Arabic: , transliteration: ), is a large artificial canal in Egypt west of the Sinai Peninsula. ... Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte (April 20, 1808 - January 9, 1873) was the son of King Louis Bonaparte and Queen Hortense de Beauharnais; both monarchs of the French puppet state, the Kingdom of Holland. ...

Fear of Russia's centuries-old southward expansion was a further factor in British policy^{[citation needed]}: in 1878 Britain took control of Cyprus as a base for action against a Russian attack on the Ottoman Empire, after having taken part in the Crimean War 1854–56 and invading Afghanistan to forestall an increase in Russian influence there. Britain waged three bloody and unsuccessful wars in Afghanistan, as ferocious popular rebellions, invocations of jihad and inscrutable terrain frustrated British objectives^{[citation needed]}. The First Anglo-Afghan War led to one of the most disastrous defeats of the Victorian military when an entire British army was wiped out by Russian-supplied Afghan Pashtun tribesmen during the 1842 retreat from Kabul. The Second Anglo-Afghan War led to the British débâcle at the Battle of Maiwand in 1880, the siege of Kabul and British withdrawal into India. The Third Anglo-Afghan War of 1919 stoked a tribal uprising against the exhausted British military on the heels of World War I and expelled the British permanently from the new Afghan state. The "Great Game" in Inner Asia ended with a bloody British expedition against Tibet in 1903–04. Motto Ø¯ÙˆÙ„Øª Ø§Ø¨Ø¯ Ù…Ø¯Øª Devlet-i Ebed-mÃ¼ddet (The Eternal State) Anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Borders in 1680, see: list of territories Capital SÃ¶ÄŸÃ¼t (1299â€“1326) Bursa (1326â€“65) Edirne (1365â€“1453) Constantinople (Ä°stanbul, 1453â€“1922) Language(s) Ottoman Turkish Government Monarchy Sultans - 1281â€“1326 Osman I - 1918â€“22 Mehmed VI... Combatants Allies: Second French Empire British Empire Ottoman Empire Kingdom of Sardinia Russian Empire Bulgarian volunteers Casualties 90,000 French 35,000 Turkish 17,500 British 2,194 Sardinian killed, wounded and died of disease ~134,000 killed, wounded and died of disease The Crimean War (1853â€“1856) was fought... Jihad, sometimes spelled Jahad, Jehad, Jihaad, Jiaad, or Cihad, (Arabic: IPA: ) as an Islamic term, is sometimes referred to as the sixth pillar of Islam, although it occupies no official status as such in Sunni Islam. ... The First Angloâ€“Afghan War lasted from 1839 to 1842. ... The Pashtuns (also Pushtun, Pakhtun, ethnic Afghan, or Pathan) are an ethno-linguistic group consisting mainly of eastern Iranian stock living primarily in eastern and southern Afghanistan, and the North West Frontier Province, Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Baluchistan provinces of Pakistan. ... The Rise of Dost Mohammad It was not until 1826 that the energetic Dost Mohammad was able to exert sufficient control over his brothers to take over the throne in Kabul, where he proclaimed himself amir. ... Combatants Great Britain Afghanistan Commanders George Burrows Ayub Khan Strength 2,566 25,000 Casualties 1,123 962 dead 161 wounded 7,000+ 5,500+ dead 1,500+ wounded The Battle of Maiwand was one of the largest battles of the Second Anglo-Afghan War. ... The Rise of Dost Mohammad It was not until 1826 that the energetic Dost Mohammad was able to exert sufficient control over his brothers to take over the throne in Kabul, where he proclaimed himself amir. ... The Great Game is a term, usually attributed to Arthur Connolly, used to describe the rivalry and strategic conflict between the British Empire and the Tsarist Russian Empire for supremacy in Central Asia. ... The term China proper is usually used to refer to the historical heartlands of China, and to make a contrast between these heartlands and frontier regions of Outer China (Inner Asia). ... Tibet (older spelling Thibet; Tibetan: à½–à½¼à½‘à¼‹; Wylie: Bod; Lhasa dialect IPA: [; Simplified and Traditional Chinese: è¥¿è—, Hanyu Pinyin: XÄ«zÃ ng; also referred to as è—åŒº (Simplified Chinese), è—å€ (Traditional Chinese), ZÃ ngqÅ« (Hanyu Pinyin), see Name section below) is a plateau region in Central Asia and the indigenous home to the Tibetan people. ...

At the same time, some powerful industrial lobbies and government leaders in Britain, later exemplified by Joseph Chamberlain, came to view formal empire as necessary to arrest Britain's relative decline in world markets. During the 1890s Britain adopted the new policy wholeheartedly, quickly emerging as the front-runner in the scramble for tropical African territories^{[citation needed]}. The Rt. ... The 1890s were sometimes referred to as the Mauve Decade, because William Henry Perkins aniline dye allowed the widespread use of that colour in fashion, and also as the Gay Nineties, under the then-current usage of the word gay which referred simply to merriment and frivolity, with no...

Britain's adoption of the New Imperialism may be seen as a quest for captive markets or fields for investment of surplus capital, or as a primarily strategic or pre-emptive attempt to protect existing trade links and to prevent the absorption of overseas markets into the increasingly closed imperial trading blocs of rival powers^{[citation needed]}. The failure in the 1900s of Chamberlain's Tariff Reform campaign for Imperial protection illustrates the strength of free trade feeling even in the face of loss of international market share. Historians have argued that Britain's adoption of the "New imperialism" was an effect of her relative decline in the world, rather than of strength^{[citation needed]}. The Tariff Reform League was a pressure group formed in 1903 to protest against unfair foreign imports and advocated Imperial Preference to protect British industry from foreign competition. ...

British colonial policy

British colonial policy was always driven to a large extent by Britain's trading interests, perhaps most noticeably that of the East India Company.^{[citation needed]}. While settler economies developed the infrastructure to support balanced development, some tropical African territories found themselves developed only as raw-material suppliers. British policies based on comparative advantage left many developing economies dangerously reliant on a single cash crop, which others exported to Britain or to overseas British settlements^{[citation needed]}. A reliance upon the manipulation of conflict between ethnic, religious and racial identities, in order to keep subject populations from uniting against the occupying power — the classic "divide and rule" strategy — left a legacy of partition and/or inter-communal difficulties in areas as diverse as Ireland, India, Malaya (Malaysia), Rhodesia( now Zimbabwe), Cyprus, Sudan, and Uganda^{[citation needed]}. In politics and sociology, divide and rule (also known as divide and conquer) is a strategy of gaining and maintaining power by breaking up larger concentrations of power into chunks that individually have less power than the one implementing the strategy. ...

Britain and the scramble for Africa

In 1875 the two most important European holdings in Africa were French controlled Algeria and Britain's Cape Colony. By 1914 only Ethiopia and the republic of Liberia remained outside formal European control. The transition from an "informal empire" of control through economic dominance to direct control took the form of a "scramble" for territory by the nations of Europe. Britain tried not to play a part in this early scramble, being more of a trading empire rather than a colonial empire; however, it soon became clear it had to gain its own African empire to maintain the balance of power^{[citation needed]}. Cecil Rhodes: Cape-Cairo railway project. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 463 Ã— 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (2069 Ã— 2681 pixel, file size: 242 KB, MIME type: image/png) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): British Empire Imperialism... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 463 Ã— 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (2069 Ã— 2681 pixel, file size: 242 KB, MIME type: image/png) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): British Empire Imperialism... Cecil Rhodes Cecil John Rhodes (July 5, 1853 â€“ March 26, 1902[1]) was a British-born South African businessman, mining magnate, and a politician. ... Anthem: God Save the Queen Cape Colony Capital Cape Town Language(s) English and Dutch1 Religion Dutch Reformed Church, Anglican Government Constitutional monarchy Last Monarch King George VI Last Prime Minister - 1908 â€“ 1910 John X. Merriman Last Governor - 1901 - 1910 Walter Hely-Hutchinson Historical era 19th century - Dutch East India...

As French, Belgian and Portuguese activity in the lower Congo River region threatened to undermine orderly penetration of tropical Africa, the Berlin Conference of 1884–85 sought to regulate the competition between the powers by defining "effective occupation" as the criterion for international recognition of territorial claims, a formulation which necessitated routine recourse to armed force against indigenous states and peoples^{[citation needed]}. The Congo River (for a time known as Zaire River) is the largest river in Western Central Africa. ... For the Cold War conference see Berlin Conference of 1954. ...

Britain's 1882 military occupation of Egypt (itself triggered by concern over the Suez Canal) contributed to a preoccupation over securing control of the Nile valley, leading to the conquest of the neighbouring Sudan in 1896–98 and confrontation with a French military expedition at Fashoda (September 1898). Suez Canal, seen from Earth orbit, NASA. Ships moored at El Ballah during transit The Suez Canal (Arabic: , transliteration: ), is a large artificial canal in Egypt west of the Sinai Peninsula. ... The Nile (Arabic: , transliteration: , Ancient Egyptian iteru, Coptic piaro or phiaro) is a major north-flowing river in Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. ... The Fashoda Incident (1898) was the climax of territorial disputes between imperial Britain and France in Eastern Africa. ...

In 1899 Britain completed its takeover of what is today South Africa. This had begun with the annexation of the Cape in 1795 and continued with the conquest of the Boer Republics in the late 19th century, following the Second Boer War. Cecil Rhodes was the pioneer of British expansion north into Africa with his privately owned British South Africa Company. Rhodes expanded into the land north of South Africa and established Rhodesia. Rhodes' dream of a railway connecting Cape Town to Alexandria passing through a British Africa covering the continent is what led to his company's pressure on the government for further expansion into Africa. The Cape of Good Hope; looking towards the west, from the coastal cliffs above Cape Point. ... The Boer Republics (sometimes also referred to as Boer states) were independent self-governed republics created by the Dutch-speaking (proto Afrikaans) inhabitants of the Cape of Good Hope and their descendants (variously named Trekboers, Boers and Voortrekkers) in mainly the northern and eastern parts of what is now the... Combatants British Empire Orange Free State South African Republic Commanders Sir Redvers Buller Lord Kitchener Lord Roberts Paul Kruger Louis Botha Koos de la Rey Martinus Steyn Christiaan de Wet Casualties 5000 - 6000 Battlefield casualties, 15,000 disease related. ... Cecil Rhodes Cecil John Rhodes (July 5, 1853 â€“ March 26, 1902[1]) was a British-born South African businessman, mining magnate, and a politician. ... The flag of the British South Africa Company The British South Africa Company (BSAC) was established by Cecil Rhodes through the amalgamation of the Central Search Association and the Exploring Company, Ltd. ... Southern Rhodesia, todays Zimbabwe. ... City motto: Spes Bona (Latin: Good Hope) Location of the City of Cape Town in Western Cape Province Province Western Cape Mayor Helen Zille Area - % water 2,499 kmÂ² N/A Population - Total (2004) - Density Not ranked 2,893,251 1,158/kmÂ² Established 1652 Time zone SAST (UTC+2... Alexandria (Greek: , Coptic: , Arabic: , Egyptian Arabic: Iskindireyya), (population of 3. ...

British gains in southern and East Africa prompted Rhodes and Alfred Milner, Britain's High Commissioner in South Africa, to urge a "Cape-to-Cairo" empire linking by rail the strategically important Canal to the mineral-rich South, though German occupation of Tanganyika prevented its realisation until the end of World War I. In 1903, the All Red Line telegraph system communicated with the major parts of the Empire. Eastern Africa (UN subregion) East African Community Central African Federation (defunct) geographic, including above East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easternmost region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. ... Lord Milner. ... Nickname: Egypt: Site of Cairo (top center) Coordinates: Government - Governor Dr. Abdul Azim Wazir Area - City 214 kmÂ² (82. ... Flag of Tanganyika Tanganyika was an East African republic within the Commonwealth of Nations, named after Lake Tanganyika, which formed its western border. ... â€œThe Great War â€ redirects here. ... All Red Line is an informal name for the system of electrical telegraphs that linked all the British Empire. ...

Paradoxically, Britain, the staunch advocate of free trade, emerged in 1914 with not only the largest overseas empire thanks to its long-standing presence in India, but also the greatest gains in the "scramble for Africa", reflecting its advantageous position at its inception. Between 1885 and 1914 Britain took nearly 30% of Africa's population under its control, compared to 15% for France, 9% for Germany, 7% for Belgium and 1% for Italy: Nigeria alone contributed 15 million subjects, more than in the whole of French West Africa or the entire German colonial empire^{[citation needed]}. Location of French West Africa French West Africa (French: ) was a federation of eight French territories in Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan (now Mali), French Guinea (now Guinea), CÃ´te dIvoire, Niger, Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) and Dahomey (now Benin). ...

Home rule in white-settler colonies

Britain's empire had already begun its transformation into the modern Commonwealth with the extension of Dominion status to the already self-governing colonies of Canada (1867), Australia (1901), New Zealand (1907), Newfoundland (1907), and the newly-created Union of South Africa (1910). Leaders of the new states joined with British statesmen in periodic Colonial (from 1907, Imperial) Conferences, the first of which was held in London in 1887. This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... A dominion, often Dominion, is the territory or the authority of a dominus (a lord or master). ... A self-governing colony is a colony with an elected legislature, in which politicians are able to make most decisions without reference to the colonial power with formal or nominal control of the colony. ... Motto: Quaerite Prime Regnum Dei (Latin: Seek ye first the kingdom of God) Capital St. ... Motto Ex Unitate Vires (Latin: From Unity, strength} Anthem Die Stem van Suid-Afrika Capital Cape Town (legislative) Pretoria (administrative) Bloemfontein (judicial) Language(s) Afrikaans, Dutch, English Government Constitutional monarchy Monarch - 1952-1961 Queen Elizabeth II Governor-General - 1959-1961 Charles Robberts Swart Prime Minister - 1958-1961 Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd... Imperial Conferences were gatherings of British Empire government leaders in London in 1887, 1897, 1902, 1907, 1911, 1921, 1923, 1926, 1930 and 1937. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...

The foreign relations of the Dominions were still conducted through the Foreign Office of the United Kingdom: Canada created a Department of External Affairs in 1909, but diplomatic relations with other governments continued to be channelled through the Governors-General, Dominion High Commissioners in London (first appointed by Canada in 1880 and by Australia in 1910) and British legations abroad. Britain's declaration of war in World War I applied to all the Dominions. This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... â€œThe Great War â€ redirects here. ...

But the Dominions did enjoy a substantial freedom in their adoption of foreign policy where this did not explicitly conflict with British interests: Canada's Liberal government negotiated a bilateral free-trade Reciprocity Agreement with the United States in 1911, but went down to defeat by the Conservative opposition. The Liberal Party of Canada (French: ), colloquially known as the Grits (originally Clear Grits), is a Canadian federal political party. ... The Canadian American Reciprocity Treaty, also known as the Elgin-Marcy Treaty, was a trade treaty between the colonies of British North America and the United States. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

In defence, the Dominions' original treatment as part of a single imperial military and naval structure proved unsustainable as Britain faced new commitments in Europe and the challenge of an emerging German High Seas Fleet after 1900. In 1909 it was decided that the Dominions should have their own navies, reversing an 1887 agreement that the then Australasian colonies should contribute to the Royal Navy in return for the permanent stationing of a squadron in the region. German battlecruiser Derfflinger scuttled at Scapa Flow. ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore the Senior Service). ...

The impact of the First World War

The aftermath of World War I saw the last major extension of British rule, with Britain gaining control through League of Nations Mandates in Palestine and Iraq after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in the Middle East, as well as in the former German colonies of Tanganyika, South-West Africa (now Namibia) and New Guinea (the last two actually under South African and Australian rule respectively). The British zones of occupation in the German Rhineland after World War I and West Germany after World War II were not considered part of the Empire. Download high resolution version (800x1205, 158 KB)British Empire memorial for the First World War in the Brussels cathedral. ... Download high resolution version (800x1205, 158 KB)British Empire memorial for the First World War in the Brussels cathedral. ... â€œThe Great War â€ redirects here. ... Nickname: Map showing the location of Brussels in Belgium Coordinates: Country Belgium Region Brussels-Capital Region Founded 979 Founded (Region) June 18, 1989 Government - Mayor (Municipality) Freddy Thielemans Area - Region 162 kmÂ² (62. ... A cathedral is a religious building for worship, specifically of a denomination with an episcopal hierarchy, such as the Roman Catholic, Anglican and some Lutheran churches, which serves as a bishops seat, and thus as the central church of a diocese. ... â€œThe Great War â€ redirects here. ... Mandates in the Middle east and Africa. ... Flag Britain unilaterally closed the territory east of the Jordan River (Transjordan) to Jewish settlement and organized Transjordan as an autonomous state in 1923. ... Motto Ø¯ÙˆÙ„Øª Ø§Ø¨Ø¯ Ù…Ø¯Øª Devlet-i Ebed-mÃ¼ddet (The Eternal State) Anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Borders in 1680, see: list of territories Capital SÃ¶ÄŸÃ¼t (1299â€“1326) Bursa (1326â€“65) Edirne (1365â€“1453) Constantinople (Ä°stanbul, 1453â€“1922) Language(s) Ottoman Turkish Government Monarchy Sultans - 1281â€“1326 Osman I - 1918â€“22 Mehmed VI... Flag of Tanganyika Tanganyika was an East African republic within the Commonwealth of Nations, named after Lake Tanganyika, which formed its western border. ... The Rhineland (Rheinland in German) is the general name for the land on both sides of the river Rhine in the west of Germany. ...

But although Britain emerged among the war's victors, and its rule expanded into new areas, the heavy costs of the war undermined its capacity to maintain the vast empire^{[citation needed]}. The British had suffered millions of casualties and liquidated assets at an alarming rate, which led to debt accumulation, upending of capital markets and manpower deficiencies in the staffing of far-flung imperial posts in Asia and the African colonies^{[citation needed]}. Nationalist sentiment grew in both old and new Imperial territories, fuelled by pride at Empire troops' participation in the war^{[citation needed]}.

The 1920s saw a rapid transformation of Dominion status. Although the Dominions had had no formal voice in declaring war in 1914, each was included separately among the signatories of the 1919 peace Treaty of Versailles, which had been negotiated by a British-led united Empire delegation. In 1922 Dominion reluctance to support British military action against Turkey influenced Britain's decision to seek a compromise settlement. The League of Nations deputed former German colonies to come under the control of Britain's colonies. For example, New Zealand took over the mandate of Western Samoa, Australia that of Rabual and South Africa that of German South-West Africa. The Treaty of Versailles (1919) was the peace treaty which officially ended World War I between the Allied and Associated Powers and Germany. ...

Full Dominion independence was formalised in the 1926 Balfour Declaration and the 1931 Statute of Westminster: each Dominion was henceforth to be equal in status to Britain herself, free of British legislative interference and autonomous in international relations. The Dominions section created within the Colonial Office in 1907 was upgraded in 1925 to a separate Dominions Office and given its own Secretary of State in 1930. The Balfour Declaration of 1926 is a report of the October-November 1926 Imperial Conference of British Empire leaders in London. ... This article is about the Statute of Westminster relating to the British Empire and its dominions. ... Year 1930 (MCMXXX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display 1930 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Canada led the way, becoming the first Dominion to conclude an international treaty entirely independently (1923) and obtaining the appointment (1928) of a British High Commissioner in Ottawa, thereby separating the administrative and diplomatic functions of the Governor-General and ending the latter's anomalous role as the representative of the head of state and of the British Government. Canada's first permanent diplomatic mission to a foreign country opened in Washington, DC in 1927: Australia followed in 1940. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1357x628, 43 KB) There is currently no text in this page. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1357x628, 43 KB) There is currently no text in this page. ... Motto: Advance Ottawa/Ottawa en avant Location of the City of Ottawa in the Province of Ontario Coordinates: Country Canada Province Ontario Established 1850 as Town of Bytown Incorporated 1855 as City of Ottawa Amalgamated January 1, 2001 Government - Mayor Larry OBrien - City Council Ottawa City Council - Representatives 8... Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Egypt, formally independent from 1922 but bound to Britain by treaty until 1936 (and under partial occupation until 1956) similarly severed all constitutional links with Britain. Iraq, which became a British Protectorate in 1922, also gained complete independence ten years later in 1932.

The end of British rule in Ireland

Irish home rule was to be provided under the Home Rule Act 1914, but the onset of World War I delayed its implementation indefinitely. At Easter 1916 an unsuccessful armed uprising was staged in Dublin by a mixed group of nationalists and socialists. From 1919 the Irish Republican Army fought a guerrilla war to secede from the United Kingdom. This Anglo-Irish War ended in 1921 with a stalemate and the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty. The treaty confirmed the division of Ireland into two states, most of the island (26 counties) became the Irish Free State, a dominion within the British Commonwealth, while the six counties in the north with a majority Protestant community remained a part of the United Kingdom as Northern Ireland. The Free State evolved into the Republic of Ireland, which withdrew from the Commonwealth when enacted in 1949. memorial to Irish War of Independence. ... memorial to Irish War of Independence. ... Combatants Irish Republic United Kingdom Commanders Michael Collins Richard Mulcahy Cathal Brugha Important local IRA leaders Henry Hugh Tudor Strength Irish Republican Army c. ... Devolution or Home rule is the pooling of powers from central government to government at regional or local level. ... The Home Rule Act of 1914, also known as the (Irish) Third Home Rule Act (or Bill), and formally known as the Government of Ireland Act 1914 (4 & 5 Geo. ... Combatants Irish Volunteers, Irish Citizen Army, Irish Republican Brotherhood British Army Royal Irish Constabulary Commanders Patrick Pearse, James Connolly Brigadier-General Lowe General Sir John Maxwell Strength 1250 in Dublin, c. ... This article is about the historical army of the self-proclaimed Irish Republic (1919â€“1922) which fought in the Irish War of Independence 1919â€“21, and the Irish Civil War 1922â€“23. ... Guerrilla warfare (also spelled guerilla) is a method of unconventional combat by which small groups of combatants attempt to use mobile and surprise tactics (ambushes, raids, etc) to defeat a foe, often a larger, less mobile, army. ... An Irish War of Independence memorial in Dublin The Anglo-Irish War (also known as the Irish War of Independence) was a guerrilla campaign mounted against the British government in Ireland by the Irish Republican Army under the proclaimed legitimacy of the First DÃ¡il, the extra-legal Irish parliament... Signature page of the Anglo-Irish Treaty The Anglo-Irish Treaty, officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom and representatives of the extra-judicial Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War of Independence. ... For much of its history, the island of Ireland was divided into 32 counties (Irish language contae or condae, pronounced IPA: ). Two historical counties, County Desmond and County Coleraine, no longer exist. ... Territory of the Irish Free State Capital Dublin Language(s) Irish, English Government Constitutional monarchy Monarch - 1922â€“1936 George V - 1936â€“1936 George VI President of the Executive Council - 1922â€“1932 W.T. Cosgrave - 1932â€“1937 Eamon de Valera Legislature Oireachtas - Upper house Seanad Ã‰ireann - Lower house DÃ¡il Ã‰ireann... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 kmÂ², about a sixth of the islands total area). ... The Republic of Ireland Act was an enactment of Oireachtas Ã‰ireann passed in 1948, which came into force on April 18, 1949 and which declared that the official description of Ireland was to be the Republic of Ireland. ...

Ireland's Constitution claimed the six counties of Northern Ireland as a part of the Republic until 1998. The issue of whether Northern Ireland should remain in the United Kingdom or join the Republic of Ireland has divided Northern Ireland's people and was a factor in a long and bloody conflict known as the Troubles. The Good Friday Agreement of 1998 brought about a ceasefire between most of the major organisations on both sides. The Constitution of Ireland is the founding legal document of the state known today as the Republic of Ireland. ... The Nineteenth Amendment of Bunreacht na hÉireann, the constitution of the Republic of Ireland, introduced changes to Articles 2 and 3 of the constitution required by the 1998 Belfast Agreement (also known as the Good Friday Agreement). ... For other uses, see The Troubles (disambiguation). ... The Belfast Agreement (also known as the Good Friday Agreement and, more rarely, as the Stormont Agreement) was signed in Belfast on April 10, 1998 by the British and Irish Governments and endorsed by most Northern Ireland political parties. ...

Decolonisation and decline

The rise of anti-colonial nationalist movements in British colonies and the changing economic situation of the world in the first half of the 20th century challenged an imperial power now increasingly preoccupied with issues nearer home^{[citation needed]}. The Empire's end began with the onset of the Second World War, when a deal was reached between the British government and the leaders of the Indian independence movement, whereby the Indians would co-operate and remain loyal during the war, after which they would be granted independence^{[citation needed]}. India declared independence in August of 1947. Over the next two decades most of the former colonies would become independent. Image File history File links Jinnah_Gandhi. ... Image File history File links Jinnah_Gandhi. ... office: 1st Governor-General of Pakistan Term of office: August 14, 1947 â€“ September 11, 1948 Succeeded by: Khawaja Nazimuddin Date of birth: December 25, 1876 Place of birth: Wazir Mansion, Karachi Wives: Emibai 1892â€“1893, Rattanbai Petit 1918â€“1929 Children: daughter Dina Wadia Date of Death: September 11, 1948 Place... Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Gujarati: , Hindi: , IAST: mohandÄs karamcand gÄndhÄ«, IPA: ) (October 2, 1869 â€“ January 30, 1948), was a major political and spiritual leader of India and the Indian independence movement. ... The Indian independence movement incorporated the efforts by Indians to liberate the region from British rule and form the nation-state of India. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... The Indian independence movement was a series of steps taken in the Indian subcontinent for independence from British colonial rule, beginning with the Rebellion of 1857. ...

The Dominions

Britain's efforts during World War II left the country all but exhausted and found its former allies disinclined to support the colonial status quo^{[citation needed]}. Though Britain and its Empire emerged victorious from World War II, the economic costs of the war were far greater than those of World War I. Britain was heavily bombed and the tonnage war cost the Empire almost its entire merchant fleet^{[citation needed]}. Britain's already weakened commercial and financial leadership were further undermined, heightening the importance of the Dominions and the United States as a source of military assistance^{[citation needed]}. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... A tonnage war is a military strategy aimed at merchant shipping. ...

Britain's declaration of hostilities against Germany in September 1939 did not automatically commit the Dominions. All except Australia and Ireland issued their own declarations of war. The Irish Free State had negotiated the removal of the Royal Navy from the Treaty Ports the year before, and chose to remain legally neutral throughout the war. Australia went to war under the British declaration, though Australian prime minister John Curtin's unprecedented action in 1942 of successfully demanding the recall for home service of Australian troops that had been earmarked for the defence of British-held Burma demonstrated that Dominion governments could no longer be expected to subordinate their own national interests to British strategic perspectives. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore the Senior Service). ... After the Irish Free State won independence in 1922, three deep water Treaty Ports, at Berehaven, Queenstown (renamed Cobh) and Lough Swilly, were retained by the United Kingdom as sovereign bases. ... Irish neutrality has been a policy of the Irish Free State and its successor the Republic of Ireland since independence from the United Kingdom in 1922. ... The Emergency was an official euphemism used by the Irish Government (of the State now known as the Republic of Ireland) during the 1940s to refer to its position during World War II. The State was officially neutral during World War II and in government media, direct references to the... John Curtin (8 January 1885 â€“ 5 July 1945), Australian politician and 14th Prime Minister of Australia, led Australia when the Australian mainland came under direct military threat during the Japanese advance in World War II. Many Australians regard him as the countrys greatest political leader and greatest Prime Minister. ...

After the war, Australia and New Zealand joined with the United States in the ANZUS regional security treaty in 1951 (although the US repudiated its commitments to New Zealand following a 1985 dispute over port access for nuclear vessels). Britain's pursuit (from 1961) and attainment (in 1973) of European Community membership weakened the old commercial ties to the Dominions, ending their privileged access to the UK market. The Australia, New Zealand, United States Security Treaty (ANZUS or ANZUS Treaty) is the military alliance which binds Australia and the United States, and separately Australia and New Zealand to cooperate on defence matters in the Pacific Ocean area, though today the treaty is understood to relate to attacks in... The European Community (EC) was originally founded on March 25, 1957 by the signing of the Treaty of Rome under the name of European Economic Community. ...

In January of 1947, Canada became the first of the colonies to claim their nationals as citizens rather than British subjects. Canada became fully independent in 1982 with the patriation of a national constitution.

India, Ceylon, Africa, Asia, the Pacific and the Caribbean

Post-war economic crisis in 1947 made many realise that the Labour government of Clement Attlee should abandon Britain's attempt to retain all of its overseas territories. The Empire was increasingly regarded as an unnecessary drain on public finances by politicians and civil servants, if not the general public^{[citation needed]}. The Labour Party is a centre-left or social democratic political party in Britain (see British politics), and one of the United Kingdoms three main political parties. ... Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, KG, OM, CH, PC (3 January 1883 â€“ 8 October 1967) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from 1945 to 1951. ...

The independence of India in August 1947 (and, Ceylon in February 1948) came at the end of a 40-year campaign by the Indian National Congress, first for self-government and later for full sovereignty, though the land's partition into India and Pakistan entailed violence costing hundreds of thousands of lives. The acceptance by Britain, and the other Dominions, of India's adoption of republican status (1950) is now taken as the start of the modern Commonwealth. Owing to this declaration, 53 Commonwealth Republics are now members of the Commonwealth. Indian National Congress (also known as the Congress Party and abbreviated INC) is a major political party in India. ... The Commonwealth republics, shown in pink A Commonwealth republic is any one of the 31 sovereign states of the Commonwealth of Nations that have a republican form of government. ...

In the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and the Pacific, post-war decolonisation was accomplished in the face of increasingly powerful (and sometimes mutually conflicting) nationalist movements, with Britain rarely fighting to retain any territory^{[citation needed]}. Britain's limitations were exposed to a humiliating degree by the Suez Crisis of 1956 in which the United States opposed British, French and Israeli intervention in Egypt, seeing it as a doomed adventure likely to jeopardise American interests in the Middle East^{[citation needed]}. Combatants Israel United Kingdom France Egypt Commanders Moshe Dayan Charles Keightley Pierre Barjot Gamal Abdel Nasser Abdel Hakim Amer Strength 175,000 Israeli 45,000 British 34,000 French 70,000 Casualties 197 Israeli KIA 56 British KIA 91 British WIA 10 French KIA 43 French WIA 650 KIA 2... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ...

Singapore became independent in two stages. The British did not believe that Singapore would be large enough to defend itself against others alone. Therefore, Singapore was joined with Malaya, Sarawak and North Borneo to form Malaysia upon independence from the Empire. This short-lived union was dissolved in 1965 when Singapore was expelled by Malaysia and achieved complete independence, although the United Kingdom continued to offer protection through the Five Power Defence Arrangements. Map of Peninsular Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia (Malay: Semenanjung Malaysia) is the part of Malaysia which lies on the Malay Peninsula, and shares a land border with Thailand in the north. ... State motto: United, Industrious, Dedicated (Malay: Bersatu, Berusaha, Berbakti ) Capital Kuching Governor T.Y.T Tun Datuk Patinggi Abang Muhammad Salahuddin Chief Minister Y.A.B. Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Haji Abdul Taib Bin Mahmud / Pehin Sri Dr. Hj. ... Motto: Pergo et Perago (Latin: I undertake and I achieveâ€) British North Borneo Capital Jesselton Language(s) Malay, English Government Monarchy Monarch - 1882 - 1901 Victoria - 1952 - 1963 Elizabeth II Governor - 1896 - 1901 Robert Scott Historical era New Imperialism - North Borneo Company May, 1882 - British protectorate 1888 - Japanese invasion January 1... The Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) are a defence relationship established by an agreement between the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Singapore signed in 1971, whereby the five nations will consult each other in the event of external aggression or threat of attack against Malaysia or Singapore. ...

Burma achieved independence (1948) outside the Commonwealth; Burma being the first colony to sever all ties with the British; Ceylon (1948) and Malaya (1957) within it. Britain's Palestine Mandate ended (1948) in withdrawal and open warfare between the territory's Jewish and Arab populations. In the Mediterranean, a guerrilla war waged by Greek Cypriot advocates of union with Greece ended (1960) in an independent Cyprus, although Britain did retain two military bases - Akrotiri and Dhekelia. The Mediterranean islands of Malta and Gozo were given independence from Britain in 1964. Map of Peninsular Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia (Malay: Semenanjung Malaysia) is the part of Malaysia which lies on the Malay Peninsula, and shares a land border with Thailand in the north. ... Flag Britain unilaterally closed the territory east of the Jordan River (Transjordan) to Jewish settlement and organized Transjordan as an autonomous state in 1923. ... For other uses, see Jew (disambiguation). ... Languages Arabic other minority languages Religions Predomiantly Sunni Islam, as well as Shia Islam, Greek Orthodoxy, Greek Catholicism, Maronite, Alawite Islam, Druze, Ibadi Islam, and Judaism Footnotes a Mainly in Antakya. ... Greek Cypriot refers to the ethnic Greek population of Cyprus. ... The word ÎˆÎ½Ï‰ÏƒÎ¹Ï‚ (enosis) is Greek for union. ... Anthem God Save the Queen Akrotiri and Dhekelia (Occupied Areas) Sovereign Base Areas indicated in pink. ... Gozo is an island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea, second in size to the island of Malta. ... Malta has been inhabited since around 5200 BC and a significant pre-historic civilisation existed on the islands before the arrival of the Phoenicians who named the main island Malat, meaning safe haven. // about 5200 BC: People first arrive on Malta. ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ...

The end of Britain's Empire in Africa came with exceptional rapidity, often leaving the newly-independent states ill-equipped to deal with the challenges of sovereignty: Ghana's independence (1957) after a ten-year nationalist political campaign was followed by that of Nigeria and Somaliland (1960), Sierra Leone and Tanganyika (1961), Uganda (1962), Kenya and Zanzibar (1963), The Gambia (1965), Lesotho (formerly Basutoland) (1966), Botswana (formerly Bechuanaland) (1967), and Swaziland (1968). Motto Ù„Ø§ Ø¥Ù„Ù‡ Ø¥Ù„Ø§ Ø§Ù„Ù„Ù‡ Ù…ØÙ…Ø¯ Ø±Ø³ÙˆÙ„ Ø§Ù„Ù„Ù‡ (Arabic) LÄ ilÄhÄ illÄ-llÄhu; muhammadun rasÅ«lu-llÄhi (transliteration) There is no God but Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah And also : Justice, Peace, Freedom, Democracy and Success for All Anthem Saamo ku waar Capital Hargeisa (1941-1960) (1991 - present) Official languages Somali and... Flag of Tanganyika Tanganyika was an East African republic within the Commonwealth of Nations, named after Lake Tanganyika, which formed its western border. ... Map of Zanzibars main island Zanzibar is situated off mainland Tanzania Coordinates: Country Tanzania Islands Unguja and Pemba Capital Zanzibar City Settled AD 1000 Government - Type semi-autonomous part of Tanzania - President Amani Abeid Karume Area - Both Islands 637 sq mi (1,651 kmÂ²) Population (2004) - Both Islands 1...

British withdrawal from the southern and eastern parts of Africa was complicated by the region's white settler populations: Kenya had already provided an example in the Mau Mau Uprising of violent conflict exacerbated by white landownership and reluctance to concede majority rule^{[citation needed]}. White minority rule in South Africa remained a source of bitterness within the Commonwealth until the Union of South Africa left the Commonwealth in 1961. Combatants Mau Mau British Empire Commanders * Field Marshal Dedan Kimathi * General China (Waruhiu Itote) * Stanley Mathenge * Evelyn Baring(Governor) * General Sir George Erskine Strength Unknown 10,000 regular troops (Africans and Europeans) 21,000 police, 25,000 home guard[1] Casualties 10,527 killed in action;[2] 2,633 captured... Motto Ex Unitate Vires (Latin: From Unity, strength} Anthem Die Stem van Suid-Afrika Capital Cape Town (legislative) Pretoria (administrative) Bloemfontein (judicial) Language(s) Afrikaans, Dutch, English Government Constitutional monarchy Monarch - 1952-1961 Queen Elizabeth II Governor-General - 1959-1961 Charles Robberts Swart Prime Minister - 1958-1961 Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd...

Although the white-dominated Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland ended in the independence of Malawi (formerly Nyasaland) and Zambia (the former Northern Rhodesia) in 1964, Southern Rhodesia's white minority (a self-governing colony since 1923) declared independence with their UDI rather than submit to the immediate majority rule of black Africans. The support of South Africa's apartheid government, and the Portuguese rule of Angola and Mozambique helped support the Rhodesian regime until 1979, when agreement was reached on majority rule, ending the Rhodesian Bush War and creating the new nation of Zimbabwe. Anthem God Save the Queen The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland Capital Salisbury Language(s) English Government Constitutional monarchy Monarch - 1953-1963 Elizabeth II Governor-General - 1953-1957 Lord Llewellin - 1957-1963 The Earl of Dalhousie - 1963 Sir Humphrey Gibbs Prime Minister - 1953-1956 Sir Godfrey Huggins - 1956-1963 Sir... The title given to this article is incorrect due to technical limitations. ... Flag of Northern Rhodesia. ... Southern Rhodesia was the name of the British colony situated immediately to the north of South Africa, known today as Zimbabwe. ... A self-governing colony is a colony with an elected legislature, in which politicians are able to make most decisions without reference to the colonial power with formal or nominal control of the colony. ... The Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) was signed on November 11, 1965 by the white minority government of Ian Smith, whose Rhodesian Front party opposed rushed moves by the United Kingdom towards black majority rule in the then British colony. ... This article is about the color black; for other uses, see Black (disambiguation). ... Combatants Rhodesia ZANLA ZIPRA Government of Botswana Government of Tanzania Government of Zambia Mozambican Liberation Front [1] Commanders Ian Smith P. K. van der Byl Peter Walls ZANU: Robert Mugabe ZAPU: Joshua Nkomo Casualties unknown unknown Civilians killed = Around 30,000 The Rhodesian Bush War â€”Â as it was known at...

Most of Britain's Caribbean territories opted for eventual separate independence after the failure of the West Indies Federation (1958–62): Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago (1962) were followed into statehood by Barbados (1966) and the smaller islands of the eastern Caribbean (1970s and 1980s). Britain's last colony on the American mainland, British Honduras, became a self-governing colony in 1964 and was renamed Belize on 1 June 1973, achieving full independence in 1981. Motto To dwell together in unity Anthem God Save the Queen Capital Chaguaramas Language(s) English Government Constitutional monarchy Queen Elizabeth II Governor-General Lord Hailes Prime minister Grantley Herbert AdamsÂ¹ History - Established January 3, 1958 - Disestablished May 31, 1962 Area - 1960 20,253 km2 7,820 sq mi Population... Flag Capital Belize City Language(s) English Government Constitutional monarchy History - Established 1871 - Disestablished 1981 Area 22,966 km2 8,867 sq mi Currency British Honduran dollar Flag of British Honduras British Honduras was the former name of what is now the independent nation of Belize and was a British...

The British Western Pacific Territories such as the Gilbert Islands (which had seen the last attempt at human colonisation within the Empire - the Phoenix Islands Settlement Scheme) underwent a similar process of decolonisation. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (794x1061, 248 KB) Summary The Empire Strike Back Newsweek magazine, April 19, 1982 Licensing This image is of a magazine cover, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by either the publisher of the magazine or the individual contributors... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (794x1061, 248 KB) Summary The Empire Strike Back Newsweek magazine, April 19, 1982 Licensing This image is of a magazine cover, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by either the publisher of the magazine or the individual contributors... The British Western Pacific Territories was the name of a colonial entity, created in 1877, for the administration, under a single representative of the British Crown, styled High Commissioner (compare other uses of this title), of a series of relatively minor Pacific islands in and around Oceania // The island entities... The Gilbert Islands are a chain of 16 atolls and coral islands in the Pacific Ocean, part of the nation Kiribati. ... The Phoenix Islands Settlement Scheme was begun in 1938 in the western Pacific ocean and was the last attempt at human colonization within the British Empire. ...

As decolonisation and the Cold War were gathering momentum during the 1950s, an uninhabited rock in the Atlantic Ocean, Rockall, became the last territorial acquisition of the United Kingdom to date. Concerns that the Soviet Union might use the island to spy on a British missile test [2]PDF (396 KiB) prompted the Royal Navy to land a party and officially claim the rock in the name of the Queen in 1955. In 1972 the Isle of Rockall Act formally incorporated the island into the United Kingdom. For other uses, see Cold War (disambiguation). ... Rockall, a small, isolated rocky islet in the North Atlantic Ocean Rockall is a small rocky islet in the North Atlantic, in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the United Kingdom. ... Portable Document Format (PDF) is a file format created by Adobe Systems in 1993 for desktop publishing use. ... A kibibyte (a contraction of kilo binary byte) is a unit of information or computer storage, commonly abbreviated KiB (never kiB). 1 kibibyte = 210 bytes = 1,024 bytes The kibibyte is closely related to the kilobyte, which can be used either as a synonym for kibibyte or to refer to... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore the Senior Service). ... The Isle of Rockall Act, 1972 was a UK Act of Parliament formally annexing Rockall in its entirety to protect it from Irish and Icelandic claims. ...

In 1982, Britain's resolve to defend her remaining overseas territories was put to the test when Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands, acting on a long-standing claim that dated back to the Spanish Empire. Britain's ultimately successful military response to retake the islands during the ensuing Falklands War prompted headlines in the US press that "the Empire strikes back", and was viewed by many to have contributed to reversing the downward trend in the UK's status as a world power.^[16] Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ... Military flag of the Spanish Empire from the 16th century up to 1843. ... Combatants Argentina United Kingdom Commanders Presidente Leopoldo Galtieri Vice Admiral Juan Lombardo Brigadier General Ernesto Crespo Brigade General Mario MenÃ©ndez Prime minister Margaret Thatcher Admiral Sir John Fieldhouse Rear-Admiral Sandy Woodward Major General Jeremy Moore Casualties 649 killed 1,068 wounded 11,313 taken prisoner 75 fixed wing... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ...

In 1984, Britain ended the protectorate status of Brunei, although the British Army maintains a presence in the Sultanate at the request of the Government of Brunei. Year 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar). ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ...

In 1997, Britain's last major overseas territory, Hong Kong, became a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China under the terms of the Sino-British Joint Declaration agreed some thirteen years previously. 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A Special administrative region (SAR) is an administrative division of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). ... The Sino-British Joint Declaration, formally known as the Joint Declaration of the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the Peoples Republic of China on the Question of Hong Kong, was signed by the Prime Ministers of the Peoples...

Legacy

Britain retains sovereignty over fourteen^[17] territories outside of the British Isles, collectively named the British overseas territories, which remain under British rule due to lack of support for independence among the local population, because of a small population size dependent on British economic subsidies making the possibility of success as a sovereign nation more difficult, or because the territory is uninhabited except for transient military or scientific personnel. British sovereignty of two of the overseas territories, Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands, is disputed by their nearest geographical neighbours, Spain and Argentina respectively. Location of the British Overseas Territories A British Overseas Territory is one of fourteen[1] territories which the United Kingdom considers to be under its sovereignty, but not as part of the United Kingdom itself. ...

Most former British colonies (and one former Portuguese colony) are members of the Commonwealth of Nations, a non-political, voluntary association of equal members, in which Britain has no privileged status. The head of the Commonwealth is currently Queen Elizabeth II. Fifteen members of the Commonwealth continue to share their head of state with Britain, the Commonwealth Realms.^[18] This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Elizabeth II in an official portrait as Queen of Canada (on the occasion of her Golden Jubilee in 2002, wearing the Sovereigns badges of the Order of Canada and the Order of Military Merit) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary) (born 21 April 1926), styled HM The... A Commonwealth Realm is any one of the 16 sovereign states that recognize Queen Elizabeth II as their Queen and head of state. ...

The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The Houses of Parliament in London The Westminster system is a democratic, parliamentary system of government modeled after that of the United Kingdom system, as used in the Palace of Westminster, the location of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... English law is a formal term of art that describes the law for the time being in force in England and Wales. ... The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council is one of the highest courts in the United Kingdom. ... This article is about post-1824 Imperial units, please see also English unit, U.S. customary unit or Avoirdupois. ... A boarding school is an educational institution where some or all pupils not only study, but they also live, amongst their peers. ... Ancient university is a term used to describe the medieval and renaissance universities of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland that have continued to exist. ... drive on right drive on left Keeping to either the left or the right prevents vehicles moving in opposite directions from colliding with each other. ... Football (soccer) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... A rugby union scrum. ... Bowler Shaun Pollock bowls to batsman Michael Hussey. ... The Byzantine civil service in action. ...

See also

Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The original Wikisource logo. ... Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... The Wikimedia Commons (also called Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ... Image File history File links Wikisource-logo. ... The original Wikisource logo. ... EncyclopÃ¦dia Britannica, the 11th edition The EncyclopÃ¦dia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910â€“1911) is perhaps the most famous edition of the EncyclopÃ¦dia Britannica. ... The Tudor re-conquest of Ireland took place under the English Tudor dynasty during the 16th century. ... Combatants English Royalists and Irish Catholic Confederate troops English Parliamentarian New Model Army troops and allied Protestants in Ireland Commanders James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde (1649 - December 1650) Ulick Burke, Earl of Clanricarde (December 1650-April 1653) Oliver Cromwell (1649-May 1650) Henry Ireton (May 1650-November 1651) Charles... British colonization of the Americas began in the late 16th century. ... All Red Line is an informal name for the system of electrical telegraphs that linked all the British Empire. ... The British East India Company, sometimes referred to as John Company, was the first joint-stock company (the Dutch East India Company was the first to issue public stock). ... The British Empire and Commonwealth Museum is a museum in Bristol, United Kingdom which explores the history of the British empire and the impact that British colonial rule had on the rest of the world. ... The British Empire has often been portrayed in fiction. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... The Commonwealth Realms, shown in pink A Commonwealth Realm is any one of the sixteen sovereign states within the Commonwealth of Nations that recognise Elizabeth II as their respective monarch. ... Decolonization generally refers to a movement following the Second World War in which the various European colonies of the world were granted independence. ... Commonwealth Day is the annual celebration of the Commonwealth of Nations held on the second Monday in March, and which is marked by a multi-faith service in Westminster Abbey normally attended by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Head of the Commonwealth, the Commonwealth Secretary-General and the Commonwealth High... An anachronous map of British (and prior to the existence of Britain, English) imperial possessions This is a list of the various overseas territories that have been under the political control of the United Kingdom and/or its predecessor states[1]. Collectively, these territories are traditionally referred to as the... This does not cite any references or sources. ... The Protestant work ethic, or sometimes called the Puritan work ethic, is a Calvinist value emphasizing the necessity of constant labor in a persons calling as a sign of personal salvation. ... Western imperialism in Asia traces its roots back to the late 15th century with a series of voyages that sought a sea passage to India in the hope of establishing direct trade between Europe and Asia in spices. ... Shortcut: UK topics This is a list of topics related to the United Kingdom. ... Sizes of the biggest Empires in history (To be finished on a later date. ... Government House is the name usually given to the residence of Governors-General, Governors and Lieutenant-Governors in the Commonwealth and the British Empire. ... The Commonwealth Realms as of 2006. ... Anthem God Save The Queen/King British India, circa 1860 Capital Calcutta (1858-1912), New Delhi (1912-1947) Language(s) Hindi, Urdu, English and many others Government Monarchy Emperor of India - 1877-1901 Victoria - 1901-1910 Edward VII - 1910-1936 George V - January-December 1936 Edward VIII - 1936-1947 George... This article is about the History of South Asia. ... An example of three way trade in the North Atlantic Triangular trade is a historical term denoting trade between three ports or regions. ... The Atlantic slave trade, first begun with the Portuguese[1], was the selling of African slaves by Europeans that occurred in and around the Atlantic Ocean. ... Great Irish Famine may also refer to Great Irish Famine (1740-1741) This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... â€œThe Great War â€ redirects here. ... A Watt steam engine. ... A global empire involves the extension of a states sovereignty over territories all around the world. ... Leonardo da Vincis Vitruvian Man, for many a symbol of the changes of the Western culture during the Renaissance Western culture or Western civilization is a term used to refer to the cultures of the people of European origin and their descendants. ...

Notes

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), (in French: Organisation de coopÃ©ration et de dÃ©veloppement Ã©conomiques, OCDE) is an international organisation of those developed countries that accept the principles of representative democracy and a free market economy. ... Charles (February 24, 1500 – September 21, 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor (as Charles V) from 1519-1558; he was also King of Spain from 1516_1556, officially as Charles I of Spain, although often referred to as Charles V (Carlos Quinto or Carlos V) in Spain and Latin America. ... Military flag of the Spanish Empire from the 16th century up to 1843. ... Table Mountain is a mountain in the Western Cape, South Africa, overlooking the greater Cape Town area. ... The Boston Tea Party was a direct action protest by the American colonists against Great Britain in which they destroyed many crates of tea bricks on ships in Boston Harbor. ... In 1775, the British claimed authority over the red and pink areas on this map and Spain ruled the orange. ...

References

External links

v • d • e

Colonial empires

Belgian
German
Russian

British
Italian
Spanish

Danish
Japanese
Swedish

Dutch
Ottoman
US overseas

French
Portuguese

v • d • e

British Empire and Commonwealth of Nations

Legend
Current territory · Former territory
* now a Commonwealth Realm · now a member of the Commonwealth of Nations It has been suggested that Benign colonialism be merged into this article or section. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Belgium. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_German_Empire. ... Image File history File links Romanov_Flag. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy_(1861-1946)_crowned. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_New_Spain. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Denmark. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Sweden. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Netherlands. ... Image File history File links Ottoman_Flag. ... Motto Ø¯ÙˆÙ„Øª Ø§Ø¨Ø¯ Ù…Ø¯Øª Devlet-i Ebed-mÃ¼ddet (The Eternal State) Anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Borders in 1680, see: list of territories Capital SÃ¶ÄŸÃ¼t (1299â€“1326) Bursa (1326â€“65) Edirne (1365â€“1453) Constantinople (Ä°stanbul, 1453â€“1922) Language(s) Ottoman Turkish Government Monarchy Sultans - 1281â€“1326 Osman I - 1918â€“22 Mehmed VI... Image File history File links US_flag_48_stars. ... United States overseas expansion follows the expansion of U.S. frontiers on the North American continent (see Mexican-American War, War of 1812, and Territorial acquisitions of the United States). ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links Flag_Portugal_(1707). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Commonwealth_of_Nations. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... The Commonwealth Realms, shown in pink A Commonwealth Realm is any one of the sixteen sovereign states within the Commonwealth of Nations that recognise Elizabeth II as their respective monarch. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...

Europe

18th century
1708-1757 Minorca
since 1713 Gibraltar
1782-1802 Minorca World map showing the location of Europe. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Flag of Minorca This is a taula from the site of TalatÃ¬ de Dalt about 4km west of MaÃ³ Minorca (Menorca both in Catalan and Spanish and increasingly in British usage; from Latin Balearis Minor, later Minorica minor island) is one of the Balearic Islands (Illes Balears Catalan official name... Flag of Minorca This is a taula from the site of TalatÃ¬ de Dalt about 4km west of MaÃ³ Minorca (Menorca both in Catalan and Spanish and increasingly in British usage; from Latin Balearis Minor, later Minorica minor island) is one of the Balearic Islands (Illes Balears Catalan official name...

19th century
1800-1964 Malta
1807-1890 Heligoland
1809-1864 Ionian Islands
1878-1960 Cyprus Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the landscape in Norway, see Helgeland. ... The Ionian Islands (Modern Greek: Ionioi Nisoi, Î™ÏŒÎ½Î¹Î¿Î¹ ÎÎ®ÏƒÎ¿Î¹; Ancient Greek: Ionioi Nesoi, Î™ÏŒÎ½Î¹Î¿Î¹ ÎÎ®ÏƒÎ¿Î¹) are a group of islands in Greece. ...

20th century
since 1960 Akrotiri and Dhekelia (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... Anthem God Save the Queen Akrotiri and Dhekelia (Occupied Areas) Sovereign Base Areas indicated in pink. ...

North America

16th century
1583-1907 Newfoundland

17th century
1607-1776 Thirteen Colonies
since 1619 Bermuda
1670-1870 Rupert's Land

18th century
Canada (British Imperial)
   1763-1791 Quebec
   1791-1841 Lower Canada
   1791-1841 Upper Canada
World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... For other uses, see Newfoundland (disambiguation). ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic - President George Walker Bush (R) - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... Ruperts Land Ruperts Land was a territory in British North America, consisting of the Hudson Bay drainage basin, most of it now part of modern Canada. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... // Main article: Province of Quebec (1763-1791) In North America, Seven Years War officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris on February 10, 1763. ... Province of Quebec (COLONIAL PERIOD, 1763-1791) Great Britain acquired Canada by the Treaty of Paris (1763) when King Louis XV of France and his advisors chose to keep the territory of Guadeloupe for its valuable sugar crops instead of New France, which was viewed as a vast, frozen wasteland... Map of Lower Canada (green) Lower Canada was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence (1791-1841). ... Flag Map of Upper Canada (orange) Capital Newark 1792 - 1797 York 1797 - 1841 Language(s) English Religion Anglican Government Constitutional monarchy Sovereign - 1791-1820 George III - 1837-1841 Victoria Lieutenant-Governor See list of Lieutenant-Governors Legislature Parliament of Upper Canada - Upper house Legislative Council - Lower house Legislative Assembly Historical...

19th century
Canada (British Imperial)
   1841-1867 Province of Canada
   1849-1866 Vancouver Island
   1858-1871 British Columbia
   1859-1870 North-Western Territory
   1862-1863 Stikine Territory
*Canada (post-Confederation)
   1867-1931 Dominion of Canada Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... // Main article: Province of Quebec (1763-1791) In North America, Seven Years War officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris on February 10, 1763. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... See main article Vancouver Island Colonial flag of Vancouver Island, consisting of the British Blue Ensign and the great seal of the colony. ... The Colony of British Columbia was a crown colony of British North America from 1858 until 1871. ... The North-Western Territory at its greatest extent, 1859 The North-Western Territory was a region of British North America until 1870. ... Stikine Territory Stikine Territory (usually spelt Stickeen in the 19th Century) was a territory that existed in British North America from July 19, 1862 until July of the next year. ... // Confederation Main article: Canadian Confederation Fathers of Confederation meet in Quebec City In the 1860s, in the wake of the American Civil War, the British were concerned with possible American reprisals against Canada for Britains tacit support of the Confederacy. ... Canada is the second largest and the northern-most country in the world, occupying most of the North American land mass. ...

20th century
*Canada (post-Confederation)
1907-1931 Dominion of Newfoundland (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... // Confederation Main article: Canadian Confederation Fathers of Confederation meet in Quebec City In the 1860s, in the wake of the American Civil War, the British were concerned with possible American reprisals against Canada for Britains tacit support of the Confederacy. ... Motto: Quaerite Prime Regnum Dei (Latin: Seek ye first the kingdom of God) Anthem: Ode to Newfoundland Capital St. ...

Latin America and the Caribbean

17th century 1605-1979 *Saint Lucia 1623-1883 Saint Kitts (Saint Kitts & Nevis)* 1624-1966 *Barbados 1625-1650 Saint Croix 1627-1979 *St. Vincent and the Grenadines 1628-1883 Nevis (Saint Kitts & Nevis)* 1629-1641 St. Andrew and Providence Islands¹ since 1632 Montserrat 1632-1860 Antigua(Antigua & Barbuda) 1643-1860 Bay Islands since 1650 Anguilla 1651-1667 Willoughbyland (Suriname) 1655-1850 Mosquito Coast (protectorate) 1655-1962 Jamaica since 1666 British Virgin Islands since 1670 Cayman Islands 1670-1973 *Bahamas 1670-1688 St. Andrew and Providence Islands¹ 1671-1816 Leeward Islands 18th century 1762-1974 *Grenada 1763-1978 Dominica since 1799 Turks and Caicos Islands Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ... â€œWest Indianâ€ redirects here. ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... At the time of European discovery, Island Carib inhabited the islands of St. ... Saint Croix from space, January 1993 Saint Croix is one of the United States Virgin Islands, a United States territory, in the Caribbean. ... At the time of European discovery, Island Carib inhabited the islands of St. ... Motto: ParaÃso TurÃstico Tourist Paradise Anthem: Himno de San AndrÃ©s y Providencia San Andres and Providencia shown in the Caribbean map Established July 4, 1991 Region Insular Region Capital San AndrÃ©s Number of Municipalities 2 Governor - Governors Political Party Alvaro Archbold NuÃ±es Colombian Liberal... This is the history of Antigua and Barbuda. ... Islas de la BahÃa (Bay Islands) is one of the 18 departments into which the Central American nation of Honduras is divided. ... // Native American period The history of Suriname dates from 3000 BCE, when Native Americans first inhabited the area. ... The article is about the Central American area. ... Motto: ParaÃso TurÃstico Tourist Paradise Anthem: Himno de San AndrÃ©s y Providencia San Andres and Providencia shown in the Caribbean map Established July 4, 1991 Region Insular Region Capital San AndrÃ©s Number of Municipalities 2 Governor - Governors Political Party Alvaro Archbold NuÃ±es Colombian Liberal... The Leeward Islands are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ...	19th century 1831-1966 British Guiana (Guyana) 1833-1960 Windward Islands 1833-1960 Leeward Islands 1860-1981 *Antigua and Barbuda 1871-1964 British Honduras (Belize)* 1882-1983 *St. Kitts and Nevis 1889-1962 Trinidad and Tobago Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... British Guiana and its boundary lines, 1896 Flag of British Guiana British Guiana was the name of the British colony on the northern coast of South America, now the independent nation of Guyana. ... The Windward Islands are the southern islands of the Lesser Antilles. ... The Leeward Islands are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles. ... Flag Capital Belize City Language(s) English Government Constitutional monarchy History - Established 1871 - Disestablished 1981 Area 22,966 km2 8,867 sq mi Currency British Honduran dollar Flag of British Honduras British Honduras was the former name of what is now the independent nation of Belize and was a British...	20th century 1958-1962 West Indies Federation (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... Motto To dwell together in unity Anthem God Save the Queen Capital Chaguaramas Language(s) English Government Constitutional monarchy Queen Elizabeth II Governor-General Lord Hailes Prime minister Grantley Herbert AdamsÂ¹ History - Established January 3, 1958 - Disestablished May 31, 1962 Area - 1960 20,253 km2 7,820 sq mi Population...
¹ Now the San Andrés y Providencia Department of Colombia. Motto: ParaÃso TurÃstico Tourist Paradise Anthem: Himno de San AndrÃ©s y Providencia San Andres and Providencia shown in the Caribbean map Established July 4, 1991 Region Insular Region Capital San AndrÃ©s Number of Municipalities 2 Governor - Governors Political Party Alvaro Archbold NuÃ±es Colombian Liberal...

Africa

18th century 1792-1961 Sierra Leone 1795-1803 Cape Colony A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Anthem: God Save the Queen Cape Colony Capital Cape Town Language(s) English and Dutch1 Religion Dutch Reformed Church, Anglican Government Constitutional monarchy Last Monarch King George VI Last Prime Minister - 1908 â€“ 1910 John X. Merriman Last Governor - 1901 - 1910 Walter Hely-Hutchinson Historical era 19th century - Dutch East India...	19th century 1806-1910 Cape Colony 1816-1965 Gambia 1856-1910 Natal 1868-1966 Basutoland (Lesotho) 1874-1957 Gold Coast (Ghana) 1882-1922 Egypt 1884-1966 Bechuanaland (Botswana) 1884-1960 British Somaliland 1887-1897 Zululand 1888-1894 Matabeleland 1890-1980 Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) 1890-1962 Uganda 1890-1963 Zanzibar (Tanzania) 1891-1964 Nyasaland (Malawi) 1891-1907 British Central Africa 1893-1968 Swaziland 1895-1920 British East Africa 1899-1956 Anglo-Egyptian Sudan Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Anthem: God Save the Queen Cape Colony Capital Cape Town Language(s) English and Dutch1 Religion Dutch Reformed Church, Anglican Government Constitutional monarchy Last Monarch King George VI Last Prime Minister - 1908 â€“ 1910 John X. Merriman Last Governor - 1901 - 1910 Walter Hely-Hutchinson Historical era 19th century - Dutch East India... The Colony of Natal was a British colony in south-eastern Africa. ... The mountainous and largely arid land that came to be Basutoland was populated by San (bushmen, Qhuaique) until the end of the 16th century. ... Flag of Gold Coast Map from 1896 of the British Gold Coast Colony. ... An 1887 map showing the Crown Colony of Bechuanaland (shaded pink) and the Bechuanaland Protectorate (pink border) The Bechuanaland Protectorate (BP) was a protectorate established on March 31, 1885 by the United Kingdom in southern Africa. ... The British Somaliland was a British protectorate in the north part of the Horn of Africa, and later part of Somalia and presently the unrecognized Republic of Somaliland. ... Zululand was the Zulu-dominated area of what is now northern KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. ... Matabeleland is a region in the west and south-west of Zimbabwe, between the Limpopo and Zambezi rivers. ... Southern Rhodesia was the name of the British colony situated immediately to the north of South Africa, known today as Zimbabwe. ... Map of Zanzibars main island Zanzibar is situated off mainland Tanzania Coordinates: Country Tanzania Islands Unguja and Pemba Capital Zanzibar City Settled AD 1000 Government - Type semi-autonomous part of Tanzania - President Amani Abeid Karume Area - Both Islands 637 sq mi (1,651 kmÂ²) Population (2004) - Both Islands 1... Hominid remains and stone implements have been identified in Malawi dating back more than one million years, and early humans inhabited the vicinity of Lake Malawi 50,000 to 60,000 years ago. ... Flag of British Central Africa The British Central Africa Protectorate existed in the area of present-day Malawi between 1891 and 1907. ... British East Africa was a British protectorate in East Africa, covering generally the area of present-day Kenya and lasting from 1890 to 1920, when it became the colony of Kenya. ... Anglo-Egyptian Sudan was the name of Sudan between 1899 and 1956, when it was a condominium of the United Kingdom and Egypt. ...	20th century 1900-1914 Northern Nigeria 1900-1914 Southern Nigeria 1900-1910 Orange River Colony 1906-1954 Nigeria Colony 1910-1931 South Africa 1911-1964 Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) 1914-1954 Nigeria Protectorate 1915-1931 South West Africa (Namibia) 1919-1960 Cameroons (Cameroon) ² 1920-1963 Kenya 1922-1961 Tanganyika (Tanzania) 1954-1960 Nigeria since 1965 British Indian Ocean Territory (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... Northern Nigeria was a British colony formed in 1900 from the interior territories of the Royal Niger Company, north from about where the Niger River and Benin River joined at Lokoja. ... Southern Nigeria was a British protectorate in the coastal areas of modern-day Nigeria, formed in 1900 from union of the Niger Coast Protectorate with territories chartered by the Royal Niger Company below Lokoja on the Niger River. ... Flag of Orange River Colony The Orange River Colony was a British colony created by the annexation of the Orange Free State in 1900, after the Boer War. ... Early history Migration & settlements History before 1500 First states (1500-1800) Igbo and Savannah states Colonization (1800-1960) 1960-1979 Independence, military rule, and civil war Civil War (1967-1970) 1979-1999 Second republic, more military rule History of Nigeria (1999-present) Return of democracy Stamp of Southern Nigeria, 1901... Flag of Northern Rhodesia. ... Early history Migration & settlements History before 1500 First states (1500-1800) Igbo and Savannah states Colonization (1800-1960) 1960-1979 Independence, military rule, and civil war Civil War (1967-1970) 1979-1999 Second republic, more military rule History of Nigeria (1999-present) Return of democracy Stamp of Southern Nigeria, 1901... The history of Namibia has passed through several distinct stages, and Namibia has really only existed as a modern state since South Africa relinquished control of the country in 1989. ... Cameroon over time German Kamerun British Cameroons French Cameroun Republic of Cameroon Cameroons was a British Mandate territory in West Africa, now divided between Nigeria and Cameroon. ... Flag of Tanganyika Tanganyika was an East African republic within the Commonwealth of Nations, named after Lake Tanganyika, which formed its western border. ...
² League of Nations mandate. Mandates in the Middle east and Africa. ...

Asia

18th century 1757-1947 Bengal (West Bengal (India) and Bangladesh) 1762-1764 Philippines 1795-1948 Ceylon (Sri Lanka) 1796-1965 Maldives World map showing the location of Asia. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Bengal, known as Bango ( Bengali:বঙ্গ), Bangla (বাংলা), Bangodesh (বঙ্গদেশ), or Bangladesh (বাংলাদেশ) in Bengali, is a region in the northeast of South Asia. ... The recorded History of Sri Lanka boasts of 25 chronicled centuries. ...	19th century 1819-1826 Singapore 1826-1946 Straits Settlements 1839-1967 Aden (colony) 1841-1997 Hong Kong 1841-1941 Kingdom of Sarawak 1858-1947 India (India, Pakistan and Bangladesh) 1882-1963 British North Borneo (Malaysia) 1885-1946 Unfederated Malay States 1891-1971 Muscat and Oman protectorate 1892-1971 Trucial States protectorate 1895-1946 Federated Malay States 1898-1930 Weihai Garrison Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Straits Settlements were a collection of territories of the British East India Company in Southeast Asia, which were given collective administration in 1826. ... The Colony of Aden (Arabic: Ù…Ø³ØªØ¹Ù…Ø±Ø© Ø¹Ø¯Ù† []) was a British crown colony from 1937 to 1963 and consisted of the port city of Aden and its immediate surroundings. ... The White Rajahs refer to a dynasty that founded and ruled the Kingdom of Sarawak from 1841 to 1946. ... The flag of British India British India, circa 1860 The British Raj (Raj in Hindi meaning Rule; from Sanskrit Rajya) was the British rule between 1858 and 1947 of the Indian Subcontinent, which included the present-day India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Burma (Myanmar), whereby these lands were under the colonial... Motto: Pergo et Perago (Latin: I undertake and I achieveâ€) British North Borneo Capital Jesselton Language(s) Malay, English Government Monarchy Monarch - 1882 - 1901 Victoria - 1952 - 1963 Elizabeth II Governor - 1896 - 1901 Robert Scott Historical era New Imperialism - North Borneo Company May, 1882 - British protectorate 1888 - Japanese invasion January 1... The Unfederated Malay States were five Malay states, namely Johore Terengganu Kelantan Kedah Perlis Together the states were not a single entity but merely a category to describe those states which were not Federated Malay States or Straits Settlements. ... Muscat and Oman (Arabic:Ù…Ø³Ù‚Ø· ÙˆØ¹Ù…Ø§Ù†) was a country that encompassed the present day Sultanate of Oman and parts of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). ... The United Arab Emirates was formed from the group of tribally organized Arabian Peninsula sheikhdoms along the southern coast of the Persian Gulf and the northwestern coast of the Gulf of Oman. ... The Federated Malay States (FMS) was a federation of four states on the Malay Peninsula - Pahang, Perak, Selangor, and Negeri Sembilan - established by the British government in 1895, and lasted until 1946, when they together with the Straits Settlements and the Unfederated Malay States formed the Malayan Union. ... Weihai (威海; pinyin: wēihǎi, also Weihaiwei) is a seaport city on the Bohai Gulf in north-east Shandong province, China. ...	20th century 1918-1961 Kuwait protectorate 1920-1932 Iraq² 1921-1946 Transjordan² 1923-1948 Palestine² 1946-1948 Malayan Union 1946-1963 Sarawak (Malaysia) 1948-1957 Federation of Malaya (Malaysia) (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... Anthem Al-Nasheed Al-Watani Capital (and largest city) Kuwait City Official languages Arabic Government Constitutional hereditary emirate1 - Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah - Crown Prince Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah - Prime Minister Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah Independence - from the UK June 19... Map of the territory of the British Mandate of Palestine The Emirate of Transjordan was an autonomous political division of the British Mandate of Palestine, created as an administrative entity in April 1921 before the Mandate came into effect. ... Flag Palestine and Transjordan were incorporated (under different legal and administrative arrangements) into the British Mandate of Palestine, issued by the League of Nations to Great Britain on 29 September, 1923 Capital Not specified Organizational structure League of Nations Mandate High Commissioner - 1920 â€” 1925 Sir Herbert Louis Samuel - 1945 â€” 1948... The Malayan Union was formed on April 1, 1946 by the British. ... State motto: United, Industrious, Dedicated (Malay: Bersatu, Berusaha, Berbakti ) Capital Kuching Governor T.Y.T Tun Datuk Patinggi Abang Muhammad Salahuddin Chief Minister Y.A.B. Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Haji Abdul Taib Bin Mahmud / Pehin Sri Dr. Hj. ... The Federation of Malaya, or in Malay Persekutuan Tanah Melayu, was formed in 1948 from the British settlements of Penang and Malacca and the nine Malay states and replaced the Malayan Union. ...
² League of Nations mandate. Mandates in the Middle east and Africa. ...

Oceania and the Pacific

18th century 1788-1901 New South Wales 1794-1843 Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) World map exhibiting a common interpretation of Oceania; other interpretations may vary. ... The Pacific Ocean (from the Latin name Mare Pacificum, peaceful sea, bestowed upon it by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan) is the largest of the Earths oceanic subdivisions. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Capital Sydney Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Professor Marie Bashir Premier Morris Iemma (ALP) Federal representation - House seats 50 - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05) - Product ($m) $305,437 (1st) - Product per capita $45,153/person (4th) Population (End of March 2006) - Population 6,817,100 (1st) - Density 8. ... The Sandwich Islands was the name given to Hawaii by Captain James Cook on his discovery of the islands on January 18, 1778. ...	19th century 1803-1901 Van Diemen's Land/Tasmania 1807-1863 Auckland Islands 1824-1980 New Hebrides (Vanuatu) 1824-1901 Queensland 1829-1901 Swan River Colony/Western Australia 1836-1901 South Australia since 1838 Pitcairn Islands 1840-1907 *Colony of New Zealand 1850-1901 Victoria (Australia) 1874-1970 Fiji 1877-1976 British Western Pacific Territories 1884-1949 Territory of Papua 1888-1965 Cook Islands³ 1888-1984 Sultanate of Brunei 1889-1948 Union Islands (Tokelau)³ 1892-1979 Gilbert and Ellice Islands⁴ 1893-1978 British Solomon Islands⁵ Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Capital Hobart Government Constitutional monarchy Governor William Cox Premier Paul Lennon (ALP) Federal representation - House seats 5 - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05) - Product ($m) $16,114 (7th) - Product per capita $33,243/person (8th) Population (End of September 2006) - Population 489,600 (6th) - Density 7. ... Southern coast of the main island The Auckland Islands (Motu Maha) ( ) form a sub-Antarctic archipelago of New Zealand, and include the following: Auckland Island, Adams Island, Enderby Island, Disappointment Island, Ewing Island, Dundas Island and Green Island. ... The New Hebrides are an island group in the South Pacific that now form the nation of Vanuatu. ... Capital Brisbane Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Quentin Bryce Premier Peter Beattie (ALP) Federal representation - House seats 28 - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05) - Product ($m) $158,506 (3rd) - Product per capita $40,170/person (6th) Population (End of November 2006) - Population 4,164,590 (3rd) - Density 2. ... Swan River Colony was a British settlement established at the Swan River on the west coast of Australia in 1829. ... Capital Perth Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Ken Michael Premier Alan Carpenter (ALP) Federal representation - House seats 15 - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05) - Product ($m) $100,900 (4th) - Product per capita $50,355/person (3rd) Population (December 2006) - Population 2,050,900 (4th) - Density 0. ... Capital Adelaide Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Marjorie Jackson-Nelson Premier Mike Rann (ALP) Federal representation - House seats 11 - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05) - Product ($m) $59,819 (5th) - Product per capita $38,838/person (7th) Population (End of September 2006) - Population 1,558,200 (5th) - Density 1. ... The history of New Zealand dates back at least seven hundred years to when it was discovered and settled by Polynesians. ... Motto: Peace and Prosperity Other Australian states and territories Capital Melbourne Governor HE Mr John Landy Premier Steve Bracks (ALP) Area 237,629 km² (6th) - Land 227,416 km² - Water 10,213 km² (4. ... The British Western Pacific Territories was the name of a colonial entity, created in 1877, for the administration, under a single representative of the British Crown, styled High Commissioner (compare other uses of this title), of a series of relatively minor Pacific islands in and around Oceania // The island entities... The Territory of Papua was an Australian possession comprising the southeastern quarter of the island of New Guinea, existing from roughly 1902 to 1949. ... Motto Always in service with Gods guidance(translation) Anthem Allah Peliharakan Sultan God Bless the Sultan Capital (and largest city) Bandar Seri Begawan Official languages Malay (national), English Government - Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Independence - End of British protectorate January 1, 1984 Area - Total 5,765 kmÂ² (170th) 2,226 sq... Geographic location of atolls: Atafu Nukunonu Fakaofo Languages Tokelauan, English Capital None; each atoll has its own administrative centre Political status Territory of New Zealand Head of State Queen Elizabeth II (as Queen of New Zealand) Administrator David Payton Head of Government Kolouei OBrien Area â€“ Total â€“ % water 12 km... The Gilbert and Ellice Islands were a British protectorate from 1892 and colony from 1916 — until 1 January 1976 when the islands were divided into two different colonies which became independent nations shortly after. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ...	20th century 1900-1970 Tonga (protected state) 1900-1974 Niue³ 1901-1942 *Commonwealth of Australia 1907-1953 *Dominion of New Zealand 1919-1949 Territory of New Guinea 1949-1975 Territory of Papua and New Guinea⁶ (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... The history of Tonga stretches back to around roughly 4000B.C. when the Polynesians arrived. ... For alternative meanings, see New Zealand (disambiguation). ... Territory of New Guinea was the name given to the Australia-controlled, League of Nations-mandated territory in the north eastern part of the island of New Guinea, and surrounding islands, between 1920 and 1949. ... Flag Capital Canberra Language(s) English (official), Austronesian languages, Papuan languages, English creoles Organizational structure Colony King List of British monarchs Prime Minister List of Prime Ministers of Australia Legislature House of Assembly Historical era Cold War - Union established November 6, 1949 - Self-governing December 1, 1973 - Independence September 16...
³ Now part of the *Realm of New Zealand. ⁴ Now Kiribati and *Tuvalu. ⁵ Now the *Solomon Islands. ⁶ Now *Papua New Guinea. The Realm of New Zealand is the territory in which the Queen in right of New Zealand is head of state. ...

South Atlantic

17th century since 1659 St. Helena The Atlantic Ocean forms a component of the all-encompassing World Ocean and is directly linked to the Arctic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and the Southern Ocean. ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ...	19th century since 1815 Ascension Island⁷ since 1816 Tristan da Cunha⁷ since 1833 Falkland Islands⁹ Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Anthem: God Save the Queen Capital Georgetown Largest city Georgetown Official languages English Government Dependency of St. ... Motto: Our faith is our strength Anthem: God Save the Queen Capital Edinburgh of the Seven Seas Status Dependency of Saint Helena Official language(s) English Governor Michael Clancy Administrator Mike Hentley Area 201 kmÂ²(120. ...	20th century since 1908 British Antarctic Territory⁸ since 1908 South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands^8, 9 (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... Motto: Research and Discovery Anthem: God Save the Queen Status British overseas territory Official language(s) - Commissioner Tony Crombie Administrator Michael Richardson Area 1,395,000 kmÂ² Population c. ... Motto Leo Terram Propriam Protegat(Latin) Let the Lion protect his own land or May the Lion protect his own land Anthem God Save the Queen Capital Grytviken Official languages English Government British overseas territory - Head of State Queen Elizabeth II - Commissioner Alan Huckle Area - Total 3,903 kmÂ² 1...
⁷ Dependencies of St. Helena since 1922 (Ascension Island) and 1938 (Tristan da Cunha). ⁸ Both claimed in 1908; territories formed in 1962 (British Antarctic Territory) and 1985 (South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands). ⁹ Occupied by Argentina during the Falklands War of April-June 1982. Combatants Argentina United Kingdom Commanders Presidente Leopoldo Galtieri Vice Admiral Juan Lombardo Brigadier General Ernesto Crespo Brigade General Mario MenÃ©ndez Prime minister Margaret Thatcher Admiral Sir John Fieldhouse Rear-Admiral Sandy Woodward Major General Jeremy Moore Casualties 649 killed 1,068 wounded 11,313 taken prisoner 75 fixed wing...

Contents

Growth of the British Empire

Ireland

Stuart era

Scottish role

Colonisation

Free trade and "informal empire"

British East India Company

Expansion

Collapse

Breakdown of Pax Britannica

Britain and the New Imperialism

British colonial policy

Britain and the scramble for Africa

Home rule in white-settler colonies

The impact of the First World War

The end of British rule in Ireland

Decolonisation and decline

The Dominions

India, Ceylon, Africa, Asia, the Pacific and the Caribbean

Legacy

See also

Notes

References

External links

Contents

Growth of the British Empire GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Ireland

Stuart era

Scottish role

Colonisation

Free trade and "informal empire"

British East India Company

Expansion

Collapse

Breakdown of Pax Britannica

Britain and the New Imperialism

British colonial policy

Britain and the scramble for Africa

Home rule in white-settler colonies

The impact of the First World War

The end of British rule in Ireland

Decolonisation and decline

The Dominions

India, Ceylon, Africa, Asia, the Pacific and the Caribbean

Legacy

See also

Notes

References

External links

Growth of the British Empire