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>>>My group is trying to find info about why the British >>>Empire broke up. However, we are struggling to find >>>enough information. Help please!! >> >>Here's my take on the main reasons for the end of the >>British Empire: >> >>1) relative economic decline after establishing a huge >>lead in the early-mid 19th century as the world's >>first modern industrial superpower >> >>2) the empire was based on naval supremacy established >>after (or during) Napoleonic Wars. After WWII, air >>supremacy such as that enjoyed by the US became the >>new standard for Imperial Power. >> >>3) the post WW II rise of the "Nanny State" among the >>world's leading industrial powers made the cost of >>empire increasingly unpopular among average citizens: >>Brits voted in Labour and National Health. This pretty >>much precluded spending any more large sums to defend >>the sprawling empire >> >>4) Fall of Singapore in WW II. The humiliating defeat >>of the British forces by the Japanese Empire pretty >>much ended any notion of White Supremacy. It also >>forced two White Dominions, New Zealand and Australia >>to look to the US for defense against Japan. >> >>5)Rise of the US and USSR. British power was dwarfed >>by the gigantic military forces built up by the >>world's two super powers during the struggle against >>Japan, Italy and Germany in WWII >> >>6) Rise of nationalism. British ideals of individual >>and national liberty (ie WW II was begun to save >>Poland) started to work against their dominion over >>Africa and Asia. Many Brits harbored sympathy for >>liberation movements abroad while Capitalists sensed >>that resistance would play into the hands of the >>Communists. Creating free states that would remain as >>trading partners with British forms of self-government >>(more or less) seemed like the enlightened way to go >> >>7) Suez Crisis The US refused to back the Imperial >>Powers France and Britain with Israel in their >>occupation of the Suez Canal to prevent Egypt from >>nationalizing the crucial route for oil. This pretty >>much shattered France and Britain's pretensions to >>being stand-alone superpowers equal to the US and >>USSR. (After that, the US and USSR squared off and >>divided the Middle East into spheres of influence >>which lasted until the USSR was expelled from >>Afghanistan and the US-backed Shah was overthrown in >>Iran. The latter was the beginning of the rebellion >>against Western Hegemony which our country is facing >>in Iraq and elsewhere.) >> >>8) It is possible the British Empire could have lasted >>longer if there had been more desire for it on the >>part of the British people. However, I think most >>Brits saw it as a drain on resources and manpower, >>despite the tremendous prestige associated with it. I >>believe there was a growing resentment among the >>working class about going overseas to die to preserve >>the fortunes of the super rich. Even so, Britain did >>cling to Empire for a fairly long time despite the >>crippling blows dealt to it by Germany and Japan in WW >>II. After giving up India/Pakistan in 1947, the road >>to independence for the rest of the non-white Empire >>took another 20+ years. > > >I'd agree with most of those except for 3. Even at the >height of the Empire domestic issues were always >paramount in British politics. Despite all the talk of >Empires on which the sun never set, the British empire >was always based on pragmatic economics (mostly!) and >so it wasn't really a change of policy to discard loss >making colonies.
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