202411011103 Status: #idea Tags: #british_empire #world_war_1 #world_war_2 #history # The greatest challenge to Britain's Empire came from without and not within There is a popular view of history that imperialism and colonialism inevitably led to resistance from the native populations, which results in the gradual dissolution of the empire in question. This applies to Britain, with the view that resistance in India and Africa, as well as the growing independence of Canada and Australia, eventually led to the empire coming apart. However, the cause of this falling apart had less to do with native resistance movements and more to do with the costs of defending the empire. Prior to World War I, Britain had just reached the zenith of its imperial power. Its navy was virtually unchallenged (though there was a growing threat from Germany), it was rapidly industrializing and producing new scientific and economic marvels, and it ruled over 23% of the world's population. After the disasters of World War 1 and World War 2, Britain became billions of pounds in debt. This made economically unviable many of its overseas colonies (particularly the less-developed ones that required more intensive investments), as well as the maintenance of its massive navy to protect those colonies. "Britain was left essentially bankrupt, with insolvency only averted in 1946 after the negotiation of a US$3.75 billion loan from the United States, the last installment of which was repaid in 2006." (Wikipedia). This economic pressure was also accompanied by a cultural shift - after World War I and accelerating after World War 2, the British populace lost confidence in its imperial system. The prevailing sentiment shifted from one of a duty to "civilize and educate" the world to one of guilt - "who are we to guide the world after we participated in putting it through so much suffering?" The combination of cultural and economics pressures, both triggered by the devastating wars of the 20th century, led to the dissolution of the British Empire. "Between 1945 and 1965, the number of people under British rule outside the UK itself fell from 700 million to 5 million, 3 million of whom were in Hong Kong." (Wikipedia) --- # References [[Empire_ the rise and demise of the British world order and the lessons for global power]] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Empire#Decolonisation_and_decline_(1945%E2%80%931997)