Key Takeaways

• At its peak in the early 20th century, the British Empire controlled territory that covered at least 25% of the planet's land surface. The Empire consisted of 57 different colonies, protectorates, territories, and dominions, which included Canada, Australia, India, Tonga, Western Samoa, and Fiji, among several others across the continents of North America, Africa, and Asia.
• Around 20% of the global population was under British rule in 1920, a total of between 470 million and 570 million individuals around the world.
•  Frequent maritime expansions were driving the empire's growth. They were fueled by the country's commercial objectives and competition with France, leading the empire to establish overseas settlements in different parts of the world.
• The primary factor that contributed to the decline of the British Empire was the impact of the Second World War, which disrupted "the old balance of power" on which its security was dependent.

Introduction

The Peak of the British Empire

• According to experts, the British Empire was at the height of its power during the early 20th century (1901-1921), when it had its greatest territorial reach and was the largest empire to have ever been recorded (by maximum size).

• The peak era likely began in 1901, which was the final year of Queen Victoria's reign. Queen Victoria's reign commenced in the year 1837, and the empire experienced cultural expansion, the development of railway systems, and technological, scientific, and industrial advancements during her time on the throne. Moreover, it attained control over Australia and Canada, along with areas of Africa, South America, and India. Toward the end of the 19th century, Queen Victoria served as the monarch for almost one-fourth of the global population.

 

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• Under King Edward VII, between 1901 and 1915 (according to an interactive map from the Washington Post), the British Empire added territories in Asia and the Middle East. During King Edward VII's reign, the monarchy greatly reformed and strengthened its military and navy, which included modernizing the Home Fleet. Nevertheless, Edward ended his reign in the middle of a constitutional crisis sparked by a budget dispute between the liberals and conservatives.

 

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• The British Empire's peak is widely considered to be 1920/1921, when its territory reached 35.5 million square kilometers during the reign of King George V. King George V's reign, which began in 1910 and lasted until 1936, covered the British Empire's entrance into the First World War in 1914, along with a civil war in Ireland, which led to the creation of the Irish Free State (modern-day Irish Republic) in 1922. Also, the later part of his reign witnessed the enactment of the Statute of Westminster in 1931, which enabled Dominion Parliaments to approve laws without needing to reference laws in the United Kingdom. It also removed certain reserve powers of the Crown.
• The interactive map provided by the Washington Post also indicates that King George V's reign witnessed the addition of parts of Africa and the Middle East to the British Empire by 1919.

 

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• By the time Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne in the year 1952, the British Empire had a presence in over 70 territories. Nevertheless, that same year, troops from Great Britain were attempting to squash independence movements in Kenya and Egypt, both of which they ultimately lost.
• The British Empire had shrunken to just a few territories by 1979, while Queen Elizabeth II was still on the throne, with its only major economic or political territory being Hong Kong, and by 1997, the Empire had turned over control of it to China.

 

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Territory

• At its peak in the early 20th century, the British Empire controlled at least 25% of the planet's land surface. The Empire consisted of 57 different colonies, protectorates, territories, and dominions, which included Canada, Australia, India, Tonga, Western Samoa, and Fiji, among several others across the continents of North America, Africa, and Asia. In total, the British Empire had a considerable presence in 94 modern-day nations.
• Around 20% of the global population was under British rule in the year 1920, a total of between 470 million and 570 million individuals around the world.

Factors Contributing Towards the Empire Gaining Power

•  Frequent maritime expansions were driving the empire's growth. They were fueled by the country's commercial objectives and competition with France, leading the empire to establish overseas settlements in different parts of the world. However, most early settlements were the result of actions by British magnates and companies, as opposed to the British Monarchy.
• During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Monarchy began exerting more control over the colonies and settlements, particularly shipping and trade. Following the loss of 13 American colonies, the British Empire compensated by adding Australia, while witnessing growth in Upper Canada.
• The British Empire also began employing the use of systematic colonization in the new part of New Zealand, and additional Pacific islands, such as Papua, Tonga, and Fiji before attaining "the East India Company's governmental authority in India" and acquiring Hong Kong in 1841 and Burma in 1886. Its greatest extension of power during this time, however, occurred in Africa, with the Empire becoming the ruling force in Egypt and Sudan in 1882 and 1899, respectively, and extending its influence in other parts of the continent, as well as Asia, in the early 20th century.
• One of the overarching factors that contributed to the British Empire's power was its haughty dominance and influence over lesser developed regions of the world.

Factors Contributing Towards the Empire Declining

• The primary factor contributing to the decline of the British Empire was the impact of the Second World War, which disrupted "the old balance of power" on which the Empire's security was dependent.
• During the war, the British Empire suffered significant defeats from 1940-1942, losing large portions of its territorial reach in Europe and Asia, which greatly decimated its economic and financial independence, features that served as the foundation of its imperial system. Although the empire was able to recover lost territory, its authority, wealth, and prestige were gravely diminished.
• The independence of India in the year 1947, spurred by a noteworthy non-violent civil-disobedience campaign that was led by Mahatma Gandhi, also contributed to the decline. The loss of India resulted in a domino effect, as the Empire lost both Malaya and Palestine in 1948, with Ghana becoming the first African colony under British rule to attain independence in 1957. Over 20 of the British Empire's territories had reached independence by 1967.
• The above can be attributed to the severe weakening of the empire after the Second World War. The British Empire was also no longer considered one of the two great powers of the world and was being eclipsed by the United States and the Soviet Union.
• Additionally, many of the colonies implemented limited self-government, which allowed them to handle their own affairs through governors that were appointed by the Empire. This development eventually grew into grants of independence, starting with India in the year 1947.
• Other contributing factors included the 1956 Suez Crisis that exposed the weakness of the Empire's military and financial power, along with anti-colonial revolts in various colonies, the Rhodesian Rebellion, the Falkland Islands conflict, and the end of the 100-year agreement with China to keep Hong Kong as its dependency.

Research Strategy

Key Takeaways

• Some 173 countries have been invaded, suffered incursions and/or colonized by Britain.
• Barbados removed the British monarchy as its head of state in December last year.
• Earlier this year, London tried to impose direct rule over the British Virgin Islands, after the premier was arrested on corruption allegations.

Introduction

Total Number of Countries Invaded by the British Empire

• According to Stuart Laycock, author of the book, All the Countries We’ve Ever Invaded, Britain has invaded all but 22 of the 195 formally recognized nations. That makes 173 in total. His definition of invasion includes any kind of incursion, and not all countries that were invaded eventually became part of the British Commonwealth or its empire.
• Some 90 countries or regions were ruled by Britain at some time in history. Many of these gained independence some time between 1940 and 1970. The list, compiled by World Atlas, however includes some countries, territories, or regions that no long exist in that form, such as New South Wales (an Australian state) and Kingdom of Sarawak (now a Malaysian state).
• The British empire was largest in 1913, when its population was 23% of the global total. It covered Australia, Canada, large parts of Africa, and a few countries in Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean.
• Between the 1500s to the 1960s, only five countries were never colonized by Europe or under any kind of control from it. These include Japan and Korea.
•  56 countries form part of the British Commonwealth, but many of these are now totally independent of Britain or were not colonized by it. King Charles is head of state in 15 of those countries.

 

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Countries That Have Never Been Invaded

• Chad: Britain has not invaded this African country, likely because French control of it was so strong. Chad was part of the federation of French Equatorial Africa from 1910. At this time, European powers were dividing up and partitioning African nations and territory among themselves. In 1946, Chad became an overseas territory of France, and it gained independence in 1960.
• Paraguay: Britain never invaded or had conflict with Paraguay. Paraguay was the last country that Britain recognized in South America, as the two nations had almost no interaction of any kind. From 1811 to 1853 there was almost no official communication between the countries. For Britain, Paraguay was not interesting or useful, and it was seen as remote, and backward.

Countries That Recently Gained Independence

• Barbados: Last year, Barbados formally ended its nearly 400-year relationship with the British monarchy. While the nation gained independence of Britain in 1966, the monarch remained the head of state until December last year, and Barbados became a republic. For Barbadians, the move meant losing the last vestiges of British imperialism and having a Barbadian head of state. For two centuries, British soldiers enslaved half a million Africans on sugar plantations in Barbados.
• Hong Kong: Hong Kong was a British colony from 1841 to 1941 and from 1945 to 1997. It gained Hong Kong following its invasion of China and the ensuing Opium War, and at the end of that war, China surrendered Hong Kong to Britain. In 1898, a special convention provided Britain with a further 99 years of rule over Hong Kong, and that convention ended in 1997, as did Britain's rule.

Countries That Are Still Part of the British Commonwealth

• British Virgin Islands: Britain ruled over the BVIs from 1666. From 1960, the islands assumed direct responsibility over their territory, with an administrator acting as a representative of the British monarchy. However, earlier this year, London tried to impose direct rule over the BVIs after the premier was arrested on corruption allegations. Caribbean Islands strongly and publicly objected, and locals protested. In this context, some islanders talked about the need for independence, but were in a minority.

 

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• Falkland Islands: The Falkland Islands are a British Overseas Territory. Their 2009 constitution stipulates that they are fully self-governing, but the UK is responsible for foreign affairs, and has the power "to protect UK interests and to ensure the overall good governance of the territory". In 2013, voters in the territory voted against independence. Only 2,900 people live on the island, and the vote followed pressure from Argentina, who claims the territory as its own.

Research Strategy

Key Takeaways

• The largest empire in history by land area was the British Empire, which totaled approximately 35.5 million square kilometers (13.71 million square miles) at its peak in 1920.
• Both the Roman Empire and the Song Dynasty (China) maintained the largest share of global economic output by an empire in human history. The Roman Empire controlled between 25% and 30% of the global economy in 100 A.D., while the Song Dynasty controlled between 25% and 30% of the world's economy in 1200 A.D.
• The longest-lasting empire in history was the Roman Empire. The empire lasted from 27 B.C. until the fall of Rome in A.D. 1453, which signified its end.

Introduction

Most Successful Empires in History

By Maximum Land Area (at Peak Time)

• The largest empire in human history by land area was the British Empire, which totaled approximately 35.5 million square kilometers (13.71 million square miles) at its peak in the year 1920. In the year 1270, the Mongol Empire reached its peak of 24 million square kilometers (9.27 million square miles), making it the second largest empire in human history by maximum land area.
• The next three largest empires in human history by maximum land area were the Russian Empire in 1895 (22.8 million square kilometers, 8.80 million square miles), the Qing Dynasty in 1790 (14.7 million square kilometers, 5.68 million square miles), and the Spanish Empire in 1810 (13.7 million square kilometers, 5.29 million square miles).

• During its peak, the British Empire controlled territory in Europe, North America, South America, Africa, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.

 

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• During its peak, the Mongol Empire controlled territory throughout the continents of Europe and Asia.

 

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• The Russian Empire covered areas of North America (present-day Alaska), Central Asia, the Caucasus region, and Eastern Europe at its peak.

 

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• At its peak, the Qing Dynasty included modern-day China and parts of Mongolia, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

 

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• The Spanish Empire occupied parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa. However, most of its territory was in North America, Central America (the Caribbean), and South America.

 

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By Share of Global Economic Output (at Peak Time)

• According to a 2014 report published by Fortune, both the Roman Empire and the Song Dynasty (China) had the largest share of global economic output by an empire in human history. The Roman Empire controlled between 25% and 30% of the global economy in 100 A.D., while the Song Dynasty controlled between 25% and 30% of the world's economy in 1200 A.D.
• The third most successful empire by the share of global economic output was the Mughal Empire (India). In 1700 A.D., the Mughal Empire controlled an estimated 25% of the global economic output.
• In 1870, the British Empire was responsible for around 21% of the global economic output, which makes it the fourth most successful empire by that metric.
• The United States is referred to as an "empire" by some sources, including the 2014 report from Fortune. By the conclusion of the Second World War, the country controlled approximately 50% of the global economic output, as other powerful, developed nations were recovering from the massive destruction caused by the war. This percentage figure would indicate that the United States had the largest share of global economic output in history, however, this was a direct result of the war and only lasted for a brief period.

By Share of Global Population (at Peak Time)

• Guinness World Records lists the Achaemenid Empire (the Persian Empire) as the largest empire in history by share of the global population. At its peak in 480 B.C., the empire's population was estimated at 49.4 million, or around 44% of the world's population of 112.4 million at that time. The next four largest empires in human history by share of the global population are the Qing Dynasty, the Umayyad Caliphate, and the Ming Dynasty.
• In 1851, the Qing Dynasty's population totaled more than 432 million individuals, which represented at least 35% of the global total at the time. Between 1270 and 1309, the overall population of the Ming Dynasty was roughly 110 million people, meaning that the empire had a 25% share of the world's population. Between 720 and 750 A.D., the Umayyad Caliphate's population reached 62 million, or around 30% of the globe's total then.

Longest-Lasting Empires

• According to both World Atlas and Guinness World Records, the longest-lasting empire in history was the Roman Empire. It lasted from 27 B.C. until the fall of Rome in A.D. 1453, which signified its end. Hence, it lasted for around 1,500 years.
• The Kush Empire (modern-day Sudan) was the second longest-lasting empire in history, lasting from 1069 B.C. until 330 C.E., after the destruction of the city of Meroe.
• The Holy Roman Empire, which was a recreation of the Roman Empire by leaders in Western Europe, was the third longest-lasting empire in history. It lasted from 800 C.E. until 1806 C.E., following the abdication of Francis II, the last Holy Roman Emperor.
• The fourth longest-lasting empire in human history was the Republic of Venice, which lasted for around 1,000 years, from 797 C.E. until 1797 C.E., after Napoleon of France took control of Venice.
• Finally, the Silla Empire (modern-day South Korea) was the fifth longest-lasting empire in history. The empire began in 57 B.C. and lasted until 935 C.E., when it was conquered and eventually became a part of the Goryeo kingdom.

Research Strategy