British Empire in the 20th century. The largest empire in the world in history. England in World Wars

It is in history that answers to many questions of our time can be found. Do you know about the largest empire that ever existed on the planet? TravelAsk will tell about two world giants of the past.

The largest empire by area

The British Empire is the largest state that has ever existed in the history of mankind. Of course, here we are talking not only about the continent, but also colonies on all inhabited continents. Just think: that was even less than a hundred years ago. At different times, the area of ​​Britain was different, but the maximum is 42.75 million square meters. km (of which 8.1 million sq. km are territories in Antarctica). This is two and a half times more than today's territory of Russia. This is 22% sushi. The heyday of the British Empire came in 1918.

The total population of Britain at its peak was about 480 million people (about one-fourth of humanity). That is why English is so widespread. This is a direct legacy of the British Empire.

How the state was born

The British Empire grew over a long period of about 200 years. The 20th century was the culmination of its growth: at that time, the state possessed various territories on all continents. For this, it is called the empire, "over which the sun never sets."

And it all started in the 18th century quite peacefully: with trade and diplomacy, occasionally with colonial conquests.

The empire helped spread British technology, trade, the English language and its form of government around the world. Of course, the basis of power was the navy, which was used everywhere. He ensured freedom of navigation, fought slavery and piracy (slavery was abolished in Britain at the beginning of the 19th century). This made the world a safer place. It turns out that instead of seeking power over vast inland territories for the sake of possessing resources, the empire relied on trade and control over strategically important points. It was this strategy that made the British Empire the most powerful.

The British Empire was very diverse, including territories on all continents, which created a great diversity of cultures. The state included a very diverse population, thanks to which it was able to manage various regions either directly or through local rulers, these are excellent skills for the government. Just think: British power extended to India, Egypt, Canada, New Zealand and many other countries.

When the decolonization of the United Kingdom began, the British tried to introduce parliamentary democracy and the rule of law in the former colonies, but this was far from successful everywhere. The influence of Great Britain on its former territories is still noticeable today: most of the colonies decided that the Commonwealth of Nations replaced the Empire in psychological terms. Members of the Commonwealth are all former dominions and colonies of the state. Today it includes 17 countries, including the Bahamas and others. That is, they in fact recognize the monarch of Great Britain as their monarch, but on the spot his power is represented by the governor general. But it is worth saying that the title of monarch does not imply any political power over the Commonwealth Realms.

Mongol Empire

The second largest (but not powerful) is the Mongol Empire. It was formed as a result of the conquests of Genghis Khan. Its area is 38 million square meters. km: this is slightly less than the area of ​​​​Britain (and if you consider that Britain owned 8 million square kilometers in Antarctica, then the figure looks even more impressive). The territory of the state stretched from the Danube to the Sea of ​​Japan and from Novgorod to Cambodia. This is the largest continental state in the history of mankind.

The state did not last long: from 1206 to 1368. But this empire influenced the modern world in many ways: it is believed that 8% of the world's population are descendants of Genghis Khan. And this is quite likely: only the eldest son of Temujin had 40 sons.

During its heyday, the Mongol Empire included vast territories of Central Asia, Southern Siberia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, China and Tibet. It was the largest land empire in the world.

Its rise is astonishing: a group of Mongol tribes, no more than a million in number, managed to conquer empires that were literally hundreds of times larger. How did they achieve this? Thoughtful tactics of action, high mobility, the use of technical and other achievements of the captured peoples, as well as the correct organization of logistics and supplies.

But here, of course, there could be no talk of any diplomacy. The Mongols completely cut out the cities that did not want to obey them. More than one city was swept off the face of the earth. Moreover, Temujin and his descendants destroyed the great and ancient states: the state of Khorezmshahs, the Chinese Empire, the Baghdad Caliphate, Volga Bulgaria. Modern historians say that up to 50% of the total population died in the occupied territories. Thus, the population of Chinese dynasties was 120 million people, after the invasion of the Mongols, it decreased to 60 million.

The consequences of the invasions of the great khan

The commander Temujin united all the Mongol tribes by 1206 and was proclaimed the great khan over all the tribes, receiving the title "Genghis Khan". He captured northern China, devastated Central Asia, conquered all of Central Asia and Iran, ruining the entire region.

The descendants of Genghis Khan ruled an empire that captured most of Eurasia, including almost the entire Middle East, parts of Eastern Europe, China and Rus'. Despite all the power, the real threat to the dominance of the Mongol Empire was the enmity between its rulers. The empire split into four khanates. The largest fragments of Great Mongolia were the Yuan Empire, the Ulus of Jochi (Golden Horde), the state of the Khulaguids and the Chagatai ulus. They, in turn, also collapsed or were subdued. In the last quarter of the 14th century, the Mongol Empire ceased to exist.

However, despite such a short reign, the Mongol Empire influenced the unification of many regions. So, for example, the eastern and western parts of Russia and the western regions of China remain united to this day, although in different forms of government. Rus' also gained strength: during the Tatar-Mongol yoke, Moscow was granted the status of a tax collector for the Mongols. That is, Russian residents collected tribute and taxes for the Mongols, while the Mongols themselves rarely visited Russian lands. In the end, the Russian people received military power, which allowed Ivan III to overthrow the Mongols under the rule of the Moscow principality.

The British colonial empire began to take shape in the 17th-18th centuries. In the struggle with Spain, Holland, France, England sought commercial and maritime hegemony. As a result of the capture and plunder of the colonies, huge capitals ended up in the hands of the English bourgeoisie, which contributed to the rapid development of English industrial production. The Whigs, who defended the interests of financiers, merchants and industrialists, insisted especially energetically on the conduct of an aggressive foreign policy. The Tories took a more moderate position on the question of the colonial conquests of England.

In the XVIII century. England conquered vast territories in Canada, Australia, South Africa, and India. By the middle of the XIX century. England became the largest colonial and commercial and industrial power.

Ireland occupies a special place in the British colonial empire. This is the first English colony, which the English feudal lords tried to conquer back in the 12th century, and then in the 16th-17th centuries. In 1800, Ireland was united with Great Britain in an alliance that destroyed the remnants of Irish autonomy. Ireland had its representation in the English Parliament. However, the people of Ireland fought for complete independence, and its deputies in parliament defended the idea of ​​home rule (autonomy). This idea in the 80s of the XIX century. was also perceived by the liberals, who needed the support of the Irish in the fight against the conservatives. In 1886, the Liberal government introduced a bill to Parliament to grant limited self-government to Ireland. However, this law was rejected by the House of Commons. A new law giving Ireland autonomy passed in the House of Commons in 1893, but was rejected by the House of Lords. It was only in 1914 that Parliament was forced to pass a law on home rule, according to which the autonomy of Ireland acquired the usual status of a dominion. The introduction of this act was delayed until the end of the war.

All other British colonies were governed according to their legal status. Back in the 18th century the division of the colonies into conquered and resettlement was established. The conquered colonies, dominated by the native population, did not have political autonomy and were governed by a governor-general appointed by the mother country. Representative bodies from local residents played the role of an advisory body under the governor.

In those colonies dominated by white settlers, the British government made concessions. The ruling classes of England feared a repetition of the events that led to the end of the 18th century. to the loss of a large part of their North American possessions. Meeting the demands of white settlers, mostly from England, they were forced to grant self-government to some colonies of the settler type.

Relations with Canada have especially changed. In the 50-60s of the XIX century. economic ties between England and this North American colony were already so strong that the British government met the demands of its inhabitants for the expansion of self-government. In 1867 the government of Canada was reorganized on new grounds. The four provinces of Canada formed a confederation called the Dominion of Canada. From now on, the governors appointed by the English king ruled Canada only through the federal council of ministers responsible to the legislative bodies - the Senate and the House of Representatives of the dominion.

Not only in Canada, but also in other colonies inhabited by immigrants from the metropolis, in the 50-60s of the XIX century. representative institutions were formed. In 1854, the Cape Land received self-government from the South African possessions, and in 1856 - Natal.

In Australia, the first representative institutions were introduced in the 40s of the XIX century. In 1855, the constitutions of individual colonies were developed here, and then approved, providing for the introduction of a bicameral parliament and the limitation of governor's power. In 1900, separate self-governing colonies of Great Britain on the Australian continent were united into the Commonwealth of Australia. The 1900 constitution declared Australia to be a federal state. Legislative power was exercised by Parliament, which consisted of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Executive power was vested in the governor-general.

New Zealand received a constitution in 1852.

India was the largest English colony. conquered in the 18th century. East India Trading Company, this country was subjected to ruthless robbery. In 1813, the English Parliament abolished the East India Company's monopoly on trade with India, and many English companies gained access to its markets. The colonization of India was accompanied by high taxation, the seizure of communal lands and natural resources of the country by English landowners and capitalists. Indian industry and agriculture went into decline.

In 1857-1859. in India there was a powerful liberation uprising. It began among the Indian soldiers (sepoys) recruited into the troops of the East India Company. The main driving force of the uprising was the peasants and artisans, but the princes were at the head, dissatisfied with the loss of their possessions. The uprising was brutally suppressed.

The national industry of India, although slowly, developed, and with it the national bourgeoisie also strengthened. In 1885, a political bourgeois party, the Indian National Congress, was created. The main requirement of the Congress program was the admission of Indians to the government of the country. In 1892, by the Indian Councils Act, representatives of the Indian bourgeoisie were admitted to legislative advisory councils under the Governor-General of India and provincial governors. Access to the executive bodies was opened to Indians in 1906. Two Indians were introduced to the Council of Indian Affairs (in London), one Indian was appointed to the executive council under the Governor General, and Indians were given access to the executive councils of the provinces. In 1909, the Indian Legislative Councils Act was passed, according to which the number of members of the legislative council under the governor-general and the councils under the governors of the provinces was significantly increased, so that wider circles of the Indian bourgeoisie could take part in them. So, by the end of the XIX century. a number of English colonies turned into dominions, self-governing colonies. As they developed, the dominions more and more claimed the role of an equal partner in relations with the mother country. To regulate these relations, since 1887 "colonial conferences" began to be held regularly, in 1907 they were called imperial.

Chapter 16. UNITED STATES OF NORTH AMERICA

The colonial policy of England dates back to the era of feudalism. But only the bourgeois revolution of the 17th century marked the beginning of a broad colonial expansion. As early as the middle of the 17th century, as a result of Cromwell's aggressive wars, England captured a number of islands in the West Indies, strengthened and expanded its possessions in North America, and carried out the final annexation of Ireland. the revolution created the prerequisites for the economic and political superiority of Great Britain among the colonial countries: Spain, Portugal, France and the Netherlands. Having gained the upper hand over their European rivals, the English bourgeoisie in the 17th - 19th centuries. far ahead of them in colonial conquests.

By the middle of the 19th century, Great Britain had captured vast territories in all parts of the world. She owned: Ireland in Europe; Canada, Newfoundland, British Guiana and the West Indies in America; Ceylon, Malaya, part of Burma and India in Asia; the Cape, Natal, British Gambia and Sierra Leone in Africa; the entire Australian continent and New Zealand. In 1875, the possessions of the British Empire amounted to 8.5 million square meters. miles, and the population of the empire is about 20% of the total population of the globe. Gromyko A. Al. Great Britain: the era of reform / Ed. A. Al. Gromyko.-M.: The whole world, 2007.-p. 203.

For most of the 19th century, Great Britain was the world's leading country in terms of economic development. The leadership won during the industrial revolution manifested itself primarily in industrial superiority; in 1870, England accounted for 32% of industrial production (USA - 26%, Germany - 10%, France - 10%, Russia - 4%, etc. countries - 18%).

England firmly held a leading position in trade, where she held the first place, and her share in world trade was about 65%. For quite a long time, she pursued a policy of free trade. Due to their quality and cheapness, English goods did not need protectionist protection, and the government did not prohibit the import of foreign goods.

Using the open robbery of the colonial peoples, unequal trade, practicing the slave trade, various forms of forced labor and other means of colonial exploitation, the English bourgeoisie accumulated huge capitals, which became the source from which they fed the working aristocracy in England itself. The colonial empire played a significant role in the fact that England in the 19th century turned into an industrialized capitalist country - "the workshop of the whole world."

Great Britain also took first place in the export of capital, and London was the financial center of the world. The English currency played the role of world money, acting as a unit of account in world trade transactions.

In the context of an intensifying struggle for economic leadership in the world between the old industrial countries (England and France) and the young rapidly developing states (USA and Germany), Great Britain could not maintain its predominance for an indefinitely long time after other less developed, but in abundance resource-rich countries began to industrialize. In this sense, the relative decline of Great Britain was inevitable. Konotopov M.V. History of the economy of foreign countries /M.V. Konotopov, S.I. Smetanin.-M.-2001-S. 107.

Reasons for the slowdown in economic development:

The growth of colonial power and the outflow of capital from the country;

Moral and physical aging of production facilities and limited use of electrical energy;

Strengthening the policy of protectionism in the USA, Germany, France and other countries;

archaic education system;

Insufficient entrepreneurial activity of English industrialists and the slow introduction of new technologies.

The loss of world hegemony occurred slowly and almost imperceptibly to contemporaries. Despite the slowdown in economic development, Great Britain remained a highly developed, richest country in the world. Kashnikova T.V. History of the economy / T.V. Kashnikova, E.P., Kostenko E.P. - Rostov n / D. - 2006. - P. 221.

As the empire was created, the system and skills of managing the colonies were developed. The general management of the colonies for a long time passed in the British government from one department to another. And only in 1854 in England a special ministry of the colonies was created, which was entrusted with the following duties:

Management of relations between the metropolis and the colonies;

Maintaining the rights and supremacy of the metropolis and protecting its interests;

Appointment and removal of governors and senior officials of the colonies;

Issuance of orders and instructions for the management of the colonies.

In addition, the Ministry of the Colonies, together with the Ministry of War, distributed the armed forces for the protection of the colonies and controlled the armed forces of the colonies, which had their own armies. Zhidkova O.A. History of the state and law of foreign countries./Ed. prof. P.N. Galanzy, O.A. Zhidkov. - M.: "Legal Literature".-1969.-S.-161. The highest court of appeal for the colonial courts was the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council of Great Britain.

Starting from the XVIII century. there was a general division of all the colonies into "conquered" and "settlement", in relation to which two types of British colonial administration gradually developed. The "conquered" colonies, as a rule, with a "colored" population, did not have political autonomy and were governed on behalf of the crown through the organs of the mother country by the British government. Legislative and executive functions in such colonies were concentrated directly in the hands of the highest government official - the governor (governor-general). The representative bodies that were created in these colonies actually represented only an insignificant stratum of local residents, but even in this case they played the role of an advisory body to the governors. As a rule, a regime of national, racial discrimination was established in the "conquered" colonies.

Another type of government developed in the colonies, where the majority or a significant part of the population were white settlers from Britain and other European countries (North American colonies, Australia, New Zealand, Cape Land). For a long time, these territories did not differ much from any other colonies in the form of government, but gradually acquired political autonomy.

The creation of representative bodies of self-government began in the resettlement colonies in the middle of the 18th century. However, the colonial parliaments had no real political power, for the supreme legislative, executive and judicial power remained in the hands of the British governors-general. In the middle of the XIX century. in a number of provinces in Canada, the institution of "responsible government" was established. As a result of a vote of no confidence by the local assembly, the appointed Governor's Council, which played the role of the colonial government, could be dissolved. The most important concessions to the resettlement colonies were made in the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries, when, one after another, they achieved further expansion of self-government and, as a result, received the special status of dominions. In 1865, the Colonial Laws Validity Act was passed, according to which the acts of the colonial legislatures were invalidated in two cases:

If they were in any respect contrary to the Acts of the British Parliament extended to that colony;

If they were contrary to any orders and regulations issued on the basis of such an act or having the force of such an act in the colony. At the same time, the laws of the colonial legislatures could not be invalidated if they did not comply with the norms of the English "common law". The legislatures of the colonies received the right to establish courts and issue acts regulating their activities.

After the formation of the dominions, their foreign policy and "defense matters" remained within the competence of the British government. Since the end of the XIX century. one of the forms of relations with the dominions was the so-called colonial (imperial) conferences held under the auspices of the ministry of colonies. At the 1907 conference, at the request of the representatives of the dominions, new organizational forms were developed for holding them. Imperial conferences were henceforth to be held under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister of Great Britain, with the participation of the Prime Ministers of the Dominions.

At the end of XIX - beginning of XX century. simultaneously with the capture of vast territories in Africa (Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Somalia, etc.), British expansion intensified in Asia and the Arab East. The sovereign states that existed here were actually turned into protectorate semi-colonies (Afghanistan, Kuwait, Iran, etc.), their sovereignty was limited by treaties imposed by England and the presence of British troops.

Colonial law in the British dominions consisted of acts of the British Parliament ("statutory law"), "common law", "rights of equity", as well as decrees and orders of the ministry of the colonies and regulations adopted in the colony itself. The widespread introduction of the norms of English law in the colonies began in the second half of the 19th century, when the colonies became trading "partners" of the metropolis and it was necessary to ensure the stability of the exchange of goods, the security of the person and property of British subjects.

Intertwined with traditional institutions, local law of the conquered countries, reflecting both their own and externally imposed social relations, colonial law was a complex and controversial phenomenon. In India, for example, British law-making and colonial law created highly sophisticated systems of Anglo-Hindu and Anglo-Muslim law that applied to local residents. These systems were characterized by an eclectic mix of English, customary, religious law and judicial interpretation. In the colonial law of Africa, the norms of European law, local customary law, and colonial laws that copied the colonial codes of India were also artificially combined. English law was applicable to English settlers in all parts of the world. At the same time, in the resettlement colonies, "common law" was applied primarily, and English law could not be applied if this was not specifically indicated in an act of the British Parliament. Krasheninnikova N.A. History of the state and law of foreign countries. Part 2: Textbook for universities? Ed. ON THE. Krasheninnikova and prof. O. A. Zhidkova - M.-2001. - S. 19.

Several types of colonial possessions developed in the British Empire. The "white" dominions ("dominion" in English means "possession") - Canada, the Commonwealth of Australia, New Zealand, and the Union of South Africa - enjoyed independence, which was constantly increasing. Not only did they have their own parliaments, governments, armies and finances, but they sometimes owned colonies themselves (for example, Australia and the Union of South Africa). Protectorates usually became colonial countries with relatively developed state power and social relations. There were, as it were, two levels of colonial administration. Supreme power was held by the British governors-general; they, unlike the governors of the dominions, who represented the interests of the British crown rather than ruled on its behalf, were absolute masters of the subordinate countries. The so-called native administration (local rulers, leaders) enjoyed limited independence, was endowed with certain judicial and police powers, the right to collect local taxes, and had its own budgets. The native administration acted as a buffer between the supreme power of the Europeans and the oppressed local population. Such a control system is called indirect, or indirect. It was most common in the British possessions, and the English colonial policy began to be called the policy of indirect (indirect) control.

The British also practiced the so-called direct administration in some colonies. Such colonies were called crown, i.e. were directly subordinate to London, with minimal or no rights to self-government. The exception was the crown colonies with a significant stratum of the white population, who had great privileges and even their own colonial parliaments. Sometimes both direct and indirect methods of government were used in one country. For example, India before the Second World War was divided into the so-called British colony of India, which consisted of 16 provinces and was governed from London, and a protectorate, which included over 500 feudal principalities and which operated a system of indirect control. Different forms of government were simultaneously used in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and other countries. Zhidkova O.A. History of the state and law of foreign countries./Ed. prof. P. N. Galanzy, O. A. Zhidkova.-M.: "Legal Literature".-1969.-S.-179.

The British Empire was the largest empire that history has ever known. Her power and influence extended throughout the world, shaping it in her own image. The British Empire was never in a static state - it was constantly changing, developing and reacting to ongoing events.

The British Empire of the 1950s is very different from itself in the 1850s and certainly in the 1750s and 1650s. Her policy in the colonies in one part of the world could be very different from the policy in another part. In addition, an incredible number of participants have been in its composition over the many years of its existence. Some of them got there out of greed and selfishness, others, however, had more humanistic motives, although they were often limited by the social foundations of their eras.

Participation in the crown provided many citizens with new opportunities, but for some it brought only restrictions, destruction and deprivation of freedoms and rights.

What period does the history of Britain cover?

It is not so easy to determine from what time the British Empire begins its countdown. As a rule, they talk about its two periods. The First Period (or First Empire) is marked mainly by the time of the colonization of America. They were called the "Thirteen Colonies" and in 1783 they would gain their independence from Britain.

The Second Empire consisted of the remnants of the First, adding India, and was expanded during the Napoleonic Wars, and then continued to expand during the 19th century and even into the early 20th. It is this Second, predominantly Victorian Empire that most people associate with the British Empire, about which they said: "the sun never sets on it!"

What period is often ignored?

More rarely, these two British empires are sometimes referred to as the Second and Third Empires. Historians single out another one: the time of the Norman expansion. During this period, Wales, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man join England and the first outposts in Ireland are established.

There is often confusion here, because the Normans themselves came from the north of France, and how to understand whether this was a Norman-French or English empire? In fact, the Normans are descended from the Vikings, who moved to the north of France. This Anglo-French empire, so to speak, will later be called Angevin. It really began to break up into two countries - England and France - in time. Although even thereafter England had influence in northern France at Calais until Mary Tudor finally lost control of it in 1558, although the Channel Islands are still technically part of Britain.

Technically, one can speak of Britain as a state only from 1707, so in the period from 1497 to 1707 it should be called England, although Wales was already part of it then. Britain frequently entered into alliances with the French in the 18th and 19th centuries, with the Russians in the mid-19th century, and with the Germans in the 20th century. Her army was regularly called upon to help on the continent, but after the end of the conflicts they did not take part in the settlement or colonization.

Europe was densely populated, it built up a fairly high technological level, and peoples became more and more aware of their national and linguistic identity. And Britain, being an island nation, also had a powerful navy and thus could afford to choose which campaigns on the continent to participate in and which not, and therefore paid more attention to maritime trade with non-European markets.

How big was the British Empire?

Of course, the British Empire expanded and developed rapidly over the years. It was greatly expanded by the American colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries, especially after the defeat of the French in the Seven Years' War. In its prime, its territory reached 35.5 million square meters. km.

After the American Revolution, Britain lost a lot of territory, although not all, but compensated for these losses by expanding British interests in India. Advances in medicine, transportation, and communications placed Africa on the list of accessible lands, which strengthened European imperialism in the second half of the 19th century.

The First World War added even more colonies to the British Empire in the form of Mandatory Territories - by the Treaty of Versailles, the League of Nations transferred control of these territories to Britain. By 1924, the United Kingdom still owned between a quarter and a third of all land on the globe, more than one hundred and fifty times the size of Great Britain itself.

The result of World War II was the loss of many imperial territories. Despite the British being the winning side, the empire did not recover from the geopolitical shifts caused by this war and entered a period of final decline. India was the first and largest area to drop dominance, followed by the Middle East and Africa. The Caribbean and Pacific dominions held out a little longer, but most of them also went their separate ways. The last major colony to break away was Hong Kong in 1997.

Technological and industrial excellence

The British did not have a monopoly on technological innovation. Gunpowder, printing press, navigation equipment were developed and improved on the Continent or even further. Europe has been a dynamic place since the fifteenth century, where new ideas are spinning at a staggering pace. Britain benefited from the Renaissance and Enlightenment, and yet it was able to implement these and many other ideas, and as a result, it became the first nation to use the steam engine, which in turn would launch the Industrial Revolution - an avalanche of high-quality, mass-produced goods flooded markets around the world. A technological gap was created that was difficult for non-European countries to compete with.

Muskets, rifles, machine guns, locomotives for trains, steam ships gave the relatively small British army an unrivaled advantage. They faced a much stronger (and perhaps more courageous) enemy, but still defeated, subdued and suppressed it. British weaponry was very effective, and its communications systems enabled it to conserve its meager resources, and its medicine improved so much that it allowed soldiers and sailors to penetrate ever more remote and inaccessible areas. Britain was not the only country to enjoy a technological advantage over non-European nations, but its combination of industrial power, commercial savvy, and maritime influence gave it an advantage that was unchallenged until the outbreak of guerrilla warfare in the 20th century.

Maritime benefits

The Royal Navy certainly became a formidable military tool, but that did not mean that Britain would always dominate the seas. Naturally, for an island nation, shipbuilding would be an important industry in a country like England. But, for example, Portugal, and then Spain, achieved much higher results in maritime dominance, starting in the 15th century. They developed their shipbuilding, navigational and remote skills necessary to study and commercialize discovered routes. The British have always been content with scraps of information obtained from the Portuguese and Spaniards. At any rate, it was the Dutch and French who first challenged Portuguese and Spanish control of the seas.

This situation remained until the 18th century. The Glorious Revolution of 1688, when the Dutch king William of Orange took control of the English crown, reduced but did not eliminate the Anglo-Dutch rivalry. However, after (from 1756 to 1763) the Royal Navy took over the wealthy and possibly more powerful Kingdom of France. As a result of the Glorious Revolution, the British took over from the Dutch their sophisticated banking system (including the formation of the Bank of England), which allowed the British to borrow money to build a huge navy. The idea was to return the loans as soon as Britain won the war. The French Navy did not have such an infusion of investment and therefore found it difficult to cope with the task of the Royal Navy, especially on the global scale of what was indeed the first "World War" as British interests extended to every corner of the globe. The French were able to retaliate by helping the American revolutionaries in the 1770s and 1780s in their humiliation of the British. But that in itself would be a false dawn for the French Monarchy. They invested huge sums of money to challenge the Royal Navy (and help the Americans win the revolution) but with no hope of recouping those costs.

Thus, one of the main reasons for France's own Revolution was that their treasury was depleted after aiding the American revolutionaries. This, of course, indirectly affected the Napoleonic struggle between France and Great Britain. Napoleon concentrated on his terrestrial campaigns, but he was constantly pursued by the Royal Navy. For example, Nelson destroyed Napoleon's fleet while it was anchored off the coast of Egypt in 1798.

Napoleon attempted to combine the French and Spanish fleets to lure the Royal Navy across the Atlantic and launch an invasion of England. As a result, the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 became the defining naval battle for the next century. The British did not take the bait and ended up blockading the French and Spanish fleets. As soon as these fleets sailed, Nelson unleashed all the power on them, which established the Royal Navy as the master of the seas both in the First World War and after. During the entire 19th century, there was no naval power that could come close to British dominance over sea lanes and trade routes.

Empire administration

The British Empire was certainly not a perfect organization. It encountered a completely unsystematic administration along its volatile path of development. In the early stages of government and trusted management companies were rather inclined to be responsible for the effective management of their outlying outlets. The most famous example of this was the East India Company, which discovered that government business could be just as profitable as a steady stream of taxes from trade—at least in the short term. Over time, riots, natural disasters, and wars pushed these early-accredited companies to their financial limits and beyond.

Set the precedent that the protection of the Crown to any of its subjects extends wherever they live in the world. This principle was continued by James I and all subsequent monarchs. However, this was hampered by the long distances and time for lodging petitions, as well as the lack of knowledge of the work of the Royal Court. In addition, over time, Parliament gained more and more influence over the affairs of the colonies, as the power of the British monarchs steadily declined over the next centuries. Both monarchs and the British Parliament found out for themselves that the rights of settlers and the rights of indigenous peoples often conflicted. Sometimes the monarch gave support to one group while the parliament supported another. These divergent views on rights and duties were later exacerbated by the fact that settler colonies were given their own parliaments in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Undoubtedly, the British Empire left an indelible mark on the development of the entire world civilization, creating a cultural, military, economic basis that formed the basis of the state structure of most states of the world.

At the time of the highest prosperity of the Roman Empire, its dominion extended over vast territories - their total area was about 6.51 million square kilometers. However, in the list of the largest empires in history, the Roman one occupies only the nineteenth place.

What do you think, which one is the first one?

The largest empire in the world in history

Mongolian

295 (21.7 % )

Russian

214 (15.8 % )

Spanish

48 (3.5 % )

british

567 (41.8 % )

Mongolian

119 (8.8 % )

Turkic Khaganate

18 (1.3 % )

Japanese

5 (0.4 % )

Arab Caliphate

18 (1.3 % )

Macedonian

74 (5.4 % )

Now we know the correct answer...

Millennia of human existence passed under the sign of wars and expansions. Great states arose, grew and collapsed, which changed (and some continue to change) the face of the modern world.

An empire is the most powerful type of state, where various countries and peoples are united under the rule of a single monarch (emperor). Let's take a look at the ten biggest empires that have ever appeared on the world stage. Oddly enough, but in our list you will not find either the Roman, or the Ottoman, or even the empire of Alexander the Great - history has seen more.

10. Arab Caliphate

Population: -

State area: - 6.7

Capital: 630-656 Medina / 656 - 661 Mecca / 661 - 754 Damascus / 754 - 762 Al-Kufa / 762 - 836 Baghdad / 836 - 892 Samarra / 892 - 1258 Baghdad

Beginning of domination: 632 g

Fall of the empire: 1258

The existence of this empire marked the so-called. The "golden era of Islam" - the period from the 7th to the 13th century AD. e. The caliphate was founded immediately after the death of the founder of the Muslim faith, Muhammad, in 632, and the Medina community founded by the prophet became its core. Centuries of Arab conquests increased the area of ​​the empire to 13 million square meters. km, covering territories in all three parts of the Old World. By the middle of the 13th century, the Caliphate, torn apart by internal conflicts, was so weakened that it was easily captured first by the Mongols and then by the Ottomans, the founders of another great Persian empire.

9. Japanese Empire

Population: 97,770,000

State area: 7.4 million km2

Capital: Tokyo

Beginning of reign: 1868

Fall of an empire: 1947

Japan is the only empire on the modern political map. Now this status is rather formal, but 70 years ago it was Tokyo that was the main center of imperialism in Asia. Japan - an ally of the Third Reich and fascist Italy - then tried to establish control over the western coast of the Pacific Ocean, sharing a vast front with the Americans. At this time, the peak of the territorial scope of the empire, which controlled almost the entire maritime space and 7.4 million square meters, fell. km of land from Sakhalin to New Guinea.

8. Portuguese Empire

Population: 50 million (480 BC) / 35 million (330 BC)

State area: - 10.4 million km2

Capital: Coimbra, Lisbon

Since the 16th century, the Portuguese have been looking for ways to break through the Spanish isolation in the Iberian Peninsula. In 1497, they opened a sea route to India, which marked the beginning of the growth of the Portuguese colonial empire. Three years earlier, the Tordesillas Treaty was concluded between the “sworn neighbors”, which actually divided the world known at that time between the two countries, on unfavorable last conditions for the Portuguese. But this did not stop them from collecting more than 10 million square meters. km of land, most of which was occupied by Brazil. The handover of Macau to the Chinese in 1999 ended Portugal's colonial history.

7. Turkic Khaganate

Area - 13 million km2

one of the largest ancient states in the history of mankind in Asia, created by a tribal union of the Turks (Turkuts) headed by rulers from the Ashina clan. During the period of greatest expansion (the end of the 6th century), it controlled the territories of China (Manchuria), Mongolia, Altai, East Turkestan, West Turkestan (Central Asia), Kazakhstan and the North Caucasus. In addition, Sasanian Iran, the Chinese states of Northern Zhou, Northern Qi were tributaries of the Kaganate since 576, and from the same year the Turkic Kaganate seized the North Caucasus and Crimea from Byzantium.

6. French Empire

Population: -

State area: 13.5 million square meters km

Capital: Paris

Beginning of reign: 1546

Fall of an empire: 1940

France became the third European power (after Spain and Portugal) to become interested in overseas territories. Starting from 1546 - the time of the founding of New France (now Quebec, Canada) - the formation of Francophonie in the world begins. Having lost the American opposition to the Anglo-Saxons, and also inspired by the conquests of Napoleon, the French occupied almost all of West Africa. In the middle of the twentieth century, the area of ​​the empire reached 13.5 million square meters. km, more than 110 million people lived in it. By 1962, most of the French colonies had become independent states.

Chinese Empire

5. Chinese Empire (Qing Empire)

Population: 383,100,000

State area: 14.7 million km2

Capital: Mukden (1636–1644), Beijing (1644–1912)

Beginning of reign: 1616

Fall of the empire: 1912

The most ancient empire of Asia, the cradle of oriental culture. The first Chinese dynasties ruled from the 2nd millennium BC. e., but a single empire was created only in 221 BC. e. During the reign of Qing - the last monarchical dynasty of the Middle Kingdom - the empire occupied a record area of ​​14.7 million square meters. km. This is 1.5 times more than that of the modern Chinese state, mainly due to Mongolia, now independent. In 1911, the Xinhai Revolution broke out, putting an end to the monarchy in China, turning the empire into a republic.

4. Spanish Empire

Population: 60 million

State area: 20,000,000 km2

Capital: Toledo (1492-1561) / Madrid (1561-1601) / Valladolid (1601-1606) / Madrid (1606-1898)

Fall of the empire: 1898

The period of Spain's world domination began with the voyages of Columbus, who opened up new horizons for Catholic missionary work and territorial expansion. In the 16th century, almost the entire Western Hemisphere was "at the feet" of the Spanish king with his "invincible armada". It was at this time that Spain was called “the country where the sun never sets”, because its possessions covered the seventh part of the land (about 20 million sq. Km) and almost half of the sea routes in all corners of the planet. The greatest empires of the Incas and Aztecs fell to the conquistadors, and in their place a predominantly Hispanic Latin America was formed.

3. Russian Empire

Population: 60 million

Population: 181.5 million (1916)

State area: 23,700,000 km2

Capital: St. Petersburg, Moscow

Fall of the empire: 1917

The largest continental monarchy in human history. Its roots reach the times of the Moscow principality, then the kingdom. In 1721, Peter I proclaimed the imperial status of Russia, which owned vast territories from Finland to Chukotka. At the end of the 19th century, the state reached its geographical apogee: 24.5 million square meters. km, about 130 million inhabitants, over 100 ethnic groups and nationalities. At one time, Russian possessions were the lands of Alaska (until it was sold by the Americans in 1867), as well as part of California.

2. Mongol Empire

Population: more than 110,000,000 people (1279)

State area: 38,000,000 km2 (1279)

Capital: Karakorum, Khanbalik

Beginning of reign: 1206

Fall of the empire: 1368

The greatest empire of all times and peoples, whose meaning of existence was one - war. The great Mongolian state was formed in 1206 under the leadership of Genghis Khan, having grown over several decades to 38 million square meters. km, from the Baltic Sea to Vietnam, and at the same time killing every tenth inhabitant of the Earth. By the end of the 13th century, its uluses covered a quarter of the land and a third of the world's population, which then numbered almost half a billion people. The ethno-political framework of modern Eurasia was formed on the fragments of the empire.

1. British Empire

Population: 458,000,000 (approximately 24% of the world's population in 1922)

State area: 42.75 km2 (1922)

Capital London

Beginning of reign: 1497

Empire Fall: 1949 (1997)

The British Empire is the largest ever existing state in the history of mankind with colonies on all inhabited continents.

For 400 years of its formation, it has withstood the competition for world domination with other "colonial titans": France, Holland, Spain, Portugal. During its heyday, London controlled a quarter of the world's land (over 34 million square kilometers) on all inhabited continents, as well as vast expanses of the ocean. Formally, it still exists in the form of the Commonwealth, while countries such as Canada and Australia actually remain subject to the British crown.

The international status of the English language is the main legacy of Pax Britannica.

Something else interesting for you from history: remember, or for example. Here you are. maybe you didn't know what was and

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