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by Spixxy on September 29th, 2004

Spixxy

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What caused the fall of the British Empire?

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  • by FreeRadical Jetpacking for Nelson on May 30th, 2007

    FreeRadical Jetpacking for Nelson

    I'm pretty sure it was the Spice Girls...

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  • by f0ul_Oli on October 5th, 2004

    f0ul_Oli

    The British empire fell due to the cost of maintaining it.

    The Empire was built on trade and maintained by beaurocracy. The cost of the paperwork was offset by the non competetive market.

    But by 1930's, many countries had decided to leave the empire and so the market shrunk faster than the cost of maintaining it.

    The fact that the US had lent money to the UK to maintain their military forces during WW2 at a very high interest rate didn't help!

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  • by HungryGuy on October 1st, 2004

    HungryGuy

    I think it slipped on a banana peel...

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  • by peterpam on May 30th, 2007

    peterpam

    We still rule the world don't we??????????????????

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  • by RedJohn on September 30th, 2005

    RedJohn

    Re: "SA War? It was the Boer War"
    It is officially known as the South African War. To quote the Canadian War Museum: "The South African War (1899-1902) or, as it is also known, the Boer War, marked Canada's first official dispatch of troops to an overseas war."
    (http://www.civilization.ca/cwm/boer/boerwarhistory_e.html)

    ------------------------------------------------------------

    Some say "the sun never sets on the British Empire". It has been a very long, very slow sunset.

    The first clear sign of decay was most likely the South African War (1899-1902), when Britain invaded Transvaal and the Orange Free State. They eventually won, but not after tremendous successes by the Boers, a bitter guerrilla war, and the establishment of concentration camps where thousands of civilians died. The Boer's relative success in the war inspired others.

    World War I had a devastating effect on Britain, both in terms of manpower and financially. An entire generation of young men was quite literally destroyed, including massive numbers of solders from the Commonwealth.

    There was a post-war recession, followed by a brief amelioration in the economy in the early to mid 1920s. In the late 1920s, the economy collapsed (it had been slowing for some time prior to the 1929 crash), leaving Britain in little condition to look after itself and, in some cases, bankrupt friends and colonies.

    World War II began in 1939, ending the Depression, but not the economic damage. Another generation of people suffered hardship. This economic condition worsened during the war and did not magically reverse itself in 1945. It took Britain at least ten years to repair the damage wrought by the Depression and the war.

    After the war, many Commonwealth nations and colonies wanted to exercise their independence (e.g., India, 1947). Britain also wanted rid of the responsibilities and/or problems associated with dependent nations or colonies (e.g., Newfoundland, 1949, Rhodesia, 1970). This process continues to this day.

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  • by Holmeboy on November 30th, 2009

    Holmeboy

    2 World Wars and a Depression made it pretty difficult to keep the Empire, the first half of the 20th Century was very expesive for Britain; in live, economic and military terms.

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  • by Anonymous on May 30th, 2007

    Anonymous

    In the late 1800s, problems with diplomatic alliances forced Britain to backtrack on some colonial expansion, particularly in Africa. There was also problem with Britain not having enough manpower and ships to police or control the countries it held, which made it easier for other countries to take them over. The World Wars in particular, stretched resources.

    The people of the colonies developed their own voice which was separate to the Mother Country, and thus wanted their own freedom (as occured in the US in the 1700s, and in Ireland in the 1920s, where centuries of English suppression had brought resentment and a hope for freedom to the people). Also, as a result of being dragged into two World Wars as manpower for Britain, colonies later sought some independence from Britain - which I think lead to the development of the Commonwealth and local governments.

    With the rise of large countries such as US, China and (in the past) Russia, Britain in this day and age can't 'compete' in terms of economy and resources, and is not what I'd consider a 'Super Power' - theoretically, if it came down to war, I think it's quite possible that the British Isles could be captured and invaded, though by who, I don't know.

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  • by DirtyDiana on March 7th, 2005

    DirtyDiana

    World War 2 accelerated the desire of member states to push for independence.The fact that WW2 broke the empire,as it did everyone else,didn't help.
    Independence was gained peacefully in most cases,as the empire wasn't established by direct conquest but by trade originally.
    Perhaps the British Empire was the most benevolent empire in history!
    Oh and Great Britain has NEVER been a republic!

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  • by Ion on November 28th, 2009

    Ion

    Empires NEVER last forever. All empires fall due to their own hands.

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  • by cold_cut on November 28th, 2009

    cold_cut

    greed.

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  • by Nelson - Jetpacking from bed on May 30th, 2007

    Nelson - Jetpacking from bed

    Dental care (just kidding!)

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  • by Kris Kringle on May 30th, 2007

    Kris Kringle

    Bad administration of it during bad times.

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  • by Cunctator on November 11th, 2006

    Cunctator

    Among other things, the Atlantic Charter ( the one that started NATO). The Americans were determined to have access to the huge markets of the British Empire. This was the price tag for US assistance in WW2, and Britain had no choice but to pay. WHETHER YOU THINK THAT THIS WAS A GOOD THING OR NOT DEPENDS ON YOUR PERSPECTIVE.

    The Atlantic Charter:
    Article III said: "They respect the rights of all peoples to choose the forms of government under which they will live; and they wish to see sovereignty and self-government restored to those who have been forcibly deprived of them."

    Article IV promised equal access on equal terms to the trade and raw materials of the world needed for economic prosperity.

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  • by Nemesis on December 4th, 2009

    Nemesis

    It didn't fall.... just the new age version

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  • by Bohemian is back on December 4th, 2009

    Bohemian is back

    It's an expensive business running the Empire and even more so when all of the countries rise up against it.

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  • by PrairieWind on November 28th, 2009

    PrairieWind

    The administrative cost for such a spread out Empire was overwhelming especially when colonies had conflicts that took time and monies to sort out ,from the head office; England.

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  • by More2Be on November 28th, 2009

    More2Be

    It happened in stages. The 13 colonies went first but that was just a setback.
    Slowly, one by one, each colony seeking independence became more trouble than it was worth. India was a biggie. Popular sentiment in Singapore, as a result of Japanese conquest in WWII, was that they were expendable in the event of a threat from their own neighborhood, and therefore there was little benefit to staying under the crown.
    Liberal world opinion held that the peoples of africa would achieve prosperity if only colonialism ceased (naïve and disastrous). Remaining holdings such as Belize and The Bahamas were then only a matter of time.

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  • by Steve on March 16th, 2009

    Steve

    The Fall of the british empire can be blamed largely on the labor party! I n poticular the sniverling shit that folowed Cherchel Clemont Attlee.Britton was broke and Atlee just cept making it werse. To save money on men and logistics he puld out of India.India had allways been a great asset. During the american war of indipendens no men wer moved from india as it was seen as far moor inportant collony.Yet with Britton in its werst state since Tudor times he let our greatest asset go.It was divided into Pakistan Cashmire annd what was left remaind india. Many people starved in the mayhem that followd. Stabilaty has never reterned to this part of the world.The African collonys soon followd and the same can be sead for most of them. The next mistake was to allmost completely desolved the Navy that had baught the power in the first place. This meant holding a empire became an inposobility.He allso in a allmost comunist pollocy nationalized gas,steal, coal and many other industrees .then proceeded to place incompotents to run them, Resulting in there domize.Clemont allso made the deal for the us lone that had to be paid back at unfear rates of intrest.Tied into this deal was allso the condition that the pound became a free courency which resulted in a run on the banks All this plus fears over open door imogration to all ex collonies and the ever continuing rashonig led riots and cities burnt. Not unti Thatcher would any kind of prosperety return to Britton. Clemont Attlee werst PM ever!!!!!!! PS I CANT SPELL BUT DONT THAT MAKE YOU DOUT THE FACTS

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  • by Anonymous on May 30th, 2007

    Anonymous

    Uncle Sam stuck his foot out and they tripped.

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  • by R U Sirius on May 30th, 2007

    R U Sirius

    I believe someone mixed in some whites with the redcoats and everything turned pink. Everything went to hell after that.

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  • by Anonymous on December 27th, 2004

    Anonymous

    The reduction of power to the monarchy was the main factor. With the Prime Minister now the head of government, the monarch no longer has total control with which to supervise the empire. Costs grew and with the age of global war climaxing and closing, many nations under the empire became virtually independent and England organized as a republic (the United Kingdom), although the monarch of England still ceremonially serves as the chief of state of many of the former nations of the empire (such as Canada and Australia).

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  • by Anonymous on October 26th, 2008

    Anonymous

    The British Empire fell due to a vast array of reasons. One reason is their involvement in WWI. Pre-war, Great Britain showed much support and focus on their African and Indian colonies. They supplied the colonies with food, money, and a sense of government. Once Britain joined the war, their focus was entirely on the war and they began using their colonies for war supplies and man power. As a result, the nationalism of the colonies began to rise and the colonies pleaded for their independence. Great Britain fell due to their inability to successfully oversee their former colonies during WWI.

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  • by richard A on November 12th, 2008

    richard A

    After the Irish successfully fought a guerrilla campaign against us, the most powerful empire in the world, all the other countries saw they they too could have independence and we, Britain, were economically broken after the war.

    The reason the Americans charged such high interest on the WW2 loans was because the WW1 loans have never been repaid (as of Nov 2008).
    We British sought war reparations from Germany to repay the Americans, the Germans paid the British through secured American Loans. It was just a transfer of debt

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  • by Frederik on November 28th, 2009

    Frederik

    As far as I can see after the pov of the British the British Empire is existing even more powerful as ever before.
    Most British are sure that they still have all their colonies and that they even have conquerred a few more in the last years and most Britsh are also sure that Britannia of course rules the waves and America still is a British colony.
    It is just a matter of British pov.
    So you asked the wrong question.
    So, there is no doubt that Britain still is ruling its Empire.

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  • by Daniel_H6969 on November 8th, 2010

    Daniel_H6969

    justin beber sang so high piched that it caused the world to crack

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  • by Makmende on April 8th, 2010

    Makmende

    it was MAU MAU revolution in Kenya....now called MUNGIKI..

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  • by MikesJohnHancock on April 8th, 2010

    MikesJohnHancock

    The first real 'modern' arms race came prior to the first world war. Before that , Britain had enjoyed Naval dominance since the beginning of the Empire under Elizabeth. Germany began to build ships rapidly and the U.K with numerous international issues to deal with struggled to match the threat. At the outbreak of WWI Germany had the second largest navy in the world. Although the land war was won and the German fleet skuttled, the british navy would never be the same. By the start of the second world war the fighter bomber could decimate previously untouchable battleships and it was clear that Britain had lost its advantage. Aircraft carriers are now the tool used by superpowers to dominate the planet.

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  • by Mosexy on March 16th, 2009

    Mosexy

    It's evils were exposed. It's also why its remnants have moved into the shadows to better conceal the agenda. You do know that NYC was a loyalist bastion for years after the revolutionary war. It just so happens to be the headquarters for the UN and the CFR. Coincidence?

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  • by robbob74 on October 2nd, 2004

    robbob74

    George Washington, gandi, Kizer William, Gandi, and Hitler.
    oh yeah and Queen Victoria Died

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  • by Smart2 is back! Did you miss me? on March 16th, 2009

    Smart2 is back! Did you miss me?

    government bail-outs!!!

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  • by Phoenix on November 28th, 2009

    Phoenix

    Prince Harry going bald. *or whatever his name is?

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  • by John on November 28th, 2009

    John

    The idea that colonies and states under protectorate was wrong.

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  • by robertini on December 4th, 2009

    robertini

    Who says that it has fallen?

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  • by Anonymous on November 28th, 2009

    Anonymous

    The invasion by non- white, non-christian immigrants.

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  • by StupidGirl on November 28th, 2009

    StupidGirl

    The Queen stumbled.

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  • by Makmende on April 8th, 2010

    Makmende

    it was because of us..the Mau Mau.. i dont think there is anybody in the world that the Britons feared more than MauMau..by the way we are still here waiting for its rise again and then we crash it...

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  • by Nemo_S on March 16th, 2009

    Nemo_S

    to many wars and not enough people to fight them, of course when you particpate in adventurism it is hard to claim that as a national interest, people don't like being lied too ...

    ~Nemo~

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  • by anddeb on March 16th, 2009

    anddeb

    A man like obama.

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