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The British Empire and the Commonwealth

Content

  • The First British Empire
  • The Second British Empire
  • Exploration of the Pacific
  • War with France
  • Abolition of slavery
  • The Commonwealth
  • Sources

The First British Empire

The First British Empire (1607 - 1776)

  • Britain conquered North American colonies
  • New England (Boston)
  • Middle Colonies (New York)
  • Southern Colonies
  • Colonies exported goods (tea, sugar, rubber)
  • American War of Independence (1775 - 1783)
  • Global conflict between Britain and her 13 colonies
  • Civil war turned into an international conflict
  • The British surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781
  • After losing the colonies, Britain planned to establish a new Empire (Victorian Empire)

The First British Empire (1607 - 1776)

The Second British Empire (1783 - 1815)

The Second British Empire

Exploration of the Pacific

  • Britain explored the lands of Australia
  • In 1770 James Cook discovered the eastern coast of Australia
  • Convicts were shipped to Australia from 1788 - 1840
  • Cook visited New Zealand and claimed the North and South islands in 1770

War with France (Napoleon)

  • Britain was challenged by Napoleon
  • This lead to a contest of ideologies between Britain and France
  • Napoleon threatened to invade Britain
  • Britain invested large amounts of resources to win the war
  • Many colonies were attacked and conquered

Abolition of slavery

  • Slavery became less important with the industrial revolution
  • Slave rebellions were impossible to prevent
  • Slave trading was abolished in 1833 („Slavery Abolition Act“)
  • Owners of slaves got compensated

The Commonwealth

  • Political association of 52 states
  • Mostly former members of the British Empire
  • Established during the 20th century when most British colonies gained independence
  • Shared values of free speech, democracy and human rights
  • Covers 20% of the world's land area
  • Members don't need to have a relation to the British Empire

The Commonwealth

History

  • Canada became independent in 1867
  • The phrase „Commonwealth of Nations“ was used to describe the new relationships in 1884
  • More colonies followed the lead and became members
  • The British Commonwealth of Nations was founded in 1931
  • In 1926 Britain declared the equality of all colonies (Balfour Declaration)
  • India joined the Commonwealth with their indepence in 1947

Members

  • India
  • United Kingdom
  • South Africa
  • Canada
  • Australia
  • New Zealand
  • Pakistan

Members

Sources

  • http://www.britishempire.co.uk/
  • http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/British_Empire
  • http://thecommonwealth.org/our-history
  • https://www.britannica.com/place/British-Empire
  • http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/modern/endofempire_overview_01.shtml
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