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 (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