WWII and the Lessening Grip of the British Empire

The British Empire Spread and its Colonies 

It should be acknowledged that the British Empire entailed protectorates, colonies, dominions, territories and the mandates that were ruled by the United Kingdom. In this essence, the British Empire originated from the trading posts and the overseas possessions that had been established by England from the late 16th Century to the early 18th Century. During this period, the British Empire was the largest empire over the centuries and historically. Given its expansiveness, it emerged at the leading global power considering by 1913, it accounted for 23% of the global population (Darwin, 2009) . This is because it had over 412 million people. By 1920, the British Empire accounted for 24% of the total land area on earth. Therefore, it had a widespread cultural, linguistic, legal and political legacy. This paper will seek to outline the decline of the British Empire by giving specific reasons that contributed to its decline and fall. 

The British Empire was the largest globally at its peak. It is for this reason that its legacy can still be felt even up to today. The available historical information suggests that the British Empire was both a British and world story, thus demonstrating its extent and expansiveness before it declined. Historically, its origin can be traced in the 16th Century when the British started to establish America’s colonies (Lloyd, 2006) . For instance, it should be noted that the expansion of the British Empire in the territories such as Asia was significantly facilitated by the trading posts that were being constructed by the London-based trade business. Despite such immense expansions, the French East India Company poised a great competition, thus forcing the organization to expand its territorial presence in India. However, with was facilitated using more than 260, 000 private armies. The Indian Rebellion further boosted such efforts in 1857, a phenomenon that enabled the British Crown to control the Indian subcontinent significantly, thus making it be the epicenter of the British Empire. 

Further expansions of the empire were further conducted through Asia. As a result, the British Empire ended up the largest ever empire to exist by 1913 (Gallagher, 2004) . By covering an approximated 25% of the global land surface, it should be acknowledged that the British Empire covered regions such as Asia, Africa, Australia, South America, and North America. The Expansiveness of the British Empire can be outlined as follows; 

A Start to the fall 

The 13 Colonies of America and its impact on Britain 

The British Empire was originally made up by the 13 colonies. However, the decline of the British Empire started when it became apparent that the respective colonies were not willing to be associated with England. As a result, they ended up being independent from England by signing the Declaration of Independence (Darwin, 2009) . Even though were resistances in the first place, the 13 colonies ended up winning it through the waged revolutionary war, thus disassociating themselves from England and associating themselves with the U.S., thus leading to the decline and fall of the British Empire. 

The Many Wars and Their Impact 

WWI and what this cost the British Empire 

The onset of the First World War ended up exposing significant shortcomings of the top leadership of the Britain military. During this period, embarrassing administrative messes were also experienced, thus leading to the decline of the British Empire. On a different note, there were several warnings that key demands by the Irish nationalism had to be met. This was specifically communicated in terms of the Easter Uprising in Dublin in 1916 following the failure by Britain to implement fully the Third Irish Home Rule bill between 1913 and 1914. Such incidents were later met by the growing demands that a huge loan is secured from the United States for the purpose of financing war efforts that were being fronted by Britain. 

Therefore, this indicated clearly that Britain which was regarded as one of the greatest creditors back in the 19th century had metamorphosed into an international debtor unable to meet its routine war expenses. Therefore, such incapacitation of Britain coupled with other prevailing economic and political aspects led to the decline of the British Empire. During this period, Britain was also faced with multiple internal conflicts even after the constitutional crisis that had lasted between 1909 and 1911 (Darwin, 2009) . Therefore, such conflicts led to calculated incidences of violence that escalated to serious death threats channeled to the serving members of the cabinet in Britain. The decline of the British Empire was further worsened by a series of strikes crafted by the alliance of dock, coal and transport workers. Such strikes caused major disturbances that weakened the grip of Britain on its territories, thus leading to its decline and subsequent fall. 

The decline and fall of the British Empire can also be attributed to the failed appeasement policy during the Second World War. This is attributed to the fact that during this period, the British government led by Neville Chamberlain failed to offer a robust response to the aggrandizement policy that was being fronted by Hitler in Europe (Gallagher, 2004) . Given that during this period also Britain was experiencing interwar cuts with regard to the defense spending, it needed a significant amount of time to effectively rearm its military for it to challenge the Nazi aggression. This phenomenon was contributed to by the fact that the British army had lost many troops during the First World War, thus incapacitating its ability to take on the Nazi. Therefore, such an aspect further contributed to the fall and decline of the British Empire. 

The British Empire also decline and fell following the rise of Germany. This was experienced given that the global supremacy that had been established by Britain was being threatened by the rapid rise of Germany Empire in terms of power and influence. For instance, Germany managed to dislodge the influence of Britain in the majority of its former territories. For instance, this was experienced when they offered moral support to the rebel groups that were clashing with Britain in Transvaal. Through such approaches, Germany managed to tame the influence of Britain by muscling it out on key African partitions (Darwin, 2009) . As such, it managed to divide the Cameroons that had initially formed part of the British Empire. Subsequently, German also adopted a massive naval building programme aimed at rivaling Britain and cutting to pieces its influence. Through such approaches, the British Empire was weakened, an aspect that subsequently led to its decline and fall. 

It should be noted that during the Second World War was punctuated by two major British military humiliations. In this case, it is important to note that the military humiliation was manifested by the massacre of multiple British troops. This was experienced during the Battle of Isandlhwana that took place during the outbreak of the Zulu War (Gallagher, 2004) . Therefore, the massacre of the British troops meant that there were no worthy defendants of the British Empire, thus leading to its imminent decline. Furthermore, the decline of the empire was further contributed by the invasion of Afghanistan during the similar year, a phenomenon that started disastrously. 

Even though Disraeli managed to purchase controlling shares to influence the Suez Canal for the purpose of easing the British control and access to the east, there was an incessant discontent among the working class at home, thus contributing to more troubles that befell the British Empire. Furthermore, the appalling loss of life during the Bengal famine further contributed to the decline of the British Empire. This is because it cast doubts over the claims of Britain that the warfare of Indian subjects by their queen played a central role to the civilization mission and rule of British (Lloyd, 2006) . As a result, such a phenomenon contributed to the significant fall and decline of the British Empire. 

The defeat faced by the British during the Second World War further contributed to the fall and decline of the British Empire. For instance, one of the traumatic event resulting in the rifts at home was the defeat of the Irish Home Rule bill that had been tabled. As a result, the phenomenon led to the split of the dominant Liberal party and the subsequent defection of key Liberal unionists such as Joseph Chamberlain. In particular, it should be noted that such defections make it difficult for the Liberals to win any convened elections. Following such happenings, it culminated into the coalition of Liberal unionists with the Conservatives, thus serving a big blow to the Liberal party. Therefore, it is through such disagreements and rifts that the British Empire ended up declining (Darwin, 2009) . In this case, the defeat of the fronted bill further meant that the contentious Irish question was going to remain unresolved. This was a major hiccup since it led to protracted controversy with the impact of threatening to destabilize the United States, thus causing its imminent decline. Therefore, the fall and decline of the British Empire can also be traced to the domestic political wrangles that were being experienced in the United Kingdom. 

On the other hand, the abroad defeats that contributed to the decline of the empire were manifested in terms of the assassination of Lord Fredrick Cavendish, the chief secretary for Ireland by the Fenan splinter group. Similar defeats were also experienced in South Africa, especially during the Transvaal war stretching whereby the Afrikaners ended up beating the British. During this period, the British ended up being defeated, thus giving the Afrikaners the opportunity to restore the independence of their country, a phenomenon that marked the decline of the British Empire. Other incidents of the defeat of British abroad was further manifested in Sudan, especially following the killing of General Gordon by the Mehdist rebels in Khartoum. Abroad defeats were further faced by the British when they suffered humiliation thrice during the South African war. This is because the British forces responsible for protecting the respective British Empire were defeated by the Boer civilian army. As a result, such multiple defeats experienced by the British military ended up exposing their shortcomings, an aspect that further contributed to the decline of the empire. A similar phenomenon in terms of defeat was even experienced at home in London. This was manifested in terms of the dock strike that crippled many routine operations. 

The decline of the British Empire can also be attributed to the end of Isolation that was being experienced by the United Kingdom prior to 1900s. This was the case when Britain signed an alliance with the rising power of Japan. According to the treaty that was later strengthened and renewed in 1905, either Britain or Japan was to come to the rescue of each other upon being attacked. For this arrangement to be effective, Britain was forced to terminate its relationship with France that had initially established frameworks for the two countries to lessen bilateral tensions with regard to the international and imperial rivalry. 

It should be noted that such an initial arrangement with France further helped Britain to be in good terms with Russia given that it was a formal ally of France. However, it is important to note that such arrangements depicted the end of the splendid isolation that had been experienced during the era of Britain. It is for this reason that Britain, which was the superpower in the 19th Century feared that it was no longer tenable for it to operate alone. This period was further characterized by other sobering events that contributed to the decline of the British Empire. Such events included the death of totemic queen Victoria and the adoption of the Treaty of Vereeniging, thus marking the end of the Boer war. Similar efforts were further replicated in other territories where the British have established their grip (Brown, & Louis, 1999) . For instance, this can be evidenced by the launch of the Muslim League and Sinn Fein in 1906 and 1905 respectively. Such happenings contributed to a significant decline in the expansive British Empire. 

A further decline was exacerbated by the general elections that were held in 1906 given that the elections helped in delivering an intuitionist landslide. As a result of this, there were several Liberal majority and Labor MPs having different affiliations to the House of Commons. After three years, the ferocious debate was ignited by Lloyd George with regard to taxation, thus leading to a serious constitutional crisis that ended up delaying and limiting the power of the House of Lords. The subsequent general election after these incidents resulted in a hung parliament, thus contributing to the decline and fall of the British Empire. 

The Anglo-Irish treaty in 1921 further contributed to the decline of the British Empire. Despite the fact that the treaty aimed at providing resolution to the contentious Irish Question, it led to a civil war between the factions that were for and against the treaty. Such rivalry led to the acceptance of the Dominion of the Irish Free State as a temporary expedient by the Republicans. Such incidents marked the initial rapture of the union that had been established in 1801 in the United Kingdom. The decline of the British Empire was further made a reality when the constitutional status of the Dominions was defined by acknowledging their self-governance, thus giving them a choice to be excluded from the British foreign policy. This meant that the hope by the British Empire to fully retain a binding and coherent set of external policies was quickly depreciating, hence its subsequent fall and decline. 

Independence of India and the loss of other Asian Territories 

The decline and fall of the expansive British Empire can be attributed to the Great Exhibition that took place in 1851. This is because the exhibition provided a platform for Britain to showcase its various aspects of the world, thus drawing global admiration and attention. At this time, Britain was mostly perceived as the largest imperial power, industrial power, and the greatest naval power (Brown, & Louis, 1999) . Therefore, the Greatest Exhibition provided a platform for Britain to showcase its massive and extraordinary achievements. Besides this, it also provided an opportunity for Britain to show off its industrial and manufacturing wares. During the entire exhibition exercise, more than 100,000 objects were on display from an estimated 15,000 contributors. However, more than half of the items that were on display originated from Britain and its associated empires. Besides Britain, the other most significant foreign contributors during the Great Exhibition was France (Mawby, 2015) . Judging from the exhibited wares comprising an array of textiles, it became apparent that France was a significant competitor for Britain in the overseas markets. Russia was also another key contributor during the exhibition despite the fact that its exhibits were delayed on the way in the Baltic Sea. 

However, within a span of a few years, there were several signs that despite Britain successfully mounting the Great Exhibition, it became apparent that it was far from being infallible. Therefore, this instigated the urgent need for reform to facilitate the combatting of such deprivation and inequalities. In the course of all these happenings, the Crimean War was adopted ad a significant byword attributable to the inefficiency of the military (Brown, & Louis, 1999) . Therefore, it provided an ample opportunity for the Indian Rebellion to emerge, thus managing to overthrow the British rule in Bengal and Punjab territories. In this regard, it became evident that the self-confidence superiority shown by the British during the Great Exhibition was slowly declining. This marked the beginning of the fall and decline of the British Empire. 

The decline and fall for the British Empire can further be attributed to the colonial uprisings in its territories that were experienced in the 1860s. For instance, this can be evidenced by the Second Maori War experienced at the beginning of 1860 in New Zealand (Hall, 2000) . This was a major setback to the dominance that had been established by Britain, especially considering that the struggle lasted for more than 12 years until the regular troops' intervention by the British for the attainment of victory. In this case, it should be noted that the stubborn resistance exhibited by the Maoris during this period implied that the British had no otherwise than admitting them to the franchise. This meant that they qualify to enjoy a comparably higher status in the colonial society than the Aboriginals of Australia. Such phenomenon destabilized Britain’s grip in the territory, thus resulting in its slow and consistent decline and fall. 

On an additional note, it should be noted that another colonial struggle in the British Empire erupted in 1865. In particular, this was manifested in terms of the Jamaica/Morant Bay Rebellion that took place when the slaves that had been freed at that time protested their lack of equality and impoverishment, especially after being crushed brutally by Governor Eyre. Even though the ringleaders of the uprising were hanged and a majority of them flogged and shot, it greatly destabilized the grip of the British Empire in the territory. This was manifested when many villages in the region ended up being burnt down. Besides this, the British Empire was further destabilized when the Fenian groups executed heinous acts of violence in 1867 by targeting Manchester and London (Brown, & Louis, 1999) . During the same year, it should be noted that British North America ended up creating Dominion of Canada characterized by full internal self-governance, thus phasing out the relevancy of the British Empire. Prior to these happenings, the First Communist Internal had been set up by Karl Marx in 1864 in London. By 1869, the Suez Canal had been opened, thus further contributing to the systematic and slow decline of the British Empire. This is because by opening the Suez Canal, Britain was drawn into deep affairs with the Middle East and Egypt. The decline of the empire was further exacerbated by the Red River Rebellion that as taking place in Canada during the same period. 

Conclusion 

It is clear from the presented discussions that Britain was a superpower in the 19th Century. In this case, the British Empire had a population of over 412 million people and it accounted for an estimated 24% of the total land area on Earth. Despite such superiority, the paper has outlined a few reasons that can be attributed to the decline and fall of the British Empire. In this case, it has been outlined that the Great Exhibition, colonial uprisings, loss of life, defeats abroad and rifts at home, the rise of Germany and the end of isolation are some of the reasons accounting for the decline and fall of the British Empire. 

References 

Brown, J., & Louis, W. R. (Eds.). (1999).  The Oxford History of the British Empire: Volume IV: The Twentieth Century . OUP, Oxford. 

Darwin, J. (2009).  The empire project: the rise and fall of the British world-system, 1830– 1970 . Cambridge University Press. 

Gallagher, J. (2004).  The Decline, Revival and Fall of the British Empire: The Ford Lectures and Other Essays . Cambridge University Press. 

Hall, C. (Ed.). (2000).  Cultures of Empire: Colonizers in Britain and the Empire in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries: A Reader . Taylor & Francis. 

Lloyd, T. (2006).  Empire: A History of the British Empire . A&C Black. 

Mawby, S. (2015).  The Transformation and Decline of the British Empire: Decolonisation After the First World War . Macmillan International Higher Education.