From the 1870s, in search of new markets to trade with, and facing competition from other countries, such as Germany and France, Britain set out to gain control and influence over new overseas territories, particularly in Africa. The British Empire did have some major victories in the Second World War – in the Battle of Britain, the British managed to turn away the vaunted German air force, and they were a crucial member of the Allied invasion force that landed in Normandy and eventually helped to conquer Germany – but these victories proved costly. I understand not including Hong Kong as a country, but if you are going with Jetpunk's list of countries, then Hong Kong is part of China, meaning that part of China was definitely in the British Empire. It was referred to as the ‘empire on which the sun never set’ due to its vast geographical reach. In the 16th century Britain began to establish overseas colonies. Professor Denis Judd is the author of Empire: The British Imperial Experience from 1765 to the Present (IB Tauris, 2011). This is for any countries that were ever in the empire. Read more. Author: Created by Morma. Advertisement . Created: Sep 6, 2017 | Updated: Jan 2, 2018. In the 15th and 16th century English and Scottish people started establishing colonies overseas and among many reasons, the main were trade and financial benefit. Starting with North America and the Caribbean the colonialization spread to Africa and Asia. In 1905 the Colonial Office issued a Circular Despatch (No14 of 1905) encouraging colonies to apply for arms. List of countries that have gained independence from the United Kingdom From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This is a list of countries and territories formerly ruled or administered by the United Kingdom or part of the British Empire, with their independence days. She is the Chair of the Chartered Trading Standards Institute Board and lives in Swadlincote, Derybshire, England. The British Empire no longer exists. 14,000 people live there, half of whom are military personnel. The Empire was overstretched and - combined with growing unrest in various colonies - this led to the swift and decisive fall of many of Britain’s key assets, some diplomatically, some violently. The British Empire began in its formative years in the sixteenth century and flourished and grew dramatically, lasting until the twentieth century. Commonwealth countries are diverse – they are amongst the world’s biggest, smallest, richest and poorest countries. Britain controlled ¼ of the world’s land area and ruled over 400 million diverse peoples. Dominions were fully independent countries after the 1931 Statute of Westminster, although their Head of State continued to be the British sovereign. Most flag badges were based upon the Public Seal which every colony had to have. The majority of African countries who had been part of the British Empire gained independence within the Commonwealth as Commonwealth Realms. Five years later, the United Kingdom officially upheld the formation of the Commonwealth by signing a document called the Statute of Westminster. These are the countries that make up the remains of the British Empire: Akrotiri and Dhekelia. Basically the non governmental bodies hold the activities and regulations of Commonwealth, while for the British Empire the British in England were the main leading party. Don’t worry, we’d never heard of it either. Countries-in-the-British-Empire-by-1914. It began with the overseas colonies and trading posts set up by England between the late 16th and early 18th centuries. The British Empire once infamously covered a quarter of the globe. Whereas only a few years before Britain would have been able to cow a country like Egypt with ease, it now had to slink out of the Suez Canal zone, humiliated and widely reviled. Britain was the topmost global power for more than a century. Together, these countries formed the British Empire. The British Empire included many of the colonies that as countries later formed the Commonwealth of Nations (British Commonwealth). Ireland, to take one example, became independent of Britain in 1922 and, quite obviously, is no longer considered to be within the British Empire by anyone. Queen Victoria's 1837 ascension to the throne ushered in British empire industrialization and global expansion. I stand to be corrected but I understand that dismantling of the Empire started with the loss of the American colonies in the 1770s and ended with the loss of Hong Kong to China in 1997. Together, these countries formed the British Empire. During the Victorian period, it was at its peak. Introduction. (Creative Commons) Anguilla. One way to write about the history of the world is through the history of empires built up by conquest. The British Empire at its peak controlled 13,700,000 square miles, nearly a quarter of the land area on earth. With the end of the Victorian Era in 1901, Great Britain was the world's largest ... > CLASS ; COLLEGE ; TESTS ; VOCAB ; LIFE ; TECH ; A List of Countries Colonized by the British in the Victorian Era. Preview and details Files included (3) docx, 21 KB. The U.K. was viewed as greater than all other countries in the British Empire, so this was a huge step for equality among European countries, hence the word Commonwealth. 3 resources which look at which countries were in the British Empire. (Mauritius took the longest to convert – 24 years … British America referred to the group of colonies in North America and the Caribbean belonging to Great Britain. Small states are especially vulnerable to things like climate change or developmental challenges. The activities and the agreements that Commonwealth is providing to its member is way off better than the British Empire policies this is the reason to why more and more countries are attracted towards this … Yeah agreed about China. Much like America is today, the tiny island of Britain was the superpower of the time. Note, also, that there is a difference between what is meant by "British Empire" and what is meant by the term, " 32 of our members are classified as small states. Britain controlled the sea lanes of the world and with them access to the trading ports. British Empire was, undoubtedly, the greatest empire world has ever seen. British Empire Flags and Patriotic Decorations. Preview. What I am getting at here is that many of the countries listed below were once ruled in some way by Britain, but no longer are. These two areas make up 3% of Cyrprus, and remained in British hands after the island gained independence. Nation British Empire; British Empire British Empire: British India (1858-1876) British Empire: Indian Empire (1876-1947) United Kingdom: Colony of Burma (1937-1948) British Empire: Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (1953-1963) Loading... Save for later. British have invaded nine out of ten countries - so look out Luxembourg Britain has invaded all but 22 countries in the world in its long and colourful history, new research has found. As such, Queen Elizabeth II was automatically the head of state, represented within the country by a Governor-General. British Empire map and Countries - KS3 History-Empire Unit (no rating) 0 customer reviews. When colonial flags were introduced in 1869 few colonies had arms. £2.00. The kids will enjoy this fun worksheet asking them to recognise the flags of the countries that were part of the British Empire during the reign of Queen Victoria. Ireland as a whole has never been a British colony. I have included some other examples of self-governing colonies in this category. She was awarded the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2016 Queen's Birthday Honours List for her services to consumers and better regulations. The British Empire was made up of the colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories which were controlled by the United Kingdom.. However since the cost was not a Colonial Office expense, but … 5 of the worst atrocities carried out by the British Empire. Most converted to Commonwealth Republics within a couple of years. Unter der Herrschaft des Vereinigten Königreichs vereinte es Dominions, Kronkolonien, Protektorate, Mandatsgebiete und sonstige abhängige Gebiete, die aus den englischen Überseebesitzungen, Handelsposten und Strafkolonien hervorgegangen waren. The British Empire: The British Empire was a large, global empire controlled by England, and later Great Britain, that spanned from the 15th to the 20th Centuries. It was the largest empire in history and despite the vast distances which separated its territories from the Colonial Office in England, it was dominated by the British Navy. You could try this as a group or class activity to see who can get the most correct answers! I'll do them alphabetically for what they are now,not what they were when under the empires reign unless someone specifically asks . At its height, it was the largest empire in history, and the world's most powerful superpower for more than a century. The British Empire was the largest formal empire in history. Administration and policy changed during the century from the haphazard arrangements of the 17th and 18th centuries to the sophisticated system characteristic of Joseph Chamberlain’s tenure (1895–1900) in the Colonial Office. This is what British historian Stuart Laycock learned after his son asked him how many countries Britain had invaded. The British Empire comprised of Britain, the 'mother country', and the colonies, countries ruled to some degree by and from Britain. The British Empire is remembered for its extensive, long-lasting and far-reaching imperial activities that ushered in an era of globalisation and connectivity. British Empire - British Empire - Dominance and dominions: The 19th century marked the full flower of the British Empire. Das Britische Weltreich (englisch British Empire oder kurz Empire) war das größte Kolonialreich der Geschichte. From the 1870s, in search of new markets to trade with, and facing competition from other countries, such as Germany and France, Britain set out to gain control and influence over new overseas territories, particularly in Africa. 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