- In the nineteenth and most of the twentieth centuries, the British Empire was so large that it was truly the world superpower.
- Much of Africa, Asia, and America has been colonized.
- British tentacles were widely spread.
- British concepts of culture, religion, Health, Sex, and law and order were all imprinted on colonial countries.
- There is considerable debate about whether British rule over its colonies was beneficial or not.
- There is also considerable debate as to whether the colonies contributed significantly to the British economy.
- These two points have been discussed, but very little literature is available on the influence of the British Empire on the average British citizen.
- The British Empire is a historical fact that cannot be wished for.
- The main architects of this empire were the British middle class.
- Doctors, scientists, geologists, explorers, soldiers, administrators, businessmen got an opportunity from which they could usually be deprived.
- This middle class was clear in promoting British interests and at the same time, they also had a reason to strive forward.
- The middle class supported the aristocracy, which in turn gave the middle-class unrestricted access to the colonies to work and earn.
- Many also did a lot of good.
- One can think of Dr., David Livingstone in Africa and the countless explorers and scientists who flocked to India to map the nation and create new projects. Basically, Britain's middle class and opportunity for self-expression.
- The Empire instilled a sense of pride in ordinary Britons.
- Thus Kipling's comment about the colonies as a white man's burden gained currency. For nearly 100 years until 1939, which could be considered the hay day of the British Empire, ordinary Britons and especially the middle class felt that it was their God who was given the right to rule the world.
- As a spinoff, much of the good that happened to the colonies cannot be questioned.
- One can not forget that the whole of Tibet was appointed by brave businessmen guided by the officers of the Raj.
The Political Economy of British Imperialism - jstor.
- However, the working class in England was not much involved in the Empire.
- With the industrial revolution sweeping Europe, the working class did not have much time to think about the Empire, as involved as it was in its attempt to survive.
- That is why Karl Marx and his theory gathered steam.
- Hitler lost the war but did enough to tear the British psyche and destroy the British economy, as retaining the colonies and the Empire became a very weak task.
- The middle class cracked and Lord Attlee decided it was time to dismantle the Empire.
The People and the Empire Late nineteenth-century Britain.
- In 1945, Britain was still fueling hope that the Empire could be saved, but a strong nationalist movement coupled with a poor economy at homespun the currency in favor of dismantling the Empire.
- Many in Britain at the time did not realize that the era of imperialism was over and that the sun had set on the Empire.
