See soorce fer Breetish Empire

{{Infobox country
|name={{lang-en|British Empire}}
|image_symbol = Flag of the United Kingdom.svg{{!}}border
|symbol_width = 125px
|symbol_type = [[Banner o the Unitit Kinrick]]
|image_map=The British Empire.png
|map_caption=Aw auries o the warld that war iver pairt o the Breetish Empire. Current [[Breetish Owerseas Territories]] hae thair names unnerlined in reid.
}}
The '''Breetish Empire''' compreesed the [[domeenion]]s, [[Croun colony|colonies]], [[pertectorate]]s, [[League o Naitions mandate|mandates]] an ither [[Dependent territory|territories]] ruled or admeenistert bi the [[Unitit Kinrick]] an its predecessor states. It oreeginatit wi the [[Inglis owerseas possessions|owerseas possessions]] an [[treddin post]]s established bi [[Kinrick o Ingland|Ingland]] atween the late 16t an early 18t centuries. At its hicht, it wis the [[Leet o lairgest empires|lairgest empire in history]] an, for ower a century, wis the foremaist [[Pouer (internaitional relations)#Categories o pouer|global pouer]].{{sfn|Ferguson|2004b}} Bi 1913, the Breetish Empire held swee ower 412 million fowk, {{Percentage|412,000,000|1,791,020,000}} o the warld population at the time,<ref>[[#refMaddison2001|Maddison 2001]], pp.&nbsp;97 "The total population of the Empire was 412 million [in 1913]", 241 "[World population in 1913 (in thousands):] 1&nbsp;791&nbsp;020".</ref> an bi 1920, it kivert {{convert|35500000|km2|sqmi|-5|abbr=on}},<ref>{{cite journal |date=September 1997 |title=Expansion and Contraction Patterns of Large Polities: Context for Russia |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_international-studies-quarterly_1997-09_41_3/page/502 |journal=[[International Studies Quarterly]] |volume=41 |issue=3 |page=502 |doi=10.1111/0020-8833.00053 |author=Rein Taagepera |authorlink=Rein Taagepera |jstor=2600793}}</ref> {{Percentage|35,500,000|148,940,000}} o the Yird's tot laund aurie.<ref>{{cite web |title=The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/xx.html#Geo |website=www.cia.gov |access-date=10 September 2016 |quote=land: 148.94 million sq km |archive-date=2020-05-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200518002143/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/xx.html#Geo |url-status=dead }}</ref> As a result, its poleetical, [[Common law|legal]], [[Inglis leid|lingueestic]] an [[Cultur o the Unitit Kinrick|cultural]] legacy is widespreid. At the peak o its pouer, the phrase "[[the empire on that the sun niver sets]]" wis eften uised tae descrive the Breetish Empire, acause its expanse aroond the globe meant that the sun wis ayeweys shinin on at least ane o its territories.

In the [[Age o Diskivery]] in the 15t an 16t centuries, [[Portuguese Empire|Portugal]] an [[Spaingie Empire|Spain]] pioneered European exploration o the globe, an in the process established lairge owerseas empires. Envyfu o the great walth thir empires generatit,<ref>[[#refRusso2012|Russo 2012]], p.&nbsp;15 chapter 1 'Great Expectations': "The dramatic rise in Spanish fortunes sparked both envy and fear among northern, mostly Protestant, Europeans.".</ref> Ingland, [[French colonial empire|Fraunce]], an the [[Dutch Empire|Netherlands]] begoud tae establish colonies an tred networks o thair awn in the Americas an Asie.{{sfn|Ferguson|2004b|p=3}} A series o wars in the 17t an 18t centuries wi the Netherlands an Fraunce left Ingland an then, follaein [[Acts o Union 1707|union atween Ingland an Scotland]] in 1707, [[Kinrick o Great Breetain|Great Breetain]], the dominant [[Colonialism|colonial pouer]] in North Americae. It then becam the dominant pouer in the [[Indie subcontinent]] efter the [[East Indie Company]]'s conquest o [[Mughal Bengal]] at the [[Battle o Plassey]] in 1757.

The unthirldom o the [[Thirteen Colonies]] in North Americae in 1783 efter the [[American Revolutionary War|American War o Unthirldom]] caused Breetain tae lose some o its auldest an maist populous colonies. Breetish attention suin turned taewart Asie, Africae, an the Pacefic. Efter the defeat o Fraunce in the [[French revolutionary wars|Revolutionary]] an [[Napoleonic Wars]] (1792–1815), Breetain emerged as the principal naval an imperial pouer o the 19t century.<ref>Tellier, L.-N. (2009). ''Urban World History: an Economic and Geographical Perspective''. Quebec: PUQ. p. 463. {{ISBN|2-7605-1588-5}}.</ref> [[Ryal Navy#1815–1914|Unchallenged at sea]], Brrrtish dominance wis later descrived as ''[[Pax Britannica]]'' ("Breetish Peace"), a period o relative peace in Europe an the warld (1815–1914) in that the Breetish Empire becam the global [[hegemon]] an adoptit the role o global polisman.<ref>[[#refJohnston2008|Johnston]], pp.&nbsp;508–10.</ref><ref name="ReferenceB">[[#refOHBEv3|Porter]], p.&nbsp;332.</ref><ref>Sondhaus, L. (2004). ''Navies in Modern World History''. London: Reaktion Books. p. 9. {{ISBN|1-86189-202-0}}.</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Andrew |last=Porter |title=The Nineteenth Century, The Oxford History of the British Empire Volume III |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1998 |isbn=0-19-924678-5 |url=https://books.google.com/?id=oo3F2X8IDeEC |ref=refOHBEv3 |page=332}}</ref> In the early 19t century, the [[Industrial Revolution]] begoud tae transform Breetain; sae that bi the time o [[the Great Exhibeetion]] in 1851, the kintra wis descrived as the "wirkshop o the warld".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/workshop_of_the_world_01.shtml |title=The Workshop of the World |publisher=BBC History |date= |access-date=28 April 2013}}</ref> The Breetish Empire expandit tae include [[Breetish Raj|maist o Indie]], lairge pairts o Africae an mony ither territories ootthrou the warld. Alangside the formal control that Breetain exertit ower its awn colonies, its dominance o muckle o warld tred meant that it effectively [[Informal Empire|controlled the economies o mony regions]], sic as [[Asie]] an [[Laitin Americae]].<ref>{{cite book |first=Andrew |last=Porter |title=The Nineteenth Century, The Oxford History of the British Empire Volume III |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1998 |isbn=0-19-924678-5 |url=https://books.google.com/?id=oo3F2X8IDeEC |ref=refOHBEv3 |page=8}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=P.J. |last=Marshall |title=The Cambridge Illustrated History of the British Empire |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1996 |isbn=0-521-00254-0 |url=https://books.google.com/?id=S2EXN8JTwAEC |ref=refMarshall |pages=156–57}}</ref>

In Breetain, poleetical attitudes favoured free tred an laissez-faire policies an a gradual widenin o the votin franchise. In the 19t century, Breetain's population increased at a dramatic rate, accompanied bi fest urbanisation, that caused signeeficant social an economic stresses.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/?id=H5kcJqmXk2oC&pg=PA63 |title=Great Britain: a reference guide from the Renaissance to the present |page=63 |first=Richard S. |last=Tompson |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-8160-4474-0 |location=New York |publisher=Facts on File}}</ref> Tae seek new mercats an soorces o raw materials, the [[Conservative Pairty (UK)|Conservative Pairty]] unner [[Benjamin Disraeli]] launched a period o imperialist expansion in Egyp, Sooth Africae, an ensewhaur. Canadae, Australiae, an New Zealand becam sel-govrenin domeenions.<ref>{{cite book |title=World War I: People, Politics, and Power |series=America at War |page=21 |publisher=Britannica Educational Publishing |author=Hosch, William L. |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-61530-048-8 |location=New York}}</ref>

Bi the stairt o the 20t century, [[German Empire|Germany]] an the [[Unitit States]] haed begun tae challenge Breetain's economic lead. Subsequent militar an economic tensions atween Breetain an Germany war major causes o the [[Warld War I|First Warld War]], in that Breetain relied hivily upon its empire. The conflict placed enormous stress on the militar, financial an manpouer resoorces o Breetain. Awtho the Breetish Empire achieved its lairgest territorial extent immediately efter Warld War I, Breetain wis na langer the warld's pre-eminent industrial or militar pouer. In the [[Warld War II|Seicont Warld War]], Breetain's colonies in [[Sootheast Asie]] war occupied bi [[Empire o Japan|Japan]]. Despite the feenal veectory o Breetain an its allies, the damage tae Breetish prestige helped tae accelerate the decline o the empire. Indie, Breetain's maist vailuable an populous possession, achieved [[Indie unthirldom muivement|unthirldom]] as pairt o a lairger [[decolonisation]] muivement in that Breetain grantit unthirldom tae maist territories o the empire. The [[Transfer o sovereignty ower Hong Kong|transfer]] o Hong Kong tae Cheenae in 1997 merked for mony the end o the Breetish Empire.<ref name="Brendon-Empire-end">[[British Empire#refBrendon|Brendon]], p.&nbsp;660.</ref><ref name="Prince-Charles-Empire-End">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4740684.stm |title=Charles' diary lays thoughts bare |publisher=BBC News |access-date=13 December 2008 |date=22 February 2006}}</ref><ref name="refohbev594">[[#refOHBEv4|Brown]], p.&nbsp;594.</ref><ref name="BBC-Empire-End">{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/modern/endofempire_overview_07.shtml |title=Britain, the Commonwealth and the End of Empire |publisher=BBC News |access-date=13 December 2008}}</ref> Fowerteen [[Breetish Owerseas Territories|owerseas territories]] remeen unner Breetish sovereignty.

Efter unthirldom, mony umwhile Breetish colonies jyned the [[Commonweel o Naitions]], a free association o independent states. The Unitit Kinrick is nou ane o 16 Commonweel naitions, a groupin kent informally as the [[Commonweel realm]]s, that share a [[Monarchy o the Unitit Kinrick|monarch]], Queen [[Elizabeth II]].

== References ==
{{reflist}}

=== Soorces ===
* {{cite book |first=Niall |last=Ferguson |authorlink=Niall Ferguson |title=Empire: The Rise and Demise of the British World Order and the Lessons for Global Power |url=https://archive.org/details/empire00nial |location=New York |publisher=Basic Books |year=2004b |isbn=978-0-465-02329-5 |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book |first=Angus |last=Maddison |title=The World Economy: A Millennial Perspective |publisher=Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development |year=2001 |isbn=92-64-18608-5 |url=http://theunbrokenwindow.com/Development/MADDISON%20The%20World%20Economy--A%20Millennial.pdf |ref=refMaddison2001 |access-date=22 July 2009 |archive-date=2020-11-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111170118/http://theunbrokenwindow.com/Development/MADDISON%20The%20World%20Economy--A%20Millennial.pdf |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite book |first=Andrew |last=Porter |title=The Nineteenth Century, The Oxford History of the British Empire Volume III |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1998 |isbn=0-19-924678-5 |url=https://books.google.com/?id=oo3F2X8IDeEC |ref=refOHBEv3 |access-date=22 July 2009}}
* {{cite book |first=Piers |last=Brendon |authorlink=Piers Brendon |title=The Decline and Fall of the British Empire, 1781–1997 |url=https://archive.org/details/declinefallofbri0000bren_c3y8 |publisher=Random House |year=2007 |isbn=0-224-06222-0 |ref=refBrendon}}

[[Category:Breetish Empire| ]]
[[Category:Umwhile empires]]
[[Category:Imperialism]]
[[Category:History o the Unitit Kinrick]]
[[Category:Victorian era]]
[[Category:1583 establishments]]
[[Category:States an territories established in the 1580s]]
[[Category:States an territories disestablished in the 1990s]]
[[Category:Owerseas empires]]
[[Category:1997 disestablishments]]