What is the total area of the British colony?

The British Empire is a global empire centered on Britain. In the heyday of the early 20th century, about 400-500 million people in the world, that is, about a quarter of the global population at that time, were subjects of the empire, with a territorial area of about 30 million square kilometers, accounting for 20% of the total land area of the world. By the middle of the 20th century, especially after World War II, with the rise of global nationalist movement and the decline of British national strength, the British Empire gradually disintegrated. Today, Britain and most of its former colonial countries form an international organization, the Commonwealth, but unlike the British Empire, Britain can no longer directly influence other members of the Commonwealth politically, diplomatically and economically.

The formation of the British Empire was the result of more than 300 years of trade, immigration and military conquest. During this period, there were also peaceful commercial diplomatic activities and the shrinking of the empire. The empire covers seven continents and four oceans, including Antarctica. It is described as an "empire where the sun never sets", reaching its peak between 1890 ~ 1900.

This empire helped spread British technology, business, language and management model to all parts of the world. Imperial hegemony helped Britain achieve amazing economic growth and gave it a greater say in international politics. Although most people in overseas colonies (except some dominions) have no right to decide the policies and future of their governments, democracy in Britain continues to deepen.

From the colonial point of view, the British empire can be said to be a mixture of good and evil people. Colonies obtained advanced science, technology and investment from Britain, which promoted economic development and improved living standards, and also obtained the legal framework of Britain and English, the international common language. Before the colony became independent from the empire, Britain tried to leave its parliamentary democracy to the colonial people, although it was not always successful. After independence, most British colonies chose to stay in the Commonwealth.

But at the same time, the British colonial policy was not altruistic. In fact, British colonization was entirely based on its own interests. Britain left a better infrastructure for the colonies, but that was mainly to facilitate the export of goods from these colonies to Britain to meet their local needs, or to facilitate the delivery of British industrial products to the colonial market. Most white dominions can further develop infrastructure to achieve a balance of economic production, but the imperial colonies in Latin America, Africa and Southeast Asia are often only suppliers of raw materials (or single agricultural products) needed by industry, which is not helpful to the economic development of these countries after independence. In addition, in order to ensure the stability of its rule, Britain adopted a colonial policy of "divide and rule" and encouraged people of different nationalities, languages or religions in the colonies to fight against each other, which made Ireland, India, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Sudan, Uganda, Iraq, Guyana, Fiji and other countries face different degrees of racial conflicts after independence.

The earliest user of the word "British Empire" is considered to be john dee, the astrologer and mathematician of Queen Elizabeth I.

Background: British colonialism

The expansion of Britain and France

Since William I landed from Normandy and conquered England in 1066, England has been actively participating in the affairs of the European continent for hundreds of years. By the end of 14, the development of foreign trade from wool trade to Europe has become the most important national policy of Britain.

This period was the beginning of England's foreign conquest, including the expansion of Wales in 1282 and the conquest of Ireland in169. England's temporary control over Scotland was interrupted in 13 14, and the real reunification of the two regions will be achieved peacefully by way of succession to the throne in 1603. Although the monarch of England lost the territory of Normandy in 1204, the ruler of England still owned a large piece of land in France through marriage and inheritance until he finally lost it in 1453. From then on until 1563, the English monarch only owned the port of Calais, a strategic place in northern France, but even the port of Calais fell after that.

Development of overseas empires

Overseas British Empire-here refers to the British ocean exploration and immigration or colonization outside the British Island and the European continent-can be traced back to the pioneering ocean policy adopted by henry vii from 1485 to 1509. On the basis of the wool trade established in Richard, henry vii established a modern British maritime trade system, which greatly developed Britain's shipbuilding industry and navigation technology. This system also created conditions for the establishment of trading institutions in the future. Trading enterprises such as Massachusetts Bay Company and British East India Company made important contributions to the overseas expansion of the British Empire. Henry vii also ordered the construction of Britain's first dry dock in Portsmouth to strengthen the construction of the then small British navy. On August 5 of the same year, he declared Newfoundland a British colony in St. John's harbor. 1587, Sir Walter Raleigh declared Virginia a British colony in Anacker. However, both groups are very short-lived. Due to lack of food, bad weather, shipwrecks and the invasion of unfriendly indigenous people in the American continent, England soon had to give up these two colonies.

Stuart dynasty

1588 (during Elizabeth I of Tudor dynasty) defeated the Spanish Armada and formally established England's position as a maritime power, although the failure of several wars with Spain in 1590 temporarily frustrated England's ambitious overseas colonization plan. 1604, James I of the Stuart Dynasty finally signed the Treaty of London with Spain, officially ending the hostility between the two countries. 1607 Britain established its first permanent overseas colony in Jamestown, Virginia. In the following three centuries, Britain expanded its overseas sphere of influence and consolidated its domestic political development. 1707, the parliaments of England and Scotland merged in London to form the Parliament of Great Britain.

Colonization of the United States

The embryonic form of the British Empire was formed at the beginning of17th century. At this time, Britain has established many colonies in North America, including the future United States of America, Atlantic provinces of Canada and some small islands in the Caribbean such as Jamaica and Barbados.

The Caribbean, which is rich in sugar cane, is highly dependent on slave labor. It was the most important and profitable colony in early England. The colonies in the southern part of the American continent provided tobacco, cotton and rice to Britain, while the northern part produced fur; Economically, they are not as beneficial to England as Caribbean islands, but the vast cultivated land attracts many English immigrants.

The American empire in Britain gradually expanded through war and colonization. For example, through the victory of the Anglo-Dutch War, England won the new Amsterdam (today's new york). The developing American colonies continued to explore westward in search of more cultivated land. Britain defeated France in the Seven Years' War, and occupied all areas of New France in 1760, which gave Britain greater control over North America.

Subsequently, Australia (discovered in 1788, originally a penal colony) and New Zealand (became British territory in 1840) became another destination for British immigrants. At the same time, the indigenous populations in Australia and New Zealand have also been reduced by 60% to 70% because of wars and diseases for more than a century. These colonies later gained autonomy and were exporters of wool and gold.

See American colonial history.

Free Trade and "Informal Empire"

/kloc-in the 0/8th century, the original British colonial system began to decline. During the Whig Party's long-term control of domestic political power (17 14 to 1762), the importance of empire to Britain gradually decreased until a series of measures to reverse this neglect of colonies (mainly including collecting more taxes from colonies) triggered the American War of Independence (1775 to/kloc-0).

This period is sometimes called the "First British Empire", that is, the expansion of Britain in America from 17 to 18 century. Britain's expansion in Asia and Africa from the18th century is called the "Second British Empire". Britain's loss of control over the United States shows that colonies do not necessarily have a decisive impact on the British economy: Britain still dominates the main trade between the United States and Britain after giving up its defense and administration of American colonies.

Mercantilism is a theory of economics, which refers to the struggle for wealth between countries. This is the characteristic of Britain's first overseas colonial expansion. But now in Britain, mercantilism will soon give way to the laissez-faire economic liberalism of Adam Smith and others.

The experience Britain learned from colonial independence in North America is that trade can still bring economic prosperity even without colonial sovereignty. This is why Britain is willing to grant self-governing status to Canada, Australia and other white colonies between 1840 and 1850, because whites in these countries are regarded as "motherland" people living in colonies. On the other hand, Ireland's fate is completely different. Incorporated into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland on 180 1.

During this period, Britain also announced the abolition of the slave trade (1807), and soon imposed this ban on other countries. By the middle of19th century, Britain had basically eliminated the slave trade on a global scale. Slavery itself was abolished in the British colony in 1834, and the situation became stable until around 1920.

The end of the old colonial and slavery system was implemented together with free trade, and the principle of free trade reached its peak around 1840, which was marked by the abolition of British corn laws and navigation law. Free trade completely opened the British market, which also prompted other countries to open their markets in the middle of the19th century.

Some people think that the rise of free trade only reflects Britain's economic status and has nothing to do with any philosophical point of view. In fact, Britain is always more keen to force other countries to implement a certain policy than to implement the same policy itself. Although Britain lost 13 American colonies, Napoleon's final failure on the European continent in 18 15 established Britain as the most successful international power. When the industrial revolution made Britain an undisputed economic power, the Royal Navy dominated the ocean. Britain, which has always kept its distance from continental European affairs, is also proud of its expansion plan aimed at expanding its economic and political influence. This overseas expansion is an "informal empire" established through free trade and strategic advantages.

From the Vienna Conference of 18 15 to the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, Britain is the only industrialized power in the world and a producer of 30% of the world's industrial products (1870). As a "world factory", Britain can produce industrial products so effectively and cheaply that the prices of its domestic products are still more competitive than those of foreign local products after being shipped abroad. As long as the political situation in overseas markets is stable, Britain can still benefit from free trade even without formal colonial rule.

The British empire is in Asia

1757 The victory of the battle of Plasi gave the British East India Company the right to rule the Indian state of Bengal, although the famine aggravated by excessive taxation in 1770 caused controversy in Britain. By the19th century, the East India Company almost controlled the whole of India. 1857 After the Indian national uprising, the territory under the jurisdiction of the company was handed over to the Queen's Government for management. Queen Victoria was declared Queen of India on 1876.

Ceylon (today's Sri Lanka), Myanmar and Malaya were also included in the British sphere of influence in Asia. 184 1 year, after Britain won a great victory in the war to defend the opium trade, it took Hongkong from China.

Britain's interest in China originated at the end of 18, and Britain became a tea importer in China. Tea imports have led to a huge trade deficit in Britain, so Britain hopes to balance its expenses by exporting opium from India to China, although this violates China's ban. The two opium wars triggered by opium trade ended in the victory of Britain.

After the Opium War, Britain maintained a complicated relationship with China. Although Britain acquired Hongkong, the trade between Britain and China was mainly conducted through several open ports in China. So what Britain wants to see is an independent China, because the collapse of China means that other western powers may carve up China with Britain and challenge Britain's privileged position.

At the same time, Britain does not want to see an overly powerful China, because it means that China will cancel or demand renegotiation of some originally signed treaties. This attitude explains Britain's seemingly contradictory China policy: on the one hand, it helped the Qing court suppress the Taiping rebellion, on the other hand, it joined forces with France to launch the second opium war.