Storyboard By: Jennifer 8BB

Control of the seas would be crucial in defending Britain and in allowing Britain to secure such a vast Empire. They controlled the communications and supply lines that made the Empire viable in any meaningful way. The Laissez Faire economic model that would enrich Britain could not have existed without the power of the Royal Navy. Domination of the seas was not definitively achieved until the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, although Britain had been challenging for supremacy since the Seven or deliver products overseas. During the nineteenth century, the Royal Navy was supreme and could deliver soldiers or marines pretty much anywhere on the planet and also deny rivals the ability to do so themselves. The Royal Navy would ensure the flow of trade vessels and goods to supply Britain's factories.

The early relationship between Britain and India was based on trade. As the East India Company expanded, its political control increased. The Company introduced to the UK raw materials such as tea, jute and rubber, essential to Britains development as an economic powerhouse. The importance of cross-empire trade grew during the time of the British Raj in India, and was vital to Britains rapid development. The coming of steam-powered liners, and the 1869 opening of the Suez Canal, reduced the journey times between both countries. In Britain, trade exhibitions, advertisements, educational pamphlets and magazine publications created a glamorous and exotic idea of an India of wealthy palaces and maharajas. Through trade many countries became colonized.

Britain colonized many countries. Without these countries Britain wouldnt have had wide ranges of products. For example India; East India Company was formed by British traders to trade with India. They set up godowns to store the good they traded in. The protection of these godowns served as a good excuse to build forts and maintain armies at such centres. During this time disorganized kingdoms were fighting amongst themselves. The British took the golden opportunity to benefit from these internal quarrels and helped one king against another. In this bargain the Britsh gained more power and wealth. The British trained Indian soldiers and employed them in their army. This army was far better trained and disciplined that the armies with small Indian kings who were just struggling to survive. Gradually the British succeeded in capturing large parts of India.

Storyboard By: Jennifer 8BB

The population of Britains empire was huge. The British Empire was the largest empire the world has ever seen. Its size and wealth propelled Britain to become the most powerful nation in the world (global hegemon). Through its empire Britain spread parliamentary forms of government to its colonies. The British Empire is also the reason why the English language is currently the dominant world language. The British Empire spanned the globe and so nearly every nation today has been impacted by it.

The policies which the British government used in order to gain control over these states were strategic. Interestingly, many of the colonies were originally founded by private companies/personalities with Royal Charter (approval). It is well known India was established by the East India Company, searching for resources in the Far East. South Africa was arguably the product of aggressive expansion by Cecil Rhodes (incidentally founder of Old Rhodesia). It has often been argued that the gift of freedom is what provided spirited individuals with the incentive to nation-build. Free from such restraints, the promise of wealth and fortune lured potential colonizers from Britain to the New World.

Pride in the Empire, pride in nation building, pride in the dissemination of Anglo-Saxon values. It is plain from the disintegration of the Empire, that British peoples loss of faith in Britain as an Empire was critical to its demise. After WW2, the ideology behind Empire building seemed flawed; having watched Europe almost become unbound by the plans of an evil dictator bent on controlling the Continent, Britain's own imperialist forays were challenged. With little support left from the British population to 'hold on', the inevitable was not prolonged.