A comparison between the British and American empires.
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Britain and the United States are at different times world powers with no peer competitor. 1) discuss what reasons the global power of Britain declined and 2) identify any similarities or differences between the British experience and the current situation of the U.S. and 3) if you believe the U.S. will follow a similar path to that of Britain in the years to come.
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This post discusses the similarities and differences between the British empire of the 18th and 19th centuries and the American dominance of the 20th and perhaps the 21st century up to the present. Approximately 900 words of original text.
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Britain and the United States are at different times world powers with no peer competitor.
1) Discuss what reasons the global power of Britain declined
Britain built its global empire on the foundations of trade and colonization using the system of mercantilism to gather raw materials from her colonies and sell finished goods to them in return. The growth of Britain depended on cooperation by her colonies to function within this system. When colonies began desiring independence they were forced to either grant independence or attempt to forcibly restrain their rebellious colonies.
Wars that Britain fought during the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries drained her resources both in her economy and population. England had fought with France for centuries but in the 18th century wars began to be much more expensive. Additionally England was fighting France in the New World and it was very expensive to fight overseas. Following the French and Indian War Britain fought the Revolutionary War against the American colonies. This was followed by the Napoleonic Wars in Europe and the War of 1812 in America. Wars in Africa and unrest in India were engaged in during the 19th century. After a brief period of rest World War I and II engulfed Europe and Britain was involved heavily in both of these. By the end of World War I and definitely by the ...
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