The most powerful empire the world had ever known

“The sun never sets on the British Empire”
 1497-1997
 More than 450 million people
 13,000,000 square miles of territory

 Origins and “First Empire” (1497-1783)
 “Second Empire” (1783-1815)
 Britain’s imperial hegemony (1815-1914)
 The Two World Wars (1914-1945)
 Decolonization and Fall of Empire
(1945-1997)

1497
1578 1603 1783



 1497 King Henry VII commissioned John Cabot to discover new route to
Asia
1578 Queen Elizabeth I accessed to throne
1603 Treaty of London
1783 Loss of the 13 Colonies

Netherlands
• Rivalry in Asia between
Britsh East India Company and Dutch Company.
• Three Anglo-Dutch Wars in 17° century and peace in
1688 with Glorious
Revolution.

Netherlands France
• Rivalry in Asia between
Britsh East India Company and Dutch Company.
• Three Anglo-Dutch Wars in 17° century and peace in
1688 with Glorious
Revolution.
• War of Spanish
Succession in
1701.
• British Victory in Seven Years’
War.

Company in India


Competition with the Mughal
Empire. After the decline of the
Mughals, war between Britain and French
Indian
Companies.
India will be occupied in 1857

Company in India


Competition with the Mughal
Empire. After the decline of the
Mughals, war between Britain and French
Indian
Companies.
India will be occupied in 1857
Loss of the 13
American Colonies


Disagreement over the colonist Rights led to the
American War of
Indipendence, won by the
Americans in 1783
End of the
“Second Empire”

Company in India


Competition with the Mughal
Empire. After the decline of the
Mughals, war between Britain and French
Indian
Companies.
India will be occupied in 1857
Loss of the 13
American Colonies


Disagreement over the colonist Rights led to the
American War of
Indipendence, won by the
Americans in 1783
End of the
“Second Empire”
Exploration of the Pacific Ocean


James Cook discovers
Australia in
1770
Captain William
Hobson and 40
Maori chiefs signed the
Treaty of
Waitangi in
1840

 Military and Ideologies conflict between Britain and France.
 Defeat of Napoleon in Trafalgar
Battle, in 1805, and finally victory of
Britain and a coalition of European countries, in 1815.

Napoleon combined
French and Spanish fleets against Royal
Navy.
Commander Nelson’s strategy was essential for the victory.

 1815- 1914: period called “Imperial century”
 10,000,000 square miles (25,899,881 km 2 )
 More than 400 million people
 1902: “All Red Line”
 Opium Wars against China ended in 1858
 Last decades of 19 th century, expansion in Africa
 The second Industrial Revolution (19 th century)

 At the beginning of the 20 th century Britain was scared of the rapid growth of Germany.
 Britain declares war to Germany in 1914.
 Dominions and colonies participate to the War with a significant impact.
 The Treaty of Versailles, in 1919, signed the end of the War.

 1939 Britain declare war to Germany
 1941 entrance in War of Soviet Union against
Germany
 1941 sign of the Atlantic Charter
 1941 Japan attacked U.S.
 1945 Britain loses prestige at the end of the
War




After the WWII Britain is in crisis because the rivalry between the U.S. and the Soviet Union in the Cold War and the colonized countries start an anti-colonial movement.
In 1947, India gained the independence, and afterwards also the majority of the Asian colonies.
In 1956 Nasser nationalises the Suez Canal and
Churchill decides to intervene militarily, but
Eisenhower, scared by an intervention of the Soviet
Union opposes. The UN intervention humiliates Eden, who resigns.




1982: Margaret Thatcher negotiate with the
Chinese government on the future of Hong
Kong.
1997: Hong Kong returns to China, establishing the end of the Empire.
Nowadays most of British colonies are member of the Commonwealth. The English language is the primary language of over 300 million people. The English parliamentary system has been taken as example for many old colonies.

Wikipedia, British Empire
Stephen Luscombe, britishempire.co.uk
Andrew Lambert, bbc.co.uk/history/british/empire_seapower/trafalga r_01.shtml
Colin White, bbc.co.uk/history/british/empire_seapower/nelson_
01.shtml

Written and Directed by FRANCESCO BECCHIMANZI
MIKI FANFANI
GABRIELE SCHEPIS
Produced by GIOVANNI QUERCIOLI
Production Design MIKI FANFANI
Production Coordinator GABRIELE SCHEPIS
Assistant Production Coordinator FRANCESCO BECCHIMANZI
Post Production Supervisor GIOVANNI QUERCIOLI