Thread: British Empire

Why were they so dominate and powerful in the world? For what, 1700 to 1950?

Could it be the mixing of Roman and Viking blood?

Yes. I'm sure it was because of nationality.

Originally Posted by boontito

Yes. I'm sure it was because of nationality.

If you don't have an answer then don't answer.

Watch this video and learn that environment dictates the fate of a group of people not blood.

Originally Posted by Zaragunudgeyon

Why were they so dominate and powerful in the world? For what, 1700 to 1950?

Could it be the mixing of Roman and Viking blood?

I think your history is a little confused. The British Empire's period of massive dominance doesn't stretch back so far - it was only in the 19th century, with the formal takeover of India and huge expansion into Africa and South-east Asia that Britain became the rulers of the world.

As for seeking explanations based on race, that's just silly. The British and Irish populations are very close genetically, so why did Britain rule and Ireland become a subjugated nation?

The idea the British being a mixture of Roman and Viking blood is simply wrong, as well. Genetic studies show that the most of the population can trace most of their genetic history back to Paleaolithic inhabitants of Britain. There's been lots of admixture since then, obviously, as different groups arrived from outside - Germanic and Viking tribes being the big ones.

Appealing to this sort of genetic reason just leaves us confused. Why did Britain not become dominant until so late? Why was England such a weak power in Europe the 16th century if they had such powerful blood?

The reasons for the rise of the British Empire are many and complex, and you're not going to find a sentence that sums them up.

Originally Posted by Zaragunudgeyon

Why were they so dominate and powerful in the world? For what, 1700 to 1950?

Could it be the mixing of Roman and Viking blood?

I'm not so sure it's over..

Originally Posted by caffeine

I think your history is a little confused. The British Empire's period of massive dominance doesn't stretch back so far - it was only in the 19th century, with the formal takeover of India and huge expansion into Africa and South-east Asia that Britain became the rulers of the world.

As for seeking explanations based on race, that's just silly. The British and Irish populations are very close genetically, so why did Britain rule and Ireland become a subjugated nation?

The idea the British being a mixture of Roman and Viking blood is simply wrong, as well. Genetic studies show that the most of the population can trace most of their genetic history back to Paleaolithic inhabitants of Britain. There's been lots of admixture since then, obviously, as different groups arrived from outside - Germanic and Viking tribes being the big ones.

Appealing to this sort of genetic reason just leaves us confused. Why did Britain not become dominant until so late? Why was England such a weak power in Europe the 16th century if they had such powerful blood?

The reasons for the rise of the British Empire are many and complex, and you're not going to find a sentence that sums them up.

Uhh, you have responded to a question with more questions, counterpoints and no answers.

Originally Posted by Zaragunudgeyon

Uhh, you have responded to a question with more questions, counterpoints and no answers.

Becasue there is no answer.


There's several dozen answers, all contributing to the result but all of them would be necessary, in exactly the way they occured, to reach the result that actually occured.

My short answer would be their navy.

But there are cultural factors at play that made that navy possible, and produced leaders and politicians that correctly saw the value of such a navy and applied it correctly to their benefit time and time again.

Personally I think any nation can be a superpower if they have a population that is genuinely happy to send generation and after generation to war for no reason other than the 'honour' of the nation. If you've got citizens willing to do that - you're going to steamroll neighbors with citizens that just want to do business, raise kids and are not eager to pick up a flag and march into grapshot just to 'hand some uppity foreigners a lesson'. As soon as people don't want to die in mass numbers for national pride anymore... you can't compete.

British domination was really only during the 19th century, a direct effect of the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Britain emerged as the clear victor on that battle, they gained maritime superiority and also gained crucial colonies due to their war winnings. They basically had the Mediterranean sea on lockdown (which was huge once the Suez canal was up which they also controlled) as well as the sea routes to their other colonies such as India. They also introduced free trade during this century, replacing their old policy of mercantilism; this was a huge boost of income t their already burgeoning empire.

The Industrial Revolution is a major factor.