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UK History
The history of the UK as a sovereign state started with the political union of the kingdoms of England and Scotland in 1707. The Union gave rise to the United Kingdom of Great Britain, which shared a single monarch and parliament.
2,023 Questions
What are ten facts about the British empire?
The Empire is the foundation of the Commonwealth. Soldiers from the Empire have fought in wars alongside Britain. The countries which have arisen from the Empire are mostly Christian. & are mostly Democratic. & use English as their language. India became part of the Empire as a resut of a commercial company. The British fought many battles in the aquistion & defence of the Empire. Most of the Empire was acquired in the reign of Queen Victoria (!837-1901). Most of the countries of the Empire now beat England at Cricket (Frequently !)
British maps denoted empire countries in pink
- The British Empire still comprises 14 sovereign territories of the United Kingdom.
- Its total land mass is 6 times larger than the UK itself.
India was the largest populated country in the empire.
- The British Empire included Canada, Jamaica, India, Pakistan, Australia, Egypt, Kenya, Ireland, Suriname, Afghanistan, Normandy, America, Hong-Kong, New Zealand, Burma, Nepal, Blize, Bahamas and Grenada.
What clothes did the poor children wear in the Victorian times?
poor children wore simple and rather uncomfortable clothes that would hurt and be really dull!!!
What does the sun never sets in the British empire mean?
The British had gained territory in Africa, North America, South America, Australia, Asia as well as being located in Europe.
What factors helded the british begin winning battles in the late 1750s?
The reson British is begin to win the battles in the late 1750s is because the British leaders decied to send more soldiers to fight in the North Amercia, and because of the help from Iroquiois the Bitish had won the battles in the late 1750s.
What was the first legislature called in Britain?
The first legislature in Britain was called the Virginia House of Burgesses. It was established by the Virginia Company, who created body as part of an effort to encourage English craftsmen to settle in North America.
How did Britain change during queen Victoria's reign?
- Britain became the most powerful country in the world, with the largest empire that had ever existed, ruling a quarter of the world's population.
The number of people living in Britain more than doubled, causing a huge demand for food, clothes and housing.
- Factories and machines were built to meet this demand and new towns grew up, changing the landscape and the ways people lived and worked.
- Railways, originally built to transport goods, meant people could travel easily around the country for the first time.
How did the British middle and working classes respond to the political freedoms they saw in the US?
they demanded representation in Parliament. for Nova Net
Where was The tavern of the seven seas so called by the British Raj?
The "Tavern of the Seven Seas" is better known as Cape Town South Africa.
What did rich Victorians wear?
The rich Victorians wore clothes made out of cotton, silk, velvet and many others.Ladies wore long dresses with many frills and laces. This would be coloured well. Men would wear a bowler hat or a top hot, with a long cloak. Victorian children would wear things similar to their adults. In the late Victorian period, there was a middle class starting to form, and they would wear the latest fashions in town. The rich, however, wore their own style, and had their own competition.
The term "Victorian" refers to the period of the reign of Queen Victoria (1837 - 1901). "Victorians" refers to the people living at that time.
Why did the British create a stamp tax in 1765?
The British created a tax stamp because the tax was imposed on all American colonists
When was decimal currency introduced in Britain?
Decimal currency was officially introduced in Britain on "Decimal Day" the 15th of February, 1971, with the Half New Penny, 1 New Penny and 2 New Pence coins being issued.
The 5 and 10 New Pence coins had been introduced much earlier in April, 1968, and the 50 New Pence coins were introduced in October, 1969.
The new currency consisting of 100 Pence to the Pound replaced the old currency of Pounds, Shillings and Pence. 12 Pence to the Shilling, and 20 Shillings to the Pound.
How did Britain's empire make her more powerful?
Britain's empire greatly facilitated the country's economic development by providing her with secure sources of raw materials and with export markets for the products of British industry. Britain was the first country to undergo the industrial revolution and as a result underwent a massive rise in population and increasing urbanisation. This became most pronounced from the 1820s onwards. As a result the country became more and more dependent on imported raw materials to supply its industry and on imported foodstuffs, for example Malayan rubber, West African vegetable oils, tin from the tropics, Australian wool and Canadian timber, sugar and, or course, tea.
India was of enormous importance as a trading partner with Britain, particularly as a source of raw materials. The country was brought under the rule of the British East India Company in stages from the 1750s onwards. Her trade with Britain had grown to £62.4 million by 1901; whereas in 1815 her total world trade had stood at only £8 million.
The level of trade with colonies of white settlers in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Africa became even more impressive, amounting to £118 million by 1901. Between 1815 and 1901 the population of settlers in these areas had increased more than twenty-fold from 550,000 to 11.5 million people, a staggering increase. In Africa indiginous peoples were driven from their lands, often violently, to make way for white settlement.
However Britain's demand for primary products and markets was not satisfied by the empire alone. The tariff policy of imperial preference that had favoured trade with British colonies was therefore abandoned from the 1840s in favour of free trade with all comers. This should caution us against seeing Britain as merely a parasite feeding off the colonies (which arguably was very much the case with the earlier Spanish and Portuguese colonial empires). It was certainly the case that, for example, India supplied Britain with vast tax revenues and an enormous army of natives. However more importantly formal empire gave a rapidly-industrialising Britain access to much-needed trade with a large number of other countries.
The fruits of trade and industrialisation made British ruling class very rich. Meanwhile the populations of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland remained poor. In the Irish potato famine of the 1840s thousands died. This took place even as the empire expanded its territory in India, Africa, Canada and elsewhere and established systems of informal empire, for example in China and Argentina.
They were forced or "pressed"into service in the Royal Navy and army.
Long term damage was caused by Britain in its greed to govern the world and reward itself with riches.
The sun never sets in the British Empire?
This saying became popular during the 19th century. At that time Great Britain had colonies all over the world, in Canada, Australia, India and more so the sun was always shining on one of them.
Who was Queen of England during World War 1?
There has not been a Queen or King of England since 1707.
England is a part of, but not the same as, The United Kingdon Of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
George V was the KING of The United Kingdom from 6 May 1910-20 January 1936.
His Queen Consort was Queen Mary of Teck.
What are the important events happened during the Victorian period?
Obviously Queen Victoria was crowned in 1837 and then became Britains longest raining monarch. The major war during the Victoria era was the Crimean war which was fought in Russia from 1853 until 1856. Incidently the metal used for the Victoria cross (highest british military award) is from a cannon caputured in the Crimean War. Queen Victoria suffered several attempts on her life during her reign and also the death of her husband Prince Albert who died of Typhoid in 1861. This caused Victoria to enter a period of mourning which she never recovered from. She wore black for the rest of her life. Unfortunately this is how many people now remember her but before Alberts death she was party loving and had a colourful personality.
Why did not slaves fight back?
there are plenty examples of black slaves fighting back. however there was never a unified fight because blacks were separated. they did not house to many strong males on the same plantations. even on a single plantation there might have been several more blacks than whites but the whites had all the guns, and even if the blacks could get guns it would not be enough to supply any large force. the USA. had a military and communities that worked together to suppress fighting back. the slave were not dumb, they simply did not have the means to win a fight and no understanding of the geographical landscape of the place they lived. most slaves never left the plantation unless they were sold to another plantation.
also a lot of the original slaves on the first ships had been slaves or servants in Africa. the brutality of the American slave system is why it was an untenable situation for the black slaves.
in Africa a slave had there own homes and were well provided for. the African slave system was closer to the American workforce than to the system of slavery that preceded it.
Where is the kohinoor diamond kept?
In the Tower of London, as part of the UK Crown Jewels
The Kohinoor diamond is a part Royal Collection housed in Queen's Gallery London. It is priceless.
The Koh-i-noor diamond is kept at the Tower of London Jewel House, set into a crown.
According to Wikipedia: "The Koh-i Nur is believed to have originated in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India."
Today, the diamond is mounted in Queer Alexandra's diamond crown and is considered part of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. The Crown Jewels are kept in London, England.
Shared values and principles which have helped them strive for success and world recognition.
Britain the most powerful allie?
From a military point of view, Britain is the closest ally to the United States. It is not powerful when compared to the United States itself, but when compared to most other allies Britain is powerful.
Hi - did you receive an answer to this question? I am researching Emily Cox Lascelles, a South Australian, and possible relative.Thanks,Graeme
After World War I, Canada and other Commonwealth countries felt the need for more independence. The Statute of Westminster was part of the process to grant full independence to many of the Commonwealth states. There was discussion between provincial governments of Canada vs. the federal government of Canada about the effect of The Statute of Westminster on the Canadian Constitution.
What was life like in the UK after World War 2?
Rationing got even tighter than during WW2. In January 1946, for the first time ever, bread(!) was rationed. Britain had lost its great power status, but hardly anyone was willing to acknowledge that for some years. The country was still closely regulated, as in WW2. For example, one could be asked at any time by a police officer on duty to produce one's government-issued ID card ...
On the whole, people were earning well but like in WW2 there wasn't much to spend the money on. Even buying luxuries wasn't really an option, as most of them were exported. For example, Wedgwood's, the well known English top-o'-the-range ceramics company, was ordered by the government to export 90% of its production, as the country desperately needed foreign exchange. For very high earners, the top rate of tax was 82.5% (plus a 15% surcharge on investment income). People were just told to be very brave and even more British than ever and just take it all on the chin.
To Americans, all this must sound utterly shocking. It's often said that George Orwell's satire "Nineteen Eighty-Four" was directed primarily at Britain in the 1940s.
The Attlee government expanded the welfare state that promised(?) to look after us all from 'the cradle to the grave'. (There was even a government grant towards the cost of one's funeral). The government made a really great official fuss of kids, gave them extra milk and vitamins, and at school they were told that if there were very bright and worked extremely hard, lack of money wouldn't be allowed to prevent them 'getting to the top'. (This referred to central and local government scholarships and grants for university).
