2.4 Case Study: Imperialism in Great Britain/Industrialization

2.4 Case Study: Imperialism in Great Britain/Industrialization

Origins of Imperialism in Great Britain

Great Britain was an especially powerful empire builder. As a relatively small island nation, it successfully built a large world empire. The following map shows the empire at the time of its greatest expansion in 1914.

As shown on the map, Britain had territories all around the world. British colonies are shown in red. At its height of greatest expansion (1921), the British Empire stretched over one-quarter of the earth and encompassed one-quarter of its population, resulting in the largest empire in history.

Industrialization in Great Britain

The Industrial Revolution had an important role in the rise of imperialism. The Industrial Revolution was not a war or revolution in the sense of a massive political change, but it was a revolution of rapid major change in the production of goods and the way people lived. It also changed the values people shared. Although it began in Britain, it soon spread to other nations and eventually throughout the world.

The legacy of industrialization, both good and bad, is still with us today.

Every nation that became industrialized experienced the same effects as the people of Britain. These changes are still occurring around the world as nations struggle to become more technically advanced and strive to increase their economic power.

The citizens of Britain experienced huge changes in their way of life during this time in history. Before the Industrial Revolution, most families lived on farms or in small villages where they were self-employed and worked with their families producing cloth or raising animals. However, by the end of the 19th century, nearly half of the population of Britain was forced to move into huge cities or mining communities, where they labored six days a week for low wages.