Aside from English expansion across the British Isles, the British Empire started with England's overseas colonies and trading posts established in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. By 1922, the British Empire ruled over 458 million people, a fifth of the world's population at the time, and ...
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2answers
26 views
What role did British cartoonists play in the early 1800?
Can anybody explain the historical context and the reasons for which the comic below, preserved to the British Museum, was painted? What is its meaning? Why is Napoleon so little? And, more ...
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0answers
39 views
Who was Charles Kingston O'Mahony?
I've read his book The Viceroys of Ireland and am trying to find out more about him. The book was published in 1912 and I can't find any more information about him.
I was able to dig up references to ...
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1answer
151 views
What is this strange uniform?
Colonel John Tiltman wears a very strange uniform in this picture, dated 1919.
The original webpage where I saw the picture is http://www.colossus-computer.com/colossus1.html.
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27 views
Cost of producing posters in world war 1
I know that a lot of posters were printed out during World War 1, but am confused by the cost for the government to produce all these, a google search normally yields some results - but this time it ...
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0answers
45 views
Patriotism and how it contributed to the recruitment process in WW1
I know that a lot of people joined the army (and the navy) in World War 1 due to patriotism – the will to fight for your country. This shows that a lot of people, even those who were unemployed or ...
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1answer
132 views
World War 1 Indian propaganda posters
In World War 1, because war broke out between the triple entente and the central powers (and they happened to have a lot of foreign colonies), the allies made posters to recruit soldiers from all ...
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1answer
43 views
Which parts of the Townshend Act were repealed in 1770?
The Townshend Acts were passed in 1767 and partially repealed in 1770. Which clauses were repealed at that time?
I've looked around and found the original text, but I cannot find specifically what ...
8
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3answers
140 views
How severe was the 1943 Bengal Famine?
I read this in a comment to a newspaper article:
By far the largest British empire human loss in the Second World War was the three million Bengalis who perished in a famine in 1943 that Churchill ...
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1answer
70 views
What is “quarter column”
I'm watching a documentary on the Boer War and apparently, during the Victorian era, the British Army commonly employed their infantry in "quarter column". I've tried to look it up, but can't find ...
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2answers
109 views
Was India's independence inevitable after Cripps Mission?
In 1942, the British government had sent Sir Stafford Cripps to negotiate with the Congress. According to most sources (though this was not made public at that time), the Cripps Mission had proposed ...
7
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1answer
124 views
Did the British somehow imitate the Greek colonizers in India?
First of all I wonder whether the British headdress in India was somehow designed to resemble the headdress of the Indo-Greeks and Greco-Bactrians? For example, this is the image of Eucratides I, the ...
8
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1answer
116 views
English monarchs on the battlefield
It seems that in English 'older times' it was expected for the King or monarch to lead the armies in battle.
My research suggests that this was the case in the 12th century in the civil war between ...
6
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0answers
35 views
Did Britain briefly recognize Mahmud Barzanji as King of Kurdistan?
I am trying to find out about the Kurds after WWI and the internet so far proved to be disappointing as a reliable source of information on this topic.
The wiki entry on Mahmud Barzanji is very ...
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1answer
108 views
Was Edward VIII of England forced to abdicate?
I wonder whether Edward VIII was forced to abdicate due to his pro-Nazi views or his romance with Wallis Simpson?
I know that some politicians urged him to abdicate but was there something more ...
6
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2answers
169 views
Did WWII Delay Indian Independence?
During WWII, Gandhi said that Indians should adopt a compromising attitude towards the British due to the stresses of war. Did this prolong the (near) inactivity of the Indian National Movement? Or ...
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0answers
146 views
How do the British and Spanish Empires compare with the Mongol and Macedonian Empires?
I'm trivially curious to know how the British (colonial) and Spanish (colonial) Empires compared against the Mongol (~Genghis Khan) and Macedonian (~Alexander) Empires. The comparison I'm interested ...
3
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1answer
202 views
What was the exact time of announcement of Indian independence?
Unanimously, India achieved its independence on 15th August 1947. Of course, to say the exact time would be a bit difficult. However, there must be some figure for this time; at least, at what time ...
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2answers
640 views
How did Egypt become a protectorate of the British empire?
How did Egypt become a protectorate of the British empire in 1914?
(Feel free to add more content to this question)
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1answer
175 views
The British and the French built the Suez Canal?
How is it that British officials and French engineers were responsible for the completion of the Suez Canal in 1869? This was before Egypt became a protectorate of the British Empire in 1914.
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1answer
143 views
Did the Ottoman Empire lose some control over Egypt during the Crimean War?
What were the effects of the Crimean War on the relationship between the British and Ottoman empires? Did they lose partial control over Egypt?
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1answer
490 views
When did the first riots between Hindus and Muslims happen in India?
I have studied in school that the British used the Divide and Rule strategy to rule in India. But, for them to think of applying Divide and Rule, I think some sort of communal tension between Hindus ...
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2answers
153 views
What were the causes of the “Dardenelles” fiasco in World War I
During World War II, the Allies sent supplies to the Soviet Union via Murmansk/Archangelsk in the north, via Persia and the Caspian Sea in the south, and via the Tran-Siberian railroad.
Why didn't ...
10
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2answers
335 views
Why did Mozambique join the British Commonwealth?
In short, the Commonwealth originated in the British Empire, as an association of Britain and its former colonies.
Why did Mozambique (a former Portuguese colony) join?
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1answer
346 views
India without British Rule
What was India like before there was any British rule and it was colonized? Was it united as a single country? Was it among the third world developing countries? What was its economic, social and ...
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1answer
178 views
What weapons were manufactured in India by the British forces which were used during world wars?
Recently I came across references to a weapon called the Bangalore Torpedo, which was used in the world wars. These weapons were made in India by the British Indian Army.
I also happened to see ...
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2answers
403 views
How does the amount of equipment carried by various historical infantries compare?
I've heard many statements amount the weight of supplies and munition carried by soldiers of various historical forces. In particular, I've heard many comments about the amount that the British ...
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2answers
365 views
Maintaining the status quo throughout the British Colonies of North America
Though Nathanial Bacon himself may not have been poor, the rebellion he became a leader of in 1676 eventually proved to be evidence of the class envy that existed in the British colonies of North ...
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3answers
447 views
What is the basic structure of British Politics?
This is obviously an extremely broad (but answerable!) question, and I honestly don't know where to start and have no knowledge whatsoever about the topic. Basically I would like to know how the ...
7
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1answer
237 views
Did any of the 50 Destroyers swapped for bases with Great Britain in 1940 sink any Axis military vessels?
In 1940 the United States traded fifty mothballed WW1 Destroyers to England in exchange for land rights in areas of the British Empire. Were any of those fifty ships credited with sinking an Axis ...
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2answers
194 views
Why did the British not introduce the sterling in India?
The question is about the adoption of currency during imperialist rule.
Why did the British persist with the local currency, the rupee?
What impediments did the British face in implementing the ...
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5answers
1k views
Was democracy present in India before British colonization?
My friend claims that India had democracy before the British colonized it. I am skeptical and have failed to find any references to democracy in India within the last thousand years. I found one weak ...
11
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2answers
218 views
Why were the British so reluctant to allow Jewish migration to Palestine?
Not sure this is the correct forum to ask this, but i'm currently reading 'Exodus' by Leon Uris, and i'm curious as to why the British were so reluctant in letting jewish people in Palestine.
This ...
8
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2answers
237 views
When did navies stop giving out a drink ration to their sailors?
I seem to remember that the British Navy, and the US Navy maybe, used to give out a ration of alcohol to sailors each day. When did this practice stop, and why?
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4answers
2k views
Why did Canada, Australia and New Zealand separate from UK?
I asked this question in various places in the Web. I haven't received a clear answer.
The USA separated from the UK because the people felt that they are not British, and they weren't.
Weren't ...
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1answer
445 views
Did the end of the British Raj in India create an economic loss for Britain?
I know the economic downturn of the World War and the victory of the Labour Party played some role in Britain deciding to quit India. Did GB have any serious economic implications because of this? ...
5
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0answers
149 views
How did the bureaucratic culture of Great Britain affect its response to the protests over the Stamp Act of 1765?
I'm writing a paper on the era of the Stamp Act (1765) concerning primarily the clash of legal cultures between what was then the Colonies of North America and the mother country, Great Britain.
You ...
4
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1answer
377 views
Sources for letters written during the Boer Wars
For a project at my school i need to make a 'letter home' of a canadian soldier that participated in the second boer war. I need to draw from primary sources and im not having luck finding any. so ...
9
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3answers
274 views
When did the British monarch become an emperor?
When did the British monarch become an Emperor? I know that Queen Victoria became Empress of India, that there is an order of the British Empire, but is there such a thing as a British Emperor?
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4answers
795 views
Who was responsible for the partition of India?
Who was responsible for the partition of India? Did it happen due to Mohammed Ali Jinnah or Mahatma Gandhi? Or were the British of the view that the country needed to be divided?
10
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3answers
210 views
Approximately what was the short-term economic loss to Britain as a result of the Revolutionary War being lost?
Is there any research that shows what the economic impact was to the British economy stemming from the 13 Colonies obtaining independence?
It could be either a narrower estimate of purely tax losses ...
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1answer
142 views
Is it true the British heavily downplayed their defeat in Cartagena?
According to the wikipedia article the British lost the siege of Cartagena despite having a numerical advantage of 7-8 to 1.
After the defeat King George II forbade anyone to talk about it in the ...
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2answers
357 views
Were the British Over-Taxing their 13 American Colonies?
The British levied several taxes on the American Colonists (13), which were at least part of the reason for the American Revolution. Were the British taxing the 13 colonies for more money than was ...
31
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3answers
3k views
Why did Canada not join the American Revolution?
America declared independence from Britain and fought a war of independence. Several states joined the fight, however, Canada remained British. Why did the American rebellion and war of independence ...
8
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2answers
151 views
How long would it take to travel from England to western Africa in the late 1890's?
I am trying to do some research for a book I am planning to write, and I would like to know how long it would take for a troop transport ship to travel from England to the Gold Coast region of Africa. ...
16
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3answers
1k views
What were the reasons that the British colonies in North America rebelled but not others?
I know more about the American War of Independence than about other British colonies, but I have begun to wonder why was it just America. The British had colonies in other places but there doesn't ...
14
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4answers
587 views
Why did the Dutch, French & British acquire minor colonies in South America?
We know that South America was partitioned between Spain and Portugal in the early days of empire when Spain and Portugal were the major powers. Later, in the 19th century, when Spain and Portugal ...
8
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4answers
355 views
Why was the Irish War of Independence in 1918 successful when other revolts failed?
In a nutshell, what events, occurrences, or mishaps took place that allowed the Irish to win the war of Independence over what could arguably be the most powerful nation of the time, when they were ...
