Questions tagged [british-empire]

For questions regarding the overseas empire established by Britain, beginning with England's overseas colonies and trading posts in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, and reaching a quarter of the Earth's land surface by 1922. Domestic British questions should be directed as United-Kingdom, Britain, England, Scotland, Wales, or Ireland depending on the subject.

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Did provincial elections occur in 1934 in the provinces of Punjab and Bengal?

I was reading about elections in British India that happened as per the rules of the Government of India Act, 1919. From 1920 till 1934, a total of five elections were conducted i.e. 1920, 1923, 1926, ...
17 votes
6 answers
9k 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 ...
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What medal is shown in this 19th-century Canadian picture?

I have a photo of a Canadian male ancestor from around 1885 (he is about 45 years old), who is wearing a medal (see photo). I am having trouble identifying what the medal is. The photo quality is not ...
4 votes
1 answer
267 views

Who was Colonel Palmer of the Mitla Pass?

From Marshall, Sinai Victory: What is called "Parker's Memorial" in this book, and is herein pictured, is described in a reliable source as a monument to the memory of Col. A. C. Palmer, ...
6 votes
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Did the famous French privateer Surcouf really drop that epic zinger on an anonymous British officer?

It is said that when a British captive officer taunted Surcouf with the words "You French fight for money while we fight for honour", Surcouf replied "Each of us fights for what he ...
3 votes
0 answers
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Where in America did James Macpherson travel?

I'm looking into James Macpherson, the 18th century Scottish writer, and I can't find much. I know that in 1764 he took a job as secretary to the colonial governor, George Johnstone, also a Scott, in ...
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What prevented Southern Rhodesia from acquiring Dominion status?

Southern Rhodesia established responsible government in 1923. The next step, in general, was for a colony to be granted Dominion status (e.g., Newfoundland). What prevented Southern Rhodesia from ...
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2 answers
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Does the ending of "Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage" by Alfred Lansing sound reasonable?

The news about scientists have found Endurance prompts me to ask this question otherwise I have always seen it as some minor details that few people will have an interest in. I think it is safe to say ...
15 votes
2 answers
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How could temporary surrender of self-government help Newfoundland with its debts?

According to Wikipedia, Newfoundland had accumulated a significant amount of debt by building a railway across the island, which was completed in the 1890s, and by raising its own regiment during ...
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1 answer
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Journeys from Gujarat in India to Dare es Salaam in what was then, Tanganyika in 1925 and 1948

I am researching a journey for a novel where my character travels from Gujarat in India to Dare es Salaam in what was then, Tanganyika. The journey happens in 1925 and then again in 1948. Does anyone ...
4 votes
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When was Red Sea rig introduced into British Royal Navy?

Red Sea rig is a mess dress uniform variant. It is used by some naval officers in the (UK) Royal Navy and other navies, that inherited its traditions (Canadian, Indian, ...). In general, it is similar ...
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Did the Luftwaffe tactically support Tobruk's capture in 1942?

In the comic AfrikaKorps, the capture of Tobruk in 1942 is highlighted as the consequence of tactical bombings of the Tobruk perimeter. The reasons of the defeat are given as: Lack of antitank ...
6 votes
3 answers
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How did Victorian British conservatives resolve the tension between valuing tradition and spreading empire?

I've started reading about British Victorian politics, and I have a question about an apparent tension in Victorian conservatism. I'd like to get a better understanding of it so I can have a framework ...
34 votes
8 answers
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What were the main causes of successful take over of India by Britain?

The East India Company ruled an entire country of huge size for 101 years (1757–1858). During this time they did almost everything they wanted to do and won almost every battle in India. What was ...
26 votes
5 answers
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Why did it take over 100 years for Britain to begin seriously colonising America?

After the New World was discovered, it didn't take long for Spain, and relatively soon after, Portugal, to begin permanent colonisation there. It took over 100 years after the New World's discovery ...
10 votes
4 answers
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What class / type of ship was the "Dragon" from Rotterdam c. 1732?

I am attempting to determine the class, size, features, history of the British ship "Dragon" c. 1732 that was known to arrive in Philadelphia on September 30, 1732 with 173 men, women and children ...
6 votes
1 answer
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Is there any evidence to support the claim that Richard Burton told John Speke he would return home via Jerusalem after their Nile Quest?

The book "Explorers of the Nile: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Great Victorian Adventure" by Tim Jeal contradicts with every other books I read regarding the dispute between Richard Burton ...
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1 answer
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What laws governed the Punjab under British rule during the Board of Administration between 1849 and 1853?

Given that the Indian Penal Code wasn't introduced until 1860 and then later the Punjab Laws Act of 1872 I am trying to gain a better understanding of the laws governing the Punjab under British rule ...
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What role did Elizabeth II play in actions of the British Empire during her reign? [closed]

Much of the critical commentary on Elizabeth II's legacy following her death has concerned actions of the British state in its colonies during her reign. An historically significant number of these ...
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3 answers
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How did the elite maintain the status quo throughout the British Colonies of North America?

Though Nathaniel 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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Is this uniform is from India or Burma in the 1800's?

Is this an Indian Brigade? Possibly RSF in India or Burma?
3 votes
1 answer
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After the First Opium war, Why didn't Britain demand large amounts of territory from China?

The first Opium war was a total British victory. With such a total British victory, and with the expansionist ideals that existed in Britain, forcing China into an unconditional surrender seemed to be ...
1 vote
1 answer
313 views

How many times in history has a government completely "moulded to its own shape the physical character of the people"? [closed]

Sir John Barrow, 1st Baronet published the book "Travels in China" in 1804. In it he made poignant but quite accurate assessments about then China. I am Chinese and I am reading this book ...
5 votes
1 answer
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What were Lord Macartney's original words about Chinese under the Qianlong Emperor's brutal regime in 18th century?

This is a follow-up question of Where can I find modern account of Macartney Embassy to China (1792–1794)? After Lord Macartney returned from his mission to the Qianlong Emperor, he made a poignant ...
2 votes
1 answer
243 views

Which part of Japanese air forces fought in Burma and how much was destroyed?

My current understanding of WW2 involving Japan is that US forces destroyed the brunt of Japanese air and naval forces in the Pacific. I know however that land battles occurred on large scale in Burma ...
17 votes
9 answers
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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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How exactly did the government work with very large empires? [closed]

In planning my fictional worlds, I have come to wonder how exactly large empires worked, the main question being, how did they manage to keep control over such a large space in a manner that allowed ...
77 votes
3 answers
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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 ...
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1 answer
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How colonialism have been done right (benevolently)? [closed]

The British Empire (& Europeans, Arabs etc.) colonised many countries but the colonial experience, advertised as a "westernizing the backward people for their own good" masked the ...
17 votes
2 answers
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In Britain, what was the "Junior Service" in 1913?

I read a marriage notice from 1913, which noted that the father of the groom "has four sons abroad, three having served with distinction in the junior Service". (West Sussex Gazette, Thu 13 Feb 1913, ...
2 votes
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Where can I find modern account of Macartney Embassy to China (1792–1794)?

Macartney Embassy was the first British diplomatic mission to China. It was such an important but little-known event. I read quite some Chinese materials but not many English materials. The wiki ...
4 votes
1 answer
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Is there mutual significance in the year 1807, so far as abolition of the slave trade in Britain and the United States is concerned?

I have just read an article in the autumn edition of The Historian (British publication of the Historical Association) by Professor John Coffey of the University of Leicester on The secret diaries of ...
13 votes
2 answers
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When did the use of "Contact!" by soldiers emerge?

I was recently watching a World War One docudrama-esque show (Our World War (BBC)) and, while patrolling and fighting to control Trones Wood, some British troops unexpectedly encounter the German ...
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1 answer
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How much did King George III of Britain weigh?

I cannot, for the life of me, find out how much King George III of Britain weighs. I would like to know his physical stature, as I am making a rhythmic poem with my class.
5 votes
2 answers
366 views

What is this Victorian era British Uniform? Royal Horse Artillery?

Please can anyone confirm whether the photo shows a uniform of a Corporal in the R.H.A.(Royal Horse Artillery) of the British Army in about the 1870s? An ancestor of mine was in the R.H.A in the 1870s ...
2 votes
0 answers
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Can you identify this dress uniform (Lucknow, India, around 1911)?

My husband’s grandmother, born illegitimate, did not know her father. She was told that this is him. She was conceived in India in November 1911. I would like to identify the dress uniform. I know it’...
6 votes
2 answers
675 views

Why did the British leave Kohima and Imphal "lightly" defended in 1944?

In 1942, the answer would have been, "because Britain didn't have enough troops." They were then weak "everywhere" along the line. But by early 1944, after two years of the Burma Campaign, Britain ...
14 votes
6 answers
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Was the British Empire financially capable of maintaining India as a colony after WW2?

In India, it is generally accepted that Indian Independence from the British was the culmination of the 190 year long freedom struggle; from the armed conflicts of the mid-1800s to the more peaceful ...
48 votes
4 answers
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Is the photograph "England’s Revenge in India" real, staged, or fake?

Might have an interesting puzzle for you here… This picture, titled "England's Revenge in India", appeared in a Nazi propaganda book against Britain published in 1941: The propaganda book claims ...
4 votes
2 answers
2k views

Were the borders of British India deliberately poorly demarcated?

In India (at least), the British authorities demarcated its borders in a very poor way. For example: Siachen was neither given to Pakistan nor to India. Aksai Chin was not demarcated; they considered ...
2 votes
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Why did the British Empire try to criminalize cannabis in India three times when they had good experience with its taxation?

The British Empire passed a taxation act on cannabis in India in 1798, apparently for the well-being of the natives. What the most likely motivation behind the taxation act is, I don't know. In 1838, ...
1 vote
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Was there something in Lord Palmerston's career that made him associated with temporary appointments becoming permanent?

While researching the quote "nothing more permanent than something temporary", I stumbled upon this quote from the "Royal United Service Institution Journal" from 1888: I fear ...
1 vote
1 answer
263 views

Would a commissioned officer in the Royal Navy during the mid-late 18th century ever sail on a vessel other than a man-o-war, ship of the line, etc?

As someone who does not exactly understand how naval commissions worked in the 18th century, I am curious to know if there might have ever been an occasion where a commissioned officer (such as a ...
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2 answers
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Does the idea of white Europeans being the "true Aryans" come from the British India? [closed]

I have recently had a conversation with a man from India over the Internet and he told me this interesting claim. He said that "Aryan" meant "noble" in Sanskrit, and the British, ...
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Was Voltaire actually present at the British Raid on Lorient in 1746, which was attended by David Hume?

Voltaire wrote a satirical account of the raid at which Hume himself was personally in attendance with General St Clair. However, it is difficult to find out if Voltaire was actually an eyewitness ...
5 votes
2 answers
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Why did British Gen. Frank Messervy oppose the invasion of Kashmir?

According to Wikipedia: In October 1947, Messervy had become aware of the mobilization of Pashtun tribesmen in the North-West Frontier Province for the invasion of Kashmir. The governor George ...
17 votes
3 answers
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What was the role of Indian princes and aristocratic landowners under British colonial rule?

I am currently reading Ludwig von Mises' Human Action and find it rewarding in various ways. For instance, von Mises points out the following about volunteers' roles even around autocratic rulers: ...
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How many British and British affiliated Indians lost their lives in the Indian freedom struggle?

There is a lot of material on how many Indians lost their lives, killed or missing in the British colonial era. But how many people affiliated to the East India Company and later, the British Empire ...
2 votes
1 answer
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Did German aircraft operate off Lebanon in 1941?

During the Syro-Lebanon War in 1941, French forces fought British forces both on the ground, in the air and at sea. French airplanes attacked the British fleet multiple times. But according to Roald ...
2 votes
1 answer
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Did the US's push to dissolve the imperial preference become an underlying reason for the collapse of the British empire

Here are some articles (history.state.gov and umich.edu) talking about the US push to dissolve the imperial preference system. In the conferences that occurred during WW2 the US told Britain ...

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