I would like to begin my excursion into British history with the following observation: Prior to the 19th century, Britain would not have relinquished its influence on the continent as easily as it has done in the present. For centuries, one war followed another in Europe, often involving multiple countries. The rulers wanted to increase their power and glory. Or at the very least, prevent others from obtaining the very same.
Our island kingdom on the edge of Europe was heavily involved in these affairs. An invasion of the continent was not planned, but an invasion from there had to be avoided. Unfortunately, just across the channel was the largest and most populous country in Western Europe: France. The British strategy was to support those continental forces that kept their French neighbour in check.
Given their strategy, the years around 1800 were a geopolitical nightmare. During Napoleon's reign, much of Europe fell under French control. An invasion of the island was only prevented by the English Channel, the strong British fleet, and later, Napoleon's plans to expand France's sphere of influence further east.
Because Napoleon could not subjugate Britain militarily, he tried to bring the country to its knees with an economic embargo. Wherever possible, British goods and merchants were denied access to the continent. In return, the British cut off France's connections to its overseas possessions, or even took them over completely.
After a few years, Napoleon's empire was history. His armies froze to death in Russia, the conquered countries of Central Europe rebelled. A new alliance defeated the self-crowned emperor.
At the Congress of Vienna in 1814-15, the continent was reorganised. In line with British interests, the countries were tailored so that none was too strong. Conflicts between great powers were further complicated by the creation of buffer states.
Due to the balance of power over the next few decades, the United Kingdom was able to almost completely withdraw from the European stage. For 100 years, there were (almost) no armed conflicts on the continent involving British forces. Britain's gaze turned to the rest of the world, and the British expanded their Empire into the largest and most dominant empire in human history. The irony is the expansion was not deliberate. For liberalism had become one of the most influential forces within British society, both politically and economically.
In terms of foreign trade and dealing with colonies, its supporters pointed to the USA. Before the independence of the American colonies, their trade was regulated. Direct exchange with other states was forbidden. They had to deliver their goods to Britain, on British ships of course, with appropriate customs duties. Only then were the goods allowed to be sold to other countries.
It was a mercantilist economy. Domestic production was to be promoted; foreign goods were to be pushed out of the market as far as possible. Everything was under the strict control of the state, for which customs duties were not only a tool to control the economy, but represented a reliable source of revenue.
With independence, the Americans could sell their goods directly to anyone. But the income from trade with the USA did not decrease for the British - on the contrary. At the same time, the effort involved in owning colonies vanished, such as running the administrative apparatus and putting down rebellions, not to mention financing them.
For the liberals, the situation was clear: colonies were troublesome, expensive and restricted trade. An increase in British prosperity should come from an expansion of free trade with other parts of the world. These were not to be dominated, but were themselves free and independent.
Nevertheless, many regions of the world subsequently came under the direct control of the British authorities and remained there until the second half of the 20th century. Why? A decisive factor was the industrial revolution, which was in full swing in Britain at the beginning of the 19th century. Britain started to produce an enormous amount of goods and its merchants travelled the world in search for buyers and resources to produce them. Even with the costs of transportation their goods were often cheaper and better than those of local manufacturers. International free trade therefore meant, above all, new sales opportunities for British goods. Other countries, on the other hand, were threatened with the decline of domestic industries and dependence.
Moreover, liberalism was an important, but not sole force within British society. Particularly in conservative circles, there were supporters of an expansion of the Empire.
Alone, they would never have been able to advance their plans. But a country's politics, especially over long periods of time, is determined by the interactions between the different powers in society. In 19th-century Britain, this meant an interplay of liberal and conservative forces. It was this interplay that made the expansion of the Empire possible. Trade provided access to foreign regions and in turn, these regions became dependent upon Britain, which then only needed to be formalised. I will explore this in my next blogpost, covering the colonialisation of India.I would like to begin my excursion into British history with the following observation: Prior to the 19th century, Britain would not have relinquished its influence on the continent as easily as it has done in the present. For centuries, one war followed another in Europe, often involving multiple countries. The rulers wanted to increase their power and glory. Or at the very least, prevent others from obtaining the very same.
Our island kingdom on the edge of Europe was heavily involved in these affairs. An invasion of the continent was not planned, but an invasion from there had to avoided. Unfortunately, just across the channel was the largest and most populous country in Western Europe: France. The British strategy was to support those continental forces that kept their French neighbour in check.
Given their strategy, the years around 1800 were a geopolitical nightmare. During Napoleon's reign, much of Europe fell under French control. An invasion of the island was only prevented by the English Channel, the strong British fleet, and later, Napoleon's plans to expand France's sphere of influence further east.
Because Napoleon could not subjugate Britain militarily, he tried to bring the country to its knees with an economic embargo. Wherever possible, British goods and merchants were denied access to the continent. In return, the British cut off France's connections to its overseas possessions, or even took them over completely.
After a few years, Napoleon's empire was history. His armies froze to death in Russia, the conquered countries of Central Europe rebelled. A new alliance defeated the self-crowned emperor.
At the Congress of Vienna in 1814-15, the continent was reorganised. In line with British interests, the countries were tailored so that none was too strong. Conflicts between great powers were further complicated by the creation of buffer states.
Due to the balance of power over the next few decades, the United Kingdom was able to almost completely withdraw from the European stage. For 100 years, there were (almost) no armed conflicts on the continent involving British forces. Britain's gaze turned to the rest of the world, and the British expanded their Empire into the largest and most dominant empire in human history. The irony is the expansion was not deliberate. For liberalism had become one of the most influential forces within British society, both politically and economically.
In terms of foreign trade and dealing with colonies, its supporters pointed to the USA. Before the independence of the American colonies, their trade was regulated. Direct exchange with other states was forbidden. They had to deliver their goods to Britain, on British ships of course, with appropriate customs duties. Only then were the goods allowed to be sold to other countries.
It was a mercantilist economy. Domestic production was to be promoted; foreign goods were to be pushed out of the market as far as possible. Everything was under the strict control of the state, for which customs duties were not only a tool to control the economy, but represented a reliable source of revenue.
With independence, the Americans could sell their goods directly to anyone. But the income from trade with the USA did not decrease for the British - on the contrary. At the same time, the effort involved in owning colonies vanished, such as running the administrative apparatus and putting down rebellions, not to mention financing them.
For the liberals, the situation was clear: colonies were troublesome, expensive and restricted trade. An increase in British prosperity should come from an expansion of free trade with other parts of the world. These were not to be dominated, but were themselves free and independent.
Nevertheless, many regions of the world subsequently came under the direct control of the British authorities and remained there until the second half of the 20th century. Why? A decisive factor was the industrial revolution, which was in full swing in Britain at the beginning of the 19th century. Britain started to produce an enormous amount of goods and its merchants travelled the world in search for buyers and resources to produce them. Even with the costs of transportation their goods were often cheaper and better than those of local manufacturers. International free trade therefore meant, above all, new sales opportunities for British goods. Other countries, on the other hand, were threatened with the decline of domestic industries and dependence.
Moreover, liberalism was an important, but not sole force within British society. Particularly in conservative circles, there were supporters of an expansion of the Empire.
Alone, they would never have been able to advance their plans. But a country's politics, especially over long periods of time, is determined by the interactions between the different powers in society. In 19th-century Britain, this meant an interplay of liberal and conservative forces. It was this interplay that made the expansion of the Empire possible. Trade provided access to foreign regions and in turn, these regions became dependent upon Britain, which then only needed to be formalised.
I will explore this in my next blogpost, covering the colonialisation of India,which can be seen as the blueprint for the colonialisation of other parts of the world.
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