How Did Britain Go From Largest Empire in the World to a Tiny Island?

[Robbie Barrett]

Taking too much they couldn't defend. They spread themselves too thin.

[Prince Madison]

we are doing fine thanks very much, a rich and prosperous country punching above its weight with opportunities for all. Dont have to be warmongers to be a great country and weve learned that lesson, maybe america should take note.

[MDPopescu]

we are doing fine thanks very much, a rich and prosperous country punching above its weight with opportunities for all. Dont have to be warmongers to be a great country and weve learned that lesson, maybe america should take note.

... Yeah! ... all these kids here understand exactly shit from the history of civilisation...

[Sparked_26]

Quality poster right here.

It is like Great Britain is a door man and we've let all the boys into the club.

India, United States of America, Australia, they are all on it. They're buzzed as they saw the amount of easy women in the queue. But then there is Argentina and he's not wearing shoes so we've had to tell him to go fuck himself.

Not on our watch, Argentina.

Not on our watch!

We're never letting you in now.

[Randall Cunning]

It all went downhill after the good ol days of slavery, nothing like a bit of slave labour to boost your economy, look at India and China.

Bloody planes aswell, an Island with a badass Navy is unbeatable, put together with all the industrial advances we were making to make the ships to rule the high seas. Then the rest of the world caught up, and warfare changed.

Still punching above our weight though

[siablo14]

It all went downhill after the good ol days of slavery, nothing like a bit of slave labour to boost your economy, look at India and China.

Bloody planes aswell, an Island with a badass Navy is unbeatable, put together with all the industrial advances we were making to make the ships to rule the high seas. Then the rest of the world caught up, and warfare changed.

Still punching above our weight though

America too, Randall.

[Randall Cunning]

America too, Randall.

Its a paradox, fight a civil war to abolish slavery, then rely on another countries slave labour to supply your goods. Think its a case of "don't shit on your own doorstep"

[hayZ]

People mentioning WW2 as solely the reason are wrong.

They were declining as early as 1890's. They scaled back on military expenditure, especially when it came to upgrading their current equipment and investing in that area. It just took WW1 to expose it. They were NEVER the same after WW1. WW1 changed the game completely. It was a war fought in Europe (for the most part) and Britain started off with a huge surplus of wealth/profits, with London the financial capital of the World. Post WW1, it moved to New York and Britain was in debt to the U.S.

It had to use all of it's imperial might to stay in the war. By the time WW2 came around, they were losing their grip on a lot of their lands, it was just about time and it took something like WW2 to just speed it up big time. They used hundreds of thousands of Indian troops, without them Britain would have been overrun and running to Dunkirk from the Nazi's a whole lot quicker than you think.

Colonialism wasn't seen in the same light it was a century before. The Scramble for Africa would not have been possible or seen as acceptable Post-WW1.

[siablo14]

Its a paradox, fight a civil war to abolish slavery, then rely on another countries slave labour to supply your goods. Think its a case of "don't shit on your own doorstep"

It's like the Chi-Chi-Do-Do bird.
It hates excrement with all its soul. But the chichidodo only feeds on maggots, and you know the maggots grow best inside the lavatory

Hates to dabble in **** but loves maggots.