The British Empire

The growth of the British Empire was due in large part to the ongoing competition for resources and markets which existed over a period of 'centuries between England and other European countries – Spain, France and Holland. After the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 Britain found itself in an extraordinary powerful position, Britain had become the leading industrial nation of Europe, and more and more of the world came under the domination of British commercial, financial and naval power.

During the Victorian Age the acquisition of territory and of further trading concessions continued, reaching its peak when Victoria had been crowned Empress of India. Advocates of the imperialist foreign policy justified it by invoking a theory, that the Empire existed not for the benefit – economic or strategic – of Britain itself, but in order that primitive peoples, incapable of self-government, could, with British guidance, eventually become civilized.

The truth of this doctrine was accepted by some people and it served to legitimize Britain's acquisition of new territories.

During Victoria's long reign, direct political power moved away from the sovereign. A series of Reform Acts broadened the social and economic base of the electorate. Despite this decline in the Sovereign's power, Victoria showed that a monarch who had a high level of prestige and who was prepared to master the details of political life could exert an important influence.

It was during Victoria's reign that the modern idea of the constitutional monarch, whose role was to remain above political parties, began to evolve. Although conservative in some respects – like many at the time she opposed giving women the vote - on social issues, she supported many charities involved in education, hospitals and other areas. Victoria was the first reigning monarch to use trains – she made her first train journey in 1842.

In her later years she almost became the symbol of the British Empire. Both the Golden (1887) and the Diamond (1897) Jubilees were held to celebrate the 50^th and 60^th anniversaries of the queen's accession. Despite her advanced age, Victoria continued her duties to the end – including an official visit to Dublin in 1900.

Victoria died at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, on 22 January 1901 after a reign which lasted almost 64 years, the longest in British history.

I. Answer the following questions:

1. When did the great Victorian epoch start?

2. Speak about mid-Victorian prosperity.

3. Which country was the first to create a railway system?

4. Why did the Crimean War begin and what was the effect of the war?

5. Which country was the most industrialized one in the middle of the 19^th century?

6. Why did Egypt become especially important for Britain after 1869?

7. What factors weakened the British Empire?

II. Suggest Ukrainian equivalents:

To strengthen the popularity, to uphold, to evolve, to lose political power, reigning monarch, to master the details, to remain above political parties, incapable of self-governing, boundlessly profitable, the main, route, to be outdistanced, available equipment, the world's prime banker, unemployment, the mid-Victorian boom, old-established, old-fashioned.