Africa and australia was underdeveloped. Canada was a unwanted, uninhabited wasteland. Middle East colonies were easily taken from the ottoman empire after it had benen in decline for centuries.
The only slightly impressive feat of this empire was conquering India, but the period they did so was hardly during indias golden age.
So let's see here:
size: uninhabited wasteland in Canada and australia.
Population: basically India
What was it that was supposed to be impressive now again?
David Turner
The British Empire was established and sustained foremost through trade not conquest, this was key to its success and an important factor in why the Spanish and the French empire's of conquest before them, failed.
Juan Bailey
Just wondering where are you from?
Julian Cooper
I'm a British indian
Hunter Howard
Sweden
Lucas Cooper
Canada was unwanted...you're wrong!
Brayden Sanders
France didn't fail tho both there empires collapsed around the same time
Samuel Cox
Most of it was arctic wasteland so yes
Blake Hill
>What was it that was supposed to be impressive now again?
It shattered the Ottoman Empire into little fucking pieces, basically guaranteeing the security of the West for at least a century.
Sebastian Bell
The ottoman empire had been in decline for centuries, it no longer posed a threat at the time britain decided to finish it
Jaxson Evans
This is a swede from /int/.
Nathaniel Gomez
Just as coal was going out of fashion and oil was coming in; uncanny.
Charles Bell
Pajeet my son
Joseph Morgan
How tf do you remember a old, almost ignored thread?
Zachary Phillips
the power projection was still beyond anything that had ever existed, and remember that Britain had to compete with other European countries to gain control of this land.
Andrew Myers
Wrong, france went bankrupt and sttopped being the great power it had been after napoleon. When germany formed most colonies had already been secured and portugal and spain were far from the powers they had been previously
Ethan Wright
You know Austria, Russia and Prussia were all legitimate Great Powers Britain had to compete with?
Brayden Stewart
I think austria was to backwards and had too many internal problems to effectively colonize, and russia never tried much colonizing since it for them made much more sence to just expand the borders of their country
Sebastian Smith
Prussia were also too busy trying to unify germany to give a Fuck about colonies so early on
Bentley Powell
That is colonialism though. The great game was a thing.
It doesn't change the fact most of the land in OP's pic had to be fought for.
They fought a war with the French for Canada, The dutch for south africa, the dutch and french for india, etc
Hunter Garcia
>becoming the global hegemon and wealthiest nation on earth was easy I wonder why nobody else did it?
Gabriel Young
That is still 3 centuries of competition with France pre-Napoleon. Canada was won from the French, so I wouldnt call it unwanted. Also, the scramble for Africa was post Napoleon and Britain was definitely competing with France there so your assertion is wrong
Robert Baker
>Canada and Australia unwanted wastelands >Somehow two of the richest countries in the world
