On the Rise and Fall of Great Britain解读

课 程 论 文 主修学校：    学生姓名：        学    号：    指导教师：      成    绩：  On the Rise and Fall of Great Britain 中文摘要： 英国曾有着日不落帝国之称，也曾在文化历史上担任重要的角色，对于全球化的今天尤为重要。早在十六世纪的时候，它以优越的海军力量和庞大的殖民地领先世界，一跃为世界中心。而后在工业革命中巩固了自己的地位并为西方经济的起源起到了重大作用。然而在十九世纪左右，美国和西方各国的崛起使其失去了优势，并且在二战中受到重创，各个殖民地也奋起反抗英国的统治。于是，一个强大的帝国就在历史的河流中衰败了。 关键词:日不落帝国; 殖民主义; 工业革命 Abstract in English： Great Britain that was called as “The Sun Never Set”, has played a significant role in the history of culture, which is extremely necessary to global today. Dating back to 16th century, it kept ahead of other countries with its predominant marine and a huge number of colonies, and took possession of the center of world. Next, it strengthened its power with the help of Industry Revolution and built up the foundation of western economy. However, in the age of 19th century, the rise of America and western countries and the loss in World War II make it weakened. At the same time, people in its colonies rose up against their rulers. Therefore, a strong and powerful empire fell in the river of history. Key words: The Sun Never Set; Colonialism; Industry Revolution Introduction History is a main and significant part of culture for any country in the world and some countries’ history has influenced the process of global development. For example, Great Britain showed its powerful commercial and technical advantages, which refers to Colonialism and Industrial Revolution, to the rest of world and owned the title as a “Never-Ending” Empire after the end of 16th century. The processes of colonialism and industrialization have strongly improved the connection of different parts of the world that resulted in the starting of globalization. However, this great empire fall after lots of its colonists revolted against for their human rights. Since then, global structure changed again. Hence, the rise and fall of Britain is one of most meaningful topic to discuss because of its worldwide effects. In this essay, it will argue that the three important events in the history of Great Britain which cause the rise and fall of it. Firstly, Colonialism led to both of the rise of Britain empire and disaster of other nations. Secondly, Industrial Revolution strengthened British rulers’ power and helped to reach the top of its flourishing age. At the last, the strict policies of the empire accumulated the unrest of people in the increasing colonies and resulted in the fall of it. Colonialism To figure out Great Britain history of Colonialism, firstly the defined should be clear. It is defined as “the domination one country over another country normally by military force, but can be accepted, requested, or given. The one country rules the other.”()In addition, the "British Empire" usually means, however, not something in relation to the Empire of India, but the whole of British colonial possessions spread around the world (Kennedy, 1987). "Empire" had been used this way long before there was any 19th century ideology on the subject, for it or against it. But as an "Empire," British possessions do not look much like Rome, China, or Russia, which were geographically continguous, with simple, continuous borders. Instead, the "British Empire" was functionally a bit more like the later Holy Roman Empire, whose fragmentation and particularism -- a "jury rig" in British nautical terms -- gravely compromised such power as we might expect of the whole. The power of Britain at its height was almost entirely a function of that of Great Britain itself, as the power of the later Holy Rome Emperors was almost entirely a function of that of the Hapsburgs. Most would not consider this a flattering characterization of Britain's achievement, since the Holy Roman Empire was famously, in Voltaire's words, neither Holy, nor Roman, nor an Empire. Yet when Emperor Leopold I had to make a deal with the Margrave of Brandenburg just to get him to fulfill his feudal duty to support the Emperor in the War of the Spanish Succession (in 1701), this does not sound too different from the difficulties that Britain faced in World War I and World War II to obtain the full participation of the Dominions in those wars. It was not a foregone conclusion, especially for South Africa and Ireland, that they would participate at all. By 1939, Australia and New Zealand had long been expressing reservations about involvement in (another) European war, and this line of thinking was only cut short when it became clear that a direct threat from Japan was a reflex of the European situation. When Britain was then unable to stop the Japanese, Australia and New Zealand formed ties with the United States that soon rivaled in sentiment (at least) those for Britain. Ireland had created a Presidency in 1937 and thus, by ordinary calculation, became a Republic. Since it was not offically called that -- just éire -- its status remained ambiguous. Unambiguous Irish neutrality in World War II, however, pretty much cleared that up, especially when Prime Minister De Valera offered condolences at the German Embassy in 1945 for the death of Adolf Hitler -- without a comparable gesture for Franklin Roosevelt. Leaving the Commonwealth in 1949 removed any remaining ties to Britain. The growing and troublesome autonomy of the Dominions was a function of their geographical detachment and distance from the Mother Country. The growth of the United States, for instance, during the same period, did not produce the same problems, since even distant new foundations, like California, remained politically and Constitutionally integrated with the whole, adding an unambiguous increment of wealth and power to the nation. But Britain barely considered constitutional intregration of colonies into Great Britain. Its initial instinct, to hold colonies in thrall, led to the American Revolution and the alienation of its first and most promising colonies. Its later approach, with gradual grants of autonomy, kept the Dominions happier and willingly faithful longer, but ultimately had the same practical effect, as, by the end of World War II, they were all functioning as fully independent states. The dynamic of this fragemenation I have examined elsewhere.