THE BRITISH EMPIRE

1. The mostpowerful empire the world hadeverknown THE BRITISH EMPIRE

2. “The sunneversets on the British Empire” • 1497-1997 • More than 450 million people • 13,000,000 squaremilesofterritory

3. The 5 stagesof the British Empire • Origins and “First Empire” (1497-1783) • “Second Empire” (1783-1815) • Britain’s imperialhegemony (1815-1914) • The Two World Wars (1914-1945) • Decolonization and Fallof Empire (1945-1997)

4. “First British Empire” • 1497 King Henry VII commissioned John Cabot to discover new route to Asia • 1578 Queen Elizabeth I accessed to throne • 1603 Treaty of London • 1783 Loss of the 13 Colonies 1497 1578 1603 1783

5. Netherlands ColonialExpansion Rivalrywith… • Rivalry in Asia betweenBritsh East India Company and Dutch Company. • Three Anglo-DutchWars in 17° century and peace in 1688 withGloriousRevolution.

6. Netherlands France ColonialExpansion Rivalrywith… • Rivalry in Asia betweenBritsh East India Company and Dutch Company. • Three Anglo-DutchWars in 17° century and peace in 1688 withGloriousRevolution. • War ofSpanishSuccession in 1701. • BritishVictory in Seven Years’ War.

7. Company in India “SecondBritish Empire” • Competitionwith the Mughal Empire. After the declineof the Mughals, war betweenBritain and FrenchIndianCompanies. • India willbeoccupied in 1857

8. Company in India “SecondBritish Empire” Loss of the 13 American Colonies • Disagreementover the colonistRights led to the American War ofIndipendence, wonby the Americans in 1783 • End of the “Second Empire” • Competitionwith the Mughal Empire. After the declineof the Mughals, war betweenBritain and FrenchIndianCompanies. • India willbeoccupied in 1857

9. Explorationof the PacificOcean Company in India “SecondBritish Empire” Loss of the 13 American Colonies • Disagreementover the colonistRights led to the American War ofIndipendence, wonby the Americans in 1783 • End of the “Second Empire” • James Cook discovers Australia in 1770 • Captain William Hobson and 40 Maori chiefssigned the TreatyofWaitangi in 1840 • Competitionwith the Mughal Empire. After the declineof the Mughals, war betweenBritain and FrenchIndianCompanies. • India willbeoccupied in 1857

10. NapoleonicWars • Military and IdeologiesconflictbetweenBritain and France. • DefeatofNapoleon in Trafalgar Battle, in 1805, and finallyvictoryofBritain and a coalitionofEuropeancountries, in 1815.

11. The Battleof Trafalgar NapoleoncombinedFrench and SpanishfleetsagainstRoyalNavy. Commander Nelson’s strategywasessentialfor the victory.

12. Britain’s ImperialHegemony • 1815- 1914: period called “Imperial century” • 10,000,000 square miles (25,899,881 km2) • More than 400 million people • 1902: “All Red Line” • Opium Wars against China ended in 1858 • Last decades of 19th century, expansion in Africa • The second Industrial Revolution (19th century)

13. First World War • At the beginning of the 20th century Britain was scared of the rapid growth of Germany. • Britain declares war to Germany in 1914. • Dominions and colonies participate to the War with a significant impact. • The Treaty of Versailles, in 1919, signed the end of the War.

14. Second World War • 1939 Britain declare war to Germany • 1941 entrance in War of Soviet Union against Germany • 1941 sign of the Atlantic Charter • 1941 Japan attacked U.S. • 1945 Britain loses prestige at the end of the War

15. Decolonization and Fallof Empire • After the WWII Britain is in crisis because the rivalry between the U.S. and the Soviet Union in the Cold War and the colonized countries start an anti-colonial movement. • In 1947, India gained the independence, and afterwards also the majority of the Asian colonies. • In 1956 Nasser nationalises the Suez Canal and Churchill decides to intervene militarily, but Eisenhower, scared by an intervention of the Soviet Union opposes. The UN intervention humiliates Eden, who resigns.

16. Decolonization and Fallof Empire • 1982: Margaret Thatcher negotiate with the Chinese government on the future of Hong Kong. • 1997: Hong Kong returns to China, establishing the end of the Empire. • Nowadays most of British colonies are member of the Commonwealth. The English language is the primary language of over 300 million people. The English parliamentary system has been taken as example for many old colonies.

17. “Webography” Wikipedia, British Empire Stephen Luscombe, britishempire.co.uk Andrew Lambert, bbc.co.uk/history/british/empire_seapower/trafalgar_01.shtml Colin White, bbc.co.uk/history/british/empire_seapower/nelson_01.shtml

18. Written and Directedby Producedby Production Design Production Coordinator Assistant Production Coordinator Post Production Supervisor Projectionist DigitalVisualEffects and Titlesby DirectorofPhotography FRANCESCO BECCHIMANZI MIKI FANFANI GABRIELE SCHEPIS GIOVANNI QUERCIOLI MIKI FANFANI GABRIELE SCHEPIS FRANCESCO BECCHIMANZI GIOVANNI QUERCIOLI MIKI FANFANI GABRIELE SCHEPIS FRANCESCO BECCHIMANZI