History of the British Empire.
                     HISTORY OF THE 
BRITISH EMPIRE
Introduction
In the 16th century Britain began to 
establish overseas colonies. By 1783, 
Britain had built a large empire with 
colonies in America and the West Indies.
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What was the 
British Empire?
The British Empire is a term used to describe all 
the places around the world that were once ruled 
by Britain. 
Built over many years, it grew to include large 
areas of North America, Australia, New Zealand, 
Asia and Africa, as well as small parts of Central 
and South America, too. 
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How big was 
the British 
Empire?
The size of the British Empire the amount of 
land and number of people under British rule 
changed in size over the years. 
At its height in 1922, it was the largest empire 
the world had ever seen, covering around a 
quarter of Earth’s land surface and ruling over 
458 million people.
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Why did Britain 
want an 
empire?
England, in what is now Britain, wanted more 
land overseas where it could build new 
communities, known as colonies. 
These colonies would provide England with 
valuable materials, like metals, sugar and 
tobacco, which they could also sell to other 
countries.
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Age of 
Discovery
The 16th Century is often referred to 
as the ‘Age of Discovery‘ new 
thinking about the world and better 
shipbuilding led to more exploration 
and the discovery of new lands.
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Money-making 
opportunities
The colonies also offered money-
making opportunities for wealthy 
Englishmen and provided England’s 
poor and unemployed with new 
places to live and new jobs.
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Where were the 
first colonies?
The first English colonies were in North 
America, at the time known as the ‘New 
World‘.
It wasn’t until 1607 that Captain John 
Smith founded the first permanent 
English colony at Jamestown in Virginia.
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The ‘First 
British Empire’
With the help of Spain, France and the 
Netherlands, they won the war, and 
gained independence, becoming the 
United States of America. This marked 
the end of what is now called the ‘First 
British Empire’. 
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The ‘Second 
British Empire’
Although Britain had lost a huge part of its North 
American territories, it claimed new lands in the late 
18th Century and early 19th Century, forming the 
‘Second British Empire‘. 
Colonies were founded in parts of Australia, and later 
Trinidad and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Singapore and 
Hong Kong (China) as well as other parts of Asia.
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Why did the 
British Empire 
collapse?
Over the course of the 20th century, Britain’s 
empire broke down in stages. 
After the First World War (1914-1918) there 
was a feeling of ‘nationalism’ sweeping the 
globe, whereby countries should have the 
right to be independent and rule themselves.
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