Are there any candidates for areas that could've become colonies or Britain was interested into making into colonies?
Let's go with Pre-WW1 1914 British Empire.
Let's go with Pre-WW1 1914 British Empire.
Did Britain want anymore colonies?
- Thread starter Joshuapooleanox
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- british empire
In 1914? Not really.
If you look earlier - especially during the Napoleonic Wars through the early Victorian era - you can find some modest possibilities.
If you look earlier - especially during the Napoleonic Wars through the early Victorian era - you can find some modest possibilities.
Just some minor adjustments to the Canadian boarder.
That would be entirely right and proper.
More seriously it would have depended who you asked.
Certainly by even the late 19th century there were significant portions of the British political establishment who certainly did not want more colonies.
On the other hand you could have found a great many prominent Britons, especially businessmen with major holdings in the colonies, that were very much interested in expanding British imperial hegemony.
It is a similar dichotomy you to what could be found during the late period of the First British Empire when the frontiers of the North American colonies became a great point of contention between the colonial magnates who wanted to expand and the British government that did not.
By the latter days of the Second British Empire many British poltical figures and bureaucrats realised that the far flung imperial holding were becoming a serious drain on British power rather than increasing it, they resisted many attempts to increase the Empire, such as in China, and even got quite upset when local commanders conquered native states without asking, such as with the Sikhs and Hawaii.
Certainly by even the late 19th century there were significant portions of the British political establishment who certainly did not want more colonies.
On the other hand you could have found a great many prominent Britons, especially businessmen with major holdings in the colonies, that were very much interested in expanding British imperial hegemony.
It is a similar dichotomy you to what could be found during the late period of the First British Empire when the frontiers of the North American colonies became a great point of contention between the colonial magnates who wanted to expand and the British government that did not.
By the latter days of the Second British Empire many British poltical figures and bureaucrats realised that the far flung imperial holding were becoming a serious drain on British power rather than increasing it, they resisted many attempts to increase the Empire, such as in China, and even got quite upset when local commanders conquered native states without asking, such as with the Sikhs and Hawaii.
The only colonies Britain was interested in at this time was colonies held by other imperial powers the acquisition of which would allow Britain to draw back on regional garrisons.
Derek Pullem
Donor
The obvious one would be part of German East Africa or Belgian Congo to enable a Cape to Cairo railway. But that is a fairly flimsy reason for more colonial money-pits.
If you hadn't said pre-Great War I would have suggested Antarctica. Leo Amery when serving as Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies in the 1920s apparently got it into his head that Britain should annex the continent, as far as I'm aware the idea never really had any support at senior levels of government and didn't come to anything but it's an interesting prospect.
"A decent start" more like.
Even there it was more private interests like Rhodes than the British government that were interested in the territory. As for money-pits IIRC Tanzania has gold, diamonds, coal, and other minerals if you know where to look for them, always the major factor, so might have been able to earn its keep.