The Decline of the British Empire

[Witch0Winter]

A pretty open-ended question, but at what time would you say that the British Empire ceased to be the premier power/superpower in the world? While the British Empire certainly remained powerful for a long time (and today's UK is no slouch), when was the time period that saw Britain's decline as a force that could (more or less) single-handedly take down any enemy through a combination of political, economic, and military means?

I wasn't sure if this would go in Before or After 1900, but I figured it would be After so I put it here. Hopefully that's okay.

 

[Maeglin]

Economically, the British Empire peaked around 1850. Politically, around 1920. What you saw between these two peaks was the British trading indirect dominance over the entire planet for direct dominance over a smaller portion of it.

 

[Pangur]

I would pick sometime in the early 50`s with the proof coming with Suez.

 

[Admiral Halsey]

End of WW2.

 

[Riain]

I'd say about 1870 with the unification of Germany, the Union victory in the ACW and the Meiji restoration. The first two foreshadowed the rise of continental superpowers and the third lead to the rise of a Pacific power far from British strength in the home islands.

 

[Pangur]

End of WW2.

Initially I was going to pick 1945 as well however the UK would still have had some momentum from ww2 to keep them going for a bit

 

[oshron]

Initially I was going to pick 1945 as well however the UK would still have had some momentum from ww2 to keep them going for a bit

World War II is definitely the turning point for Britain's decline, though. being bombed to hell and back and the realization that colonialism was racist in the wake of the Nazi invasions'll do that to ya.

 

[Finbarr the Fair]

Loss of superpower status

My guess is that WWI marked the end of the British Empire as the Premier superpower. By its end it had lost financial and naval dominance to the US. It had already lost ground as an industrial powerhouse, to Germany and then the US

So by the 1920s the US was the "top dog" .

Unfortunately it didn't wish to exercise any role as "global policeman" or play a co-operative part in sustaining global trade and finance.

But that's a bit OT and maybe contentious.

The UK lost superpower status after WWII given its financial dependence on the US and reduced economic strength. Though kept up the pretence for a while.

Still powerful but diminishing in status from 1950 onwards.

 

[King Augeas]

May 1940. The Fall of France meant that the UK became reliant on the US.

 

[Meadow]

1941/1942. The awakening - and forced rise - of the two superpowers of the Cold War is what began the final act of the British Empire.