interactif : what remains of the british empire

Englishness

Britishness

Execptionnalism

What Remains of the British Empire

concepts

the British Empire

Commonwealth countries

language

Yet, the legal system is not the only thing that has inherited the British Empire. We can also observe the heritage of some laws.The Statute of Westminster, 1931, is one of the laws that the country kept from then. It was when the Parliament declared that they would set their authority beyond the UK in the colonies, even if each state kept its sovereignty by having its prime minister, a general governor who represented the English Crown.

Statute of Westminster 1931

There is also the British Nationality Act 1948, which confers British nationality upon colonies’ citizens.The UK always wanted to stay close to their old colonies in a certain way like the creation of the Commonwealth.They also “de facto” stopped slavery in 1772, but we had to wait until 1833 for the “abolition bill” to progressively abolish slavery in the colonies.

British Nationality Act 1948

relating to, or characteristic of England or its people or culture"Englishness is rooted in a common culture established during England's historical isolation, while Britishness is a broader concept that includes institutions and people beyond England."

Englishness

The British Empire

The British Empire reached its apogee around the ninety-twenties, becoming the leading world power. From 1603 to 1997, it is known for its breadth thanks to its colonies, but also for bequeathing a monarchical heritage to the United Kingdom.Indeed, by keeping this monarchical system, which has evolved over time, the UK has a constitutional monarchy today. It is a system in which the king or queen's power is severely limited because they act only on the advice of the politicians who form the government (the Cambridge Dictionary).

English

However, its main advantage is the omnipresence of its language in the world. Thanks to the extent of the Empire, English spread almost everywhere. Today it is THE international language, the one used for communication between countries or simply as a subtitle on any other language.The UK still shares with the commonwealth countries the language. Some old colonies, like Singapore or Malaysia, kept the same education system as the UK. In particular, the iGCSE which stands for International General Certificate of Secondary Education, is used in some international countries. This is a diploma recognized in the UK.

It relates to the feeling of belonging, to British identity

Britishness

The expansion of the British Empire begins with the conquest of India. At that time the dominant powers were Portugal and Spain. Britain wanted to impose itself, so they chose to send maritime expeditions. The British East India Company was created by Queen Elizabeth I who wrote the charter in 1600 which allowed her to have a monopoly on the Indian Ocean. It means that they had a big influence and a real power in commerce at that time. Back in our days, this power is seen as “soft power”, which is a way to persuade pacifically.

The Commonwealth countries

The Commonwealth countries help to maintain diplomacy “discrete” which allows the United Kingdom to conserve a good international image. But today, their soft power is mostly caused by a fascination with the monarchy. This image of the crown intrigues.However, it might not come from anywhere. Indeed, it would come from when the British Empire shined the most.Despite that at that time, the British Empire used mostly the “hard power” that translated into violence in its quest for power.

the idea that a person, country or political system can be allowed to be different from, and perhaps better than, othersIt is a belief that comes from a certain nostalgia for the Empire, a time when the United Kingdom shone across the world and its power extended beyond its terrestrial borders.

Exceptionalism