How was the British Empire lost and what did the Americans do about it?

Answer 1

If the British Empire was lost....a man was involved.

The American men did nothing about it because in order to help find the Lost Empire it would have been necessary to ask & follow directions.

Answer 2

Upallnight has a good spin on this, as have some others who identified the push by nations within the Empire for independence in a time (the early 20th century) when nationalism became a powerful force (due to education, the media and economic development).

But there was also (and a a few here have also touched on this) a fracturing of the British Empire, primarilly due to the economic drain of two World Wars. Britain put itself into debt to the United States to pay for the War, effectively tranferring the accumulated 'wealth' of the Empire to the New World. Furthermore, during the Second World War, the Japanese occupation of British colonies sent a strong signal to national movements in those (Malaysia and Burma) and nearby colonies (India, Ceylon) that the 'power' of the Empire was broken.

Of all of the Empires in history, the British might have been the wisest, in that it (relatively) gracefully transformed itself into something else that was more 'democratic'. But the transformation wasn't achieved entirely peacefully or graciously, or without consequences such as the millions of deaths in India.

The involvement of the US happened at a couple of levels. Firstly the model of the US was important to national movements around the world. The US constitution pops up all over the place in former colonies (even in the constitution of Vietnam declared by Ho Chi Minh at the end of World War II) and in those days the notion of the US as an 'ideal' model of self government wasn't tainted by any anti-US sentiment. Secondly, it was the US that funded the allied cause in both World Wars, and basically drew off the wealth of the British Empire. To their credit the US pumped an immense amount of money back into the reconstruction of Europe (and Japan and the Phillipines) but interestingly not so much back to Britian who only paid off their War Debt to the US some ten years ago.

The biggest influence of the US in the breaking up of the British Empire, however, happened at the end of World War II, at Yalta particularly. Roosevelt made it clear that the US hadn't committed itself to the War to see the British (or French or Dutch or any of the European powers) simply go back to the 'way it was' and maintain their colonial Empires.

You'd have to talk to a US history expert, but I get the impression that it wasn't just a altruistic view about liberty and human dignity (but that was a big component), but also a strategy for taking the European powers down a 'notch or two' having noted that they hadn't done a particularly good job of managing their own affairs between 1914 and 1945. It was colonial 'competition' which had fuelled the European wars, and Roosevelt was determined that the US wasn't going to get dragged into another European fight. The final angle was economic. The US saw far greater economic opportunities in dealing with young developing nations than with 'old Empires' (remembering that the French and Dutch Empires were almost as extensive as the British). The US made these views very clear, and after the Suez fiasco (where the French and British tried to impose their will on the Middle East) backed those views up with stinging economic and behind-the-scenes diplomatic arm twisting.

Answer 3

The British Empire was lost in several areas. Firstly by the 1930's the British Establishment had developed a sense of loss of legitimacy regarding the running of the Empire (a similar event occcured in the Soviet Union in 1990's) The cost was also becoming crippling, the cost of running Iraq was equivielent to the British health budget, and this led to severe cuts in the military. However, the biggest problem was fighting two world wars in 50 years. While FDR made it clear he would help Britian in 1939 he also made it clear that the Americans would not support the British Empire in ANY way and was suspicious of any of Churchill's military plans as he considered it as an attempt to bolster the Empire. Churchill was frustrated himself as he said in 1940 he did not become Prime Minister to oversee the dismantling of the British Empire. However this blinded Rossevelt and led him into the charms of Stalin and he would accept any of Stalins imperial designs on Eastern Europe or Iran as acceptable. The Americans implicitly demanded that the British dismantle their Empire (while keeping Guam, Samoa and other colonies) after the war.
This refusal to support the Empire culminated in the Suez crisis in 1956 where the Americans did not back the British against Nassar, and caused a run on the pond. The British Governement desperate not not devalue required an American(IMF) loan of $1bn to prop up sterling. The condition of this loan was withdrawl of the British and French forces. To prevent economic disaster the British Governemnt had no choice but to acquiese. The end result was a very rapid withdrawl from Empire. Looking back now its clear that FDR's blindness over Britian's Empire lead to him making a number of personal and tactical mistakes which could have been avoided particulary with his handling of Stalin and Churchill. President Eisenhower also accepted that his biggest mistake he made was not supporting his ally against Nasser, as all of the British Government predictions became true and Egypt fell into the orbit of the Soviet Union.

Answer 4

The British Empire was crumbling from within beginning in the late 1800s. The rapid colonial expansion and expansion in this time period led to rebellions from native people, thus destabilizing many imperialist powers. Fighting among the imperialists also contributed to destabilization. The final death to the British Empire came after the destructive force of two world wars ripped through the economic, political, and social strata in the UK. The "jewel of the English crown" in colonial terms was, of course, India. India's long fight for independence finally came to a head just after WWII. The loss of India was the nail in the coffin for the once mighty empire.

What did America do? Nothing really. We just watched it happen as we were to concerned with our internal affairs after WWII.

Answer 5

The British Empire was never really lost, it gradually changed into the Commonwealth and the British also decided to cede territory back to the natives (either voluntarily, or under pressure) and therefore lost places like Rhodesia, India, etc.

The Americans had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with any of it.

Answer 6

The British gave the empire back, and the americans were happy about it but they didn't do anything about it

Answer 7

As replied above Britain gave up her empire, partly as reward and partly via flattened (actually, via Luftwaffe) British economic equipment of the 2d international conflict. How might nevertheless having an empire turn Britain right into a tropical island? on a similar time as there could be bigger standards of residing in different international locations, there are additionally lots bigger gaps between wealthy and undesirable – as an occasion, on a similar time as the right 20% human beings families has seen an sped up enhance, sixty 3% has seen a lots slower enhance, on a similar time as the relax 17% fall below the federal poverty threshold. 15% of the country are with out any style of scientific wellness assurance, and the huge style having to be lined with the aid of government scientific wellness assurance plans is increasing. (This became in line with 2004 figures present day advancements could have had a extra damaging action.) Britons (and taxpayers interior the united kingdom) are, with the aid of their ‘severe taxes’, entitled to the centers of the national wellness provider. yet, having seen a number of your different questions, you seem extra prepared on knocking Britain somewhat than solutions – why are you so afraid?

Answer 8

Well, I'm not really sure what you mean by the question. Is there a specific time peroid that your asking about, 1700s, 1800s, 1900s? I also am not sure that the British Empire was ever 'lost'?

Answer 9

Actually the Americans did have something to do with it. They became so annoyed over the Suez incident- they made it perfectly clear that nothing like that should happen again - so Britain began giving up - granting independence to - the Empire that remained, starting with Ghana in 1957