How did England, once the greatest power in the world, ended up a small island in western Europe?

Question

what do you mean "population growth and education"? Can you elaborate?

Answer 1

England isn't a small island. It shares its island space with Wales and Scotland.

If you are looking for reasons for a diminution of power, it is all a matter of countries seeking their independence from the mother country and the United Kingdom being reasonable in granting this. It is left with a few British Overseas Territories and pressure is being put on it by the UN to relinquish those. Meanwhile, its leaders have been anxious to sign up to international treaties which have resulted in a loss of sovereignty for the United Kingdom, which is now effectively a small state within the United States of Europe. But the rise and fall of its history is echoed by other European countries. It seems inevitable.

Answer 2

This is not a small island. England dominates the world of finance. If you doubt the power of finance, try doing anythying in your teeny tiny country without it.
England was once the greatest power in the world, because she built and maintained a navy and sponsored fighting sea captains (Hood, Nelson) that could win victories for her and keep her there.

Now she maintains herself as the financial capitol of the world. The U.S. has lost out on financial deals. The financial power of England was once symbolized by "Threadneedle Street," or "Lombard Street." It still is. This is where one has to go for funding.

Answer 3

It was always on a small Island. Well the English good at fighting wars bad at running an Empire. It became finicaly to hard to support its empire which was in contact war and it was growing tired of having to contstanly protect it after the second world war England was broke and didn't have the money to defend its empire so it started to give away its territories and many territories won there independants I also think it had something to do with the peace agreements after the WWII. anyway I generalized off the top of my head many people will have more researched and insiteful replies.

Answer 4

Due to their navy and expansionist as well as ruthless xenophobic attitudes experienced like nowhere else in the world, England was able to amass power. Then, the conquered people rebelled (see the movie Ghandi for a good general idea) and the English were ejected. HOwever, they usually had the last laugh as they would maintain power centers (Northern Ireland, Taiwan) which would weaken the bigger part of the nation as well as establishing a divisive minority-over-majority rule in most of the nations they were driven from.

Answer 5

There was a big earthquake about 1957 that destroyed England's economic base and broke its major land mass off of the European continent. That's when the English Channel was formed and when they started building that big tunnel to France, so they could get re-connected.

*What?? Why I got two thumbs down?? Okay, it wasn't an earthquake. It was a TORNADO! It was HUGE! Over two miles wide!! It covered the whole island and killed that lady who wrote Winnie the Pooh! The French panicked and dug the English Channel to stop the tornado before it could get them, too. I was there man, I still got bruises from the hailstones! http://www.englandsbigtornado.com

Answer 6

Population growth and education.

Answer 7

The UK became the strongest power because it industrialized before other countries, and it lost that power as other countries caught up, and its colonies obtained their independence.