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These Two Events Spelled The End Of The British Empire
The 1950s were unkind to Britain
The British Empire disintegrated rather rapidly. In the course of a century, Britain went from arguably its highest point in 1860 to a shell of its former self in 1960. A combination of factors, including two world wars, a groundswell of self determination, and the transfer of the heart of the financial world from London to New York City, chipped away at Britain’s ability to hold its vast empire together. When the empire was forced to relinquish its “crown jewel” India in 1947, the writing was very clearly written on the wall. It turns out the sun would set on the British Empire after all.
Two events that took place in the decade following marked the very clear end of the British Empire. One event demonstrated Britain’s inability to keep its interests in line financially, and the other demonstrated Britain’s inability to keep its interests in line militarily. Commerce and might were the two pillars that Britain stood on for centuries, and it had lost both by 1960.
