Imperial Aggression and the Establishment of the...
The enormous increase in productivity and prosperity from the Industrial Revolution was a major cause of the British government’s to adoption of a very aggressive foreign policy known as New Imperialism.Britain had long ruled an empire，known as the First British Empire.This included the six colonies in Canada（the 13 colonies south of Canada having won their independence in 1776），parts of Australia，New Zealand and India，and many small territories in the West Indies.These early colonies were usually started by private businesses on sparsely populated land，often for the purpose of trade.From the 1870s on，however，the government began to take a more active role in imperial expansion.British industrial and naval power allowed the government to easily send technologically advanced military forces to anywhere in the world.As a result，by the end of the 19th century，the British Empire would grow to include a quarter of the world’s population and nearly a quarter of its dry land.This period is known as the Second British Empire.
During the mid⁃19th century，the British government consolidated the existing colonies by bringing them under direct control of the government.Australia，New Zealand and Canada became self⁃governing dominions of the English Crown.India，including today’s Pakistan and Bangladesh，was placed under the direct control of the British government and became the“brightest jewel”in the English Crown.
In East Asia，the British government fought two Opium Wars against China in 1840 and 1860 in order to protect the right of the East India Company to sell opium in China.China was forced to sign the Treaty of Nanjing and the Convention of Beijing which forced it to open its ports for trade and to legalize the opium trade.China was also forced to cede the territory of Hong Kong to the British.These unequal treaties secured British interests and brought China to the status of a semi⁃colonial country.Meanwhile，Britain also took control of Burma（now known as Myanmar），Sri Lanka，Singapore，Malaya，Sarawak，Brunei and some other territories in Asia.
Before the 1870s，most British government actions related to colonial expansion were the result of private companies’actions.The government became involved only when British companies had trouble with native governments.But after the 1870s，the British government took a very active role in expansion as new powers，such as Italy，Belgium，and Germany entered the colonial race.Anticipation of economic problems ahead also led British politicians to advocate deliberate exploitation of material resources in other areas of the world，especially in Africa.
In 1875，Great Britain gained control of the Suez Canal.Then，in order to preserve its control over the Canal and safeguard the route to India，it conquered Egypt in 1882.This started the“Scramble for Africa”，a term used by The Times to describe the race among European states to seize African territories.
By the beginning of the 20th century，Africa had been carved up by the European powers.Britain had the lion’s share of the conquest;it occupied the Gold Coast，Niger，Sudan，Kenya，Uganda，North Rhodesia（today’s Zambia），Upper Nigeria and many other places.It also controlled South Africa，where gold and diamonds were found after the Boer War（1899—1902）in which the United Kingdom defeated and annexed the South African Republic and the Free Orange State.The war resulted in the creation of the Union of South Africa，the fourth self⁃governing dominion of the British Empire after Australia，New Zealand，and Canada.
In order to guarantee that Britain maintained absolute superiority in the race for colonies，the British Parliament passed the Naval Defense Act in 1889 which provided that the British navy should be stronger than that of any two European powers combined.On the eve of World WarⅠ，Britain had the largest colonial empire the world had ever seen.It controlled a territory of 34 million square kilometers spread over five continents with a population of 394 million people.The British bragged that they ruled an empire on which the sun never set.