Britain in the World Wars
Britain in the World Wars
Britain in the World Wars
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Home Page > News and Society > Britain in the World Wars
Britain in the World Wars
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Posted: May 30, 2010 |Comments: 0
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By the beginning of the 20th century, the world had entered the period of
imperialism. Britain’s dominance was challenged by other European nations and the
United States, for they had also been industrialized and each were eager to
protect their own markets and expand their influence. The power balance in Europe
had undergone enormous changes. A conflict of interests and colonial rivalry
divided Europe into two camps: the Central Powers included Germany, Austria-
Hungary, later joined by the Ottoman Empire1 and Bulgaria; the Allied Powers were
mainly comprised of France, the Russian Empire, the British Empire, Italy and the
United States. The conflict plunged the whole world into two devastating wars in
the first half of the 20th century.
The immediate cause of World War I lay in the conflict on the Balkan Peninsula. On
June 28, 1914, the Austrian Archduke Francis Ferdinand was assassinated by a young
Yugoslav (^3$fl£^cA) in Sarajevo – Austria blamed Serbia for the assassination and
was determined to seek revenge. Both sides looked for support from their
respective allies, Germany and Russia. This led to a showdown between the two
camps and World War I broke out between the Central Powers and the Allied Powers.
Ultimately, more than 32 countries were involved, 28 of which supported the Allied
Powers. The war ended with the victory for the Allies.
The cost of the war was great. Britain was drained of its manpower. Nearly one
million British men died and over two million were wounded. 70% of the merchant
ships were sunk or damaged. As a result, Britain lost the sea supremacy. Though
victorious, Britain came out of the war with a huge national debt, ten times
larger than that of the pre-war years. Business was slack (Uplift), many factories
were closed down and taxes soared.
The Great Depression2 from 1929 to 1933 brought additional problems to the British
economy and society. Britain’s position in the capitalist world was further
weakened. With the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany, a new world war was