BRITISH EMPIRE AND COMMONWEALTH
The Commonwealth is an international organisation with voluntary participation - which can therefore be abandoned at any time - to which most of the former British colonies belong. To put it simply, it is a kind of private club between nations with a strong historical (and economic) link with the United Kingdom and at the top of which there is the King or Queen of England, therefore Charles III, after the death of Elizabeth II.The term "common wealth" was introduced as early as the 17th century to designate the British state after the revolution.The Commonwealth of Nations ("Community of Nations") currently includes 56 very different countries (although the historical heritage of British culture has many common traits) but they work together to promote human rights (fight against poverty, efforts to protect health, etc.), democracy, culture and freedom.
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The British Empire was the largest formal empire in history. During the Victorian period, it was at its peak. Britain controlled ¼ of the world’s land area and ruled over 400 million diverse peoples. It was referred to as the ‘empire on which the sun never set’ due to its vast geographical reach. Much like America is today, the tiny island of Britain was the superpower of the time. In many ways, the British Empire laid the foundations of the modern world.
The vast British Empire began as a network of trading posts set up by the East India Company, a London based business. Traders from the Company travelled all around Asia looking for new goods to buy and sell.
The Company became very rich selling newly discovered goods such as spices, silks and cotton to customers back in Europe. The Company also began importing tea back to Britain. It quickly became a popular beverage that we still drink to this day.
Over time, the Company’s trade became focussed on India. Initially, trade was stable and profitable. The East India Company worked in collaboration with existing Indian leaders.
As time progressed, the East India Company began to go beyond the normal bounds of a business: they began intervening militarily and economically in India. By the late eighteenth century, the Company gained increased control of the region in the form of tax collection powers.
This laid the foundations for the transfer of power from the Company to the British Government in 1857. This transfer of power saw the vast region of India come under the direct rule of Britain.