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Pax Britannica

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For other uses, seePax Britannica (disambiguation).

An elaborate map of theBritish Empirein 1886, marked in pink, the traditional colour for imperial British dominions on maps

Pax Britannica(Latin for "British Peace", modelled afterPax Romana) was theperiod of relative peace between the great powers.During this time, theBritish Empirebecame the globalhegemonicpower, developed additionalinformal empire,and adopted the role of a "global policeman".[1][2]

Between 1815 and 1914, a period referred to as Britain's "imperial century",[3][4]around 26,000,000 square kilometres (10,000,000 sq mi) of territory and roughly 400 million people were added to the British Empire.[5]Victory overNapoleonic Franceleft the British without any serious international rival, other than perhapsRussia in Central Asia.[6]When Russia tried expanding its influence in theBalkans,the British and French defeated them in theCrimean War(1853–1856), thereby protecting the weakOttoman Empire.

Britain'sRoyal Navycontrolled most of the key maritime trade routes and enjoyedunchallenged sea power.Alongside the formal control exerted over its own colonies, Britain's dominant position in world trade meant that it effectively controlled access to many regions, such asAsia,North America,Oceania,andAfrica.British merchants, shippers and bankers had such an overwhelming advantage over those of other empires that in addition to its colonies Britain had aninformal empire.[7][8][9]

History[edit]

Further information:History of the foreign relations of the United Kingdom § 1814–1914,International relations of the Great Powers (1814–1919),andTimeline of British diplomatic history § 1815–1860

After losing theThirteen Colonies,a significant part ofBritish America,in theAmerican Revolution,Britain turned towards Asia, the Pacific and later Africa with subsequent exploration leading to the rise of theSecond British Empire(1783–1815). TheIndustrial Revolutionbegan in Great Britain in the late 18th century and new ideas emerged about free markets, such as Adam Smith'sThe Wealth of Nations(1776). Free trade became a central principle that Britain practiced by the 1840s. It played a key role in Britain'seconomic growthandfinancial dominance.[10]

Map of the British Empire (as of 1910)

From the end of theNapoleonic Warsin 1815 untilWorld War Iin 1914, the United Kingdom played the role of globalhegemon(most powerful actor). Imposition of a "British Peace" on key maritime trade routes began in 1815 with the annexation ofBritish Ceylon(now Sri Lanka).[11]Under theBritish Residency of the Persian Gulf,local Arab rulers agreed to a number of treaties that formalised Britain's protection of the region. Britain imposed an anti-piracy treaty, known as theGeneral Maritime Treaty of 1820,on all Arab rulers in the region. By signing thePerpetual Maritime Truceof 1853, Arab rulers gave up their right to wage war at sea in return for British protection against external threats.[12]The global superiority ofBritish militaryand commerce was aided by a divided and relatively weak continental Europe, and the presence of theRoyal Navyon all of the world's oceans and seas. Even outside its formal empire, Britain controlled trade with many countries such as China,Siam,and Argentina. Following theCongress of Vienna,the British Empire's economic strength continued to develop through naval dominance[13]and diplomatic efforts to maintain abalance of powerin continental Europe.[14]

In this era, the Royal Navy provided services around the world that benefited other nations, such assuppressing piracyandblocking the slave trade.TheSlave Trade Act 1807had banned the trade across the British Empire, after which the Royal Navy established theWest Africa Squadronand the government negotiatedinternational treatiesunder which they could enforce the ban.[15][16]Sea power, however, did not project on land. Land wars fought between the major powers include theCrimean War,theFranco-Austrian War,theAustro-Prussian Warand theFranco-Prussian War,as well as numerous conflicts between lesser powers. The Royal Navy prosecuted theFirst Opium War(1839–1842) andSecond Opium War(1856–1860) againstImperial China.The Royal Navy was superior to any other two navies in the world, combined.[citation needed]Between 1815 and the passage of the German naval laws of 1890 and 1898, only France was a potential naval threat. Apart from the Crimean War, it did not engage in any major warfare from 1815 to 1914.

The most decisive event emerged from theAnglo-Egyptian War,which resulted in the British occupation of Egypt for seven decades, even though the Ottoman Empire retained nominal ownership until 1914.[17]HistorianA. J. P. Taylorsays that this "was a great event; indeed, the only real event in international relations between theBattle of Sedanand the defeat of Russia in the Russo-Japanese war ".[18]Taylor emphasizes the long-term impact:

The British occupation of Egypt altered the balance of power. It not only gave the British security for their route to India; it made them masters of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East; it made it unnecessary for them to stand in the front line against Russia at the Straits....And thus prepared the way for the Franco-Russian Alliance ten years later.[19]

Britaintraded goods and capitalextensively with countries around the world, adopting a free trade policy after 1840. The growth of British imperial strength was further underpinned by thesteamshipand thetelegraph,new technologies invented in the second half of the 19th century, allowing it to control and defend the empire. By 1902, the British Empire was linked together by a network of telegraph cables, the so-calledAll Red Line.[20]

ThePax Britannicawas weakened by the breakdown of the continental order which had been established by the Congress of Vienna.[21]Relations between the Great Powers of Europe were strained to breaking point by issues such as the decline of theOttoman Empire,which led to theCrimean War,and later the emergence of new nation states in the form of Italy and Germany after theFranco-Prussian War.Both of these wars involved Europe's largest states and armies. The industrialisation ofGermany,theEmpire of Japan,and theUnited Statescontributed to the relative decline of British industrial supremacy in the late 19th century. The start ofWorld War Iin 1914 marked the end of thePax Britannica.However, theBritish Empireremained the biggest colonial empire until the start ofdecolonizationafter World War II ended in 1945, and Britain remained one of the leading powers until theSuez Crisisin 1956, during which British and French troops were forced to withdraw from Egypt under pressure from theUnited Statesand (to a lesser extent) theSoviet Union.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Citations[edit]

  1. ^Johnston,pp. 508–10.
  2. ^Porter,p. 332.
  3. ^Hyam,p. 1.
  4. ^Smith,p. 71.
  5. ^Parsons,p. 3.
  6. ^Porter,p. 401.
  7. ^Porter,p. 8.
  8. ^Marshall,pp. 156–57.
  9. ^Cameron,pp. 45–47.
  10. ^Darwin,p. 391.
  11. ^Crawfurd,pp. 191–192: "...for what purpose was it conquered and is it now retained?' We endeavoured to explain, that during the wars, in which we were lately engaged with our European enemies who occupied the coast of the island, they harassed our commerce from its ports, and therefore, in self-defence, there was a necessity for taking possession of it."
  12. ^"The British in the Gulf: An Overview".Qatar Digital Library.British Library Qatar Foundation Partnership. 13 August 2014.Retrieved25 October2014.The increased stability that this 'Pax Britannica' brought led to increased volumes of trade in the region. Ruling families began to actively seek British protection as a means of securing their rule and safeguarding their territories.
  13. ^Pugh,p. 83.
  14. ^Thackeray,p. 57.
  15. ^Falola,pp. xxi, xxxiii-xxxiv.
  16. ^"The legal and diplomatic background to the seizure of foreign vessels by the Royal Navy".
  17. ^M.W. Daly, ed.The Cambridge History of Egypt Volume 2 Modern Egypt, from 1517 to the end of the twentieth century(1998)online
  18. ^He adds, "All the rest were manoeuvres which left the combatants at the close of the day exactly where they had started." A.J.P. Taylor, "International Relations" in F.H. Hinsley, ed.,The New Cambridge Modern History: XI: Material Progress and World-Wide Problems, 1870–98(1962): 554.
  19. ^Taylor, "International Relations" p. 554
  20. ^Dalziel,pp. 88–91.
  21. ^Pugh,p. 90.

Sources and further reading[edit]

Primary sources
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