So many things they created, so many important things that we wouldn't be without today and most couldn't live without. How did such a small nation manage to change the world so much in such a short time?How did the British manage to create and shape the modern world?Like most things in history it was brute force but the only ignorance was that of an unfeeling society bathed in the myth that they were better than others surrounding them. Yes we did win a lot of wars and battles but that only proves we were strongest at the time. We also lost a lot of wars and battles too when we were invaded by the Romans, the Vikings and the Normans and of course the war with America. Looking back it is hard to understand how we managed to achieve anything but we are a mixture of a number of races on this earth - which is why the language is so complex - and ideas were taken from all of those races. I think that it is because of the Romans and the Normans that we seemed to have had this supposed influence that you speak of. We have certainly invented and discovered a lot of things but so has practically every country on the planet. The shape of the modern world is not necessarily down to Britain but to every nation that it had dealings with in one form or another.
How did the British manage to create and shape the modern world?
Great Britain was so influential due to circumstance and resolution. Its scientific progress was enhanced by the fact that it had thrown off the catholic religion in the sixteenth century and opened up to new ideas during the Enlightenment. Its sponsorship of explorers and raiders, first to fight its continental rivals, then to exploit new lands, brought great wealth to it, and by having a bad experience of civil war in the seventeenth century, rebelliousness was far from most people's minds. Britain's status as a maritime power was also key, as the sea was the greatest highway for trade; therefore, the might of the Royal Navy translated into security from attack by pirates and enemies, which boosted trade further. These factors meant that Britain was able to build up a pool of wealthy merchants who were able to start the process of industrialisation, which had never happened anywhere before. Britain's rapid entry into the Industrial Revolution put it at the fore of new technology, mass-produced goods, standardisation and precision. By tapping into Britain's considerable mineral wealth the early industrialists were able to found an industrial power-base built on coal, iron and steel, and so railways, ships, war materials and consumer goods were easy to produce. The fact that the British Empire was able to gain so much with slave labour and extortion of native populations was also a factor in boosting the wealth available to the industrialisation of the country.
Of course, this also depended on Britain defeating its enemies, which it largely did, being on the victorious sides of the Spanish and Austrian wars of succession, the Seven Years War and the Napoleonic Wars. Its defeat in what would become the USA was a set-back, but its retention of Canada and its growing status in control of India and Hong Kong was able to offset this loss.
In short, the British had their home nation's geography, their history, their capability at war and a thorough dislike of the French, all of which brought them to a fore in the world up to 1914.
How did the British manage to create and shape the modern world?
I don't know that it's %26quot;gospel truth%26quot; that the Brits did indeed create and shape...etc. Perhaps you have been reading a lot of Brit lit and history? I know if you read US lit and history you could get the idea that the US was the greatest thing since the invention of the round wheel. Meanwhile there are others who would dispute that view. It is possible that one's point of view has a lot to do with the answer of this question.
