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The British Empire began as an attempt by the British Army to protect its colonies and trading centers and because the conquered peoples preferred British law to that of their former rulers. It captured New York from the Dutch. The Dutch in New York preferred living under English law and fought against any plans to return New York to the Netherlands. In the French and Indian War, England conquered Canada. French Canadians preferred English law over French Law and became loyal citizens. The situation changed in India. There, the British army fought on the side of a winning king. When the king died, the British Army remained. The people preferred British stable government over the constant warfare they had been experiencing. In some places like Jamaica and the Caribbean islands, the British simply moved in and the Spanish left deciding the places were not worth fighting over. If a place did not have mines or military value, the Spanish saw little value in keeping it. In Africa, the British would help one tribe fight another and then rule both. The British Empire began gradually. It gradually expanded. Then it collapsed.

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12y ago

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English traders frequently engaged in hostilities with the Portugese and Dutch. With the defeat of the Dutch in 1612 it was considered necessary to gain a foothold in India. A diplomatic mission was launched in 1615 to arrange commercial treaties with the Moghul Empire. The mission was successful and Trading Posts were created in Surat, 1612, Madras 1639 and by 1647 had 23 factories in India

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15y ago
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The British Empire grew firstly because of Trade:

  • To sell luxury goods that had been brought cheaply in the Empire for more money in Britain.
  • To get raw materials to make goods e.g. cotton for cloth
  • To sell goods to the colonies
It also grew because of Religion: Another reason why it grew was because of Power:
  • Having a large Empire made Britain powerful
Lastly Wealth:
  • Having a large Empire made Britain very Wealthy.
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10y ago
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Q: Why did the british empire grow?
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