In the entire history of the earth, the British Empire can be called the world empire. But today's Britain is definitely the most typical representative of the post-bankruptcy state.
Britain rose to prominence around the 17th century, the last period of Spain's world domination, when Britain was not yet one of the European powers. The Spanish ambassador had said that Britain was nothing more than an insignificant country and posed no threat to Spanish rule. But it was such an insignificant small country that defeated Spain's navy at sea and became the supremacy of the sea, which also marked the decline of the old power.
In the 18th century, Britain was the first country to industrialize, and it made unprecedented achievements in economic, technological and cultural aspects. The 19th century was the most powerful time in British history, its territory covered all the continents of the world, a total of 40 million square kilometers, that is, 1 4 of the world at that time, but a civilization established by plunder, the final development results will inevitably be robbed by other civilizations. This is an eternal truth.
In the early 20th century, the rise of newly industrialized countries such as the United States and Germany made Britain face a huge economic and military threat. The First and Second World Wars dealt a heavy blow to Britain. After the end of the war, although Britain was the winner of World War II, Britain was not as good as before in terms of economy and strength, and Britain was forced to hand over a large number of colonies, so after World War II, Britain acquiesced in the independence of several colonies such as India, and the sun never set has since become history.
With the advent of the third industrial revolution represented by informatization, the United States has been at the forefront of the world and the most powerful country in the post-war world. And because Britain is not as large as the United States in terms of land area and population, it has become a follower in front of the United States. Although he later hugged the thigh of the United States and made Britain a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, he did not play a big role in the United Nations, and the act of hugging the thigh was a tragic consequence that Britain, the former British Empire, had to accept, and it was also an ambition to return to the top in the future.
As long as they are powerful people, they don't want to be someone else's subordinate, and under the pressure of survival, most people want to survive rather than be strong. Britain was indeed the world's leading power in its heyday, but as the years passed, it had to find a strong ally to ensure that its interests were not compromised. And the United States is a good backer, and the Marshall Plan is their only option.
In 1948, Britain and the United States brokered the signing of the Anglo-American Economic Cooperation Agreement, and Britain implemented the Marshall Plan. Under the agreement, Britain received nearly $2.7 billion in aid from the United States between 1948 and 1952, making it the largest beneficiary of the Marshall Project. Britain played a pivotal role in the Atlantic Alliance, led by the United States, and the Brussels Treaty, initiated by the United Kingdom, led to the formation of NATO. So it was the foreign policy of Great Britain that saved the Atlantic Alliance, and the creation of the Atlantic Alliance allowed the United States to fully protect the security of Western Europe, thus guaranteeing the security of the British state.
The special relationship between Britain and the United States has allowed Britain to influence international affairs to some extent through the power of the United States, thus aligning British interests with values. Britain has also played an active role as an emissary between the East and the West through its relationship with the United States, thereby increasing Britain's influence in the world. Although Britain has been reduced to a supporting role on the world stage compared to major powers such as China and the United States today, in any case, Britain is also a former hegemon, and has the strength of a world-class power both economically and militarily.
Britain may have fallen, but their wealth is enough to crush the vast majority of countries in the world. The British once proudly said that only the three major powers in the world, China, the United States, and Russia are Britain's opponents. Take the army as an example, Britain's current combat effectiveness is still very strong, according to the global firepower index released by the United States, Britain is still firmly among the world's five major powers, and its total number of troops is about 2310,000 people, of which 19 are standing. The British ** team also has more than 660 air force combat strength, more than 220 tanks, and more than 70 warships.
Britain has also been the most active in military strikes in recent years, sending second only to the United States in the number of troops. What's more, with a GDP of $45,000, the UK leads the developed world. In addition to economic strength, it is more important to have an industrial structure and technological content.
Britain is the world's most advanced industrial country, in the world in technology and manufacturing in the leading position, such as the United Kingdom's ARM, more than ninety percent of the world's chip manufacturers have to learn from him, which means that Britain has a strong competitiveness in high-tech industry. Culturally, British culture is now one of the most important in the world, and English is now the most popular language in the world. It is used by all authoritative and scientific magazines, so that Britain is still all over the world, and although it is not as powerful as the British Empire, it is enough to make the whole world tremble. In the future, if Britain can find its own position and role, adjust its strategy in a timely manner, actively participate in international affairs, and promote peace and development in the international community, it will still have the opportunity to maintain its important role in the international arena. **Magic Pen Plan