Could the British restart it's empire, excluding America, and if we did try,

Question: Could the British restart it's empire, excluding America, and if we did try, who would stop us!?

Just wandering to be honest, I just don't see any group or power who could stop an attempt!.

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Just to buck the trend, there is distinct potential for the emergence of a new British Empire if the British people show just a little will in that direction!.

Independence from Britain has been very fashionable, in the past few centuries, indeed, unless a country has fought the British during the last 300 years it hardly considers itself a country!. However, independence has often created more problems than it solved: India and Pakistan are smoothing over their difficulties and differences, but difficulties and differences remain between and within these two nuclear-armed powers!. Zimbabwe is setting new world records for inflation and Sudan for duration of civil (or rather uncivil) conflict!. South Africa is slipping downhill since 'majority rule' replaced Afrikaner-inspired apartheid!. Nigeria remains an archetype of corrupt government and undeveloped assets!. Kenya is hardly better!. And so forth!. Even allowing for the 'growing pains' of new countries, there is considerable potential for the harassed populations of these areas to voice a wish to be free of their 'elected' or coup-installed rulers and back under the firm but fair thumb of the British Empire, preferring life with an element of security and predictability to one of predictable insecurity!.

Let us assume - hypothetically - that Britain acquires a government with a definite, if not avowed, programme of rebuilding the Empire (we might remember that the original Empire was acquired not by design, but as a by-product of warfare to safeguard trade)!. Let us further assume that the British people once more identify opportunity with trade and projects in foreign lands!. What would happen!?

To begin with, Britain would enter into 'economic joint ventures' with economically weak powers!. Part of the deal would be that Britain would have a share in that power's government, and pro-British candidates would be elected by the hopeful populace of that power (without such election results, the scheme would not operate - surprising though it may seem to some, taking over countries by force has never been the British way)!. The powers in question would meld their economy with Britain's, and a scale of preferential trading tariffs would keep them secure from competition while the world's fourth largest economy built up to the world's second!.

Britain's merchant navy would resume its role as conveyor, and the Royal Navy its as protector, of Imperial overseas trade!. Piracy would be suppressed wherever it occurred, and 'flag of convenience' operators barred from Imperial ports and sealanes!. But perhaps the biggest change would be in banking and finance: adopting the Japanese model of using financial institutions as the means of strategically empowering the economy, Britain would re-establish its domination over world finances and gradually absorb the financial institutions of its rivals!. The new Empire would be a Commonwealth of commerce, but also of culture and civilisation!. Peoples would be encouraged to be true to themselves and loyal to the Empire, retaining their national identity and culture while contributing their particular skills and abilities to the good of the whole!.

Who would want to stop this process!? One can list America, Russia, Communist China, and the 'dark Islam' adherents in Iran and elsewhere!. America has since its inception worked harder than any other power to bring down the British Empire; in the aftermath of 1945 it succeeded, and the results have not been pleasant!. Now America deploys troops to the Middle East and North-West Frontier because without them it feels its own stability threatened!. Russia desires to recreate itself as a great power: it deems that this is best done by making life difficult for the greatest power in existence!. Hence, it would dislike a resurgent British Empire - unless this Empire could be used against the United States!. Communist China would have similar motivations!. The pseudo-Islamic extremists who chant 'Death to America' and occasionally 'death to Britain' share the delusion that the future belongs to them!. Astute British diplomacy could play off one against the other and emerge stronger than any of them!.

But the people who would really stop the emergence of a new British Empire live not on Capitol Hill, nor in the United Nations, nor in the mountains of Afghanistan!. They live in the universities and media studios of Britain itself, pouring out their message that the Empire was a bad thing, that those days are gone never to return, and that Britain should crawl to every other country in the world except Israel and America (who should instead be reviled at every opportunity)!. Those people are the ones who sap the national will by preaching that the British lion should become a sheep, and be content to let others fleece us!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

The age of empire building is over!. No country that had the resources to attempt an empire would do so because of the repercussions from a more connected world, primarily the economic ones (many countries would immediately enact embargoes)!. also, there isn't really any little-known, newly-discovered area that would be up for grabs!. Even if a country were to, enough countries have sufficient military power (including nukes) to stop them and several countries would immediately work together to eliminate the threat!. also, the populace of any developed country would not let their governments try any such action nowadays!. There would be mass riots and assassinations!. Fun to imagine, but not really feasible!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

No!. England is teeming with immigrants from alot of the places it once included in its empire, and I think they'd mutiny if the Brits attacked their homelands!. No support on Brit soil, and certainly, no support from other nations, now that communications are almost instantaneous!. Retaliation would be quickly catastrophic!.

Who would stop you!? The populace of Britain who are busy living their lives on the isle and don't want to be incinerated!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

The days of empire are over - whether it's the British Empire, the Roman Empire, the Soviet Empire, the Third Reich (Nazi Germany)!. They all failed!. What is vital for the world in the 21st century is nations co-operating together for the good of all!. The EU is what we should be supporting!. Don't believe a word of immature and ignorant Little Englanders (rife on this site) and the rantings and ravings of the Daily Mail and its readers!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I think the only shot is a federal union between the remaining colonies of white settlement: United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand!.

It would be a tough haul and take extraordinary diplomatic skills, but that would be the only way!.

The best, yet very unlikely, way would be for the United Kingdom to petition to become a part of the Canadian confederation like Newfoundland did in the late 1940's!.

Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland could come in as separate provinces!. England proper may have to be divided up!. They could do it along the liens of the ancient kingdoms that make up modern England: Northumbria, Mercia, East Anglia, Essex, Kent, Sussex and Wessex!.

The whole thing would depend on the English giving up a fair piece of pride to make it work!. The capital can't be at London or Ottowa, but agree to it being in Canada!. Put it at Montreal!. With possibility of 60 million or so non-French speakers suddenly showing up, the Quebecois will go berserk so they need something to placate them!.

also, the Americans will go berserk as well!. For reasons of historical mythology, they like to pretend there are no monarchies in the western hemisphere!. They always ignore the fact that Canada is a monarchy which is easy since the monarch lives in London!. If she were to live and reign from North America, it would really annoy them even more than they think it would!. Historical dogma is almost as powerful as religious dogma!.

I guess the other choice is to joining Australia first, but that's even more of a reach geographically as well as figuratively!.

Anyway, after the initial union, the others will more easily fall into place!.

Of course, the final nut will be to get the southern Irish to join!. It gets easier every day since their history education is almost as bad as America's!. They worship Michael Collins, but most teenagers couldn't tell you what the hell he did!.

Basically, the trick is to offer these nations an alternative!. Britain is about to get swallowed up into the EU!. Canada daily fights being completely dominated by the states!. Australia and New Zealand live uncomfortably close to China's economic zone!.

Strength in numbers!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

That's pretty much what Hitler said, when he began to entertain the notion that he could finish what the Kaiser had started!. And he was right!. There WAS no group or power that could stop him!. Until, that is, the major powers all banded together to become what was then called the Allies!. And that's likely what would happen if England tried anything funny!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I'd love to see the Empire come back!.!.!.(it would do the people of Zimbabwe a world of good)!.!.!.but all the people who built the Empire were either killed in the war or chased out of the country by socialist policies and high taxes!. As you can see from the responses here, the British Public no longer have what it takes to run an Empire!.

Empires require lots of hard work!. Rebuilding the Empire would require that people get off the dole, lead productive lives, and (horrors!) turn off the Telly and learn the words to Rule Britania!.

After WW2 Britain had the "brain drain"!. With ridiculously high taxes in place, a socialist economy, bombed out cities, and rule by Unions (see 1979 winter of discontent) almost everyone who had ambition or ability left!. They went to South Africa, Australia, New Zeeland, Hong Kong, or the States!. I have an aunt that went to Rhodesia, my Mum came to the U!.S!. and so did my in-laws!.

So Britian was left with a problem!. If all her best people were leaving, what does that say about those who are left behind (and aswering your question)!?

My great-grandfather was in the Boer War, and WW1!. My grandfather was shot by the IRA in the 1920s (he lived)!. My great uncle was a Jutland!. I have a cousin who was a Commando, another was Civil Commissioner for Burma in the 1930s, and two cousins who died in the RAF!. My Mum volunteered to parchute into France to help the resistance in 1940 (they turned her down, she worked at the Bank of England in a "excepted position"), and came to the States in 48!. My in-laws family was at Trafalgar, the Somme, Jutland, and lived trhough the blitz on the east end!. My father in law put himself through school to become an aeronautical engineer (he also did merchant seaman national service) and he left his job at de Havilland to come to Texas and work on the Apollo moonshots in the 1960s!.!.!.there wasn't a British Space Program for him to work in!.

So what would stop you is that pathetic mob of spineless, uneducated loosers that passes the British public!. Someone who is terrified of kitchen cultery crime and having beef with a bone in it for diner isn't going to hold off a mob of mutinous Sepoys with a Webley Service Revolver, or explore anything more exciting than the Indian food secion of Carrefour!.

Bottom line, You can't build an Empire out of a nation of Chavs, Yobs, dole moochers, Guardian subsribers and Dr!.Who fanatics!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

No, I do not think it is possible!.

I truly believe the world has moved beyond the single-nation empire stage!.

The USA needs to wake up to that fact, too!.

"The rest of the world" has come into a state of needing-demanding-deserving respect of their talents, cultures, abilities, resources!.

(Actually, they have always needed and deserved that respect)

No one nation should be calling the shots for the rest of the world!.

An interesting read is Fareed Zakaria's "The Post-American World!."Www@QuestionHome@Com

I'm actually with polybius on this one, considering Britain's empire started as what is termed as an "informal" one with what were termed as gentlemanly capitalism!.

At present our Army, Navy or Air Force is not big enough at present!. The public no longer have the stomach for such things and we have far too many limp wristed liberals running things!. So we'd need to put our own house in order first!. As for the rest of the world, well NATO certainly has no teeth these days, the last time any unity was truly shown was during the Kosovo campaign!. The UN is even lower down on the food chain militarily!.

So no it wouldn't happen nor do I advocate it happening!. however what I object to is the apologist and revisionist history, about this era!. None of us were present when it happened and we needn't feel ashamed about it!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

And would you be the first to join the conquest!? The first on the battle ground!? And your relatives and friends would all follow!? And would you kill every single one that would get on your way!? Without a blink of your eye!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

We wouldn't do it anyway!. Our mentality has changed since those days!. Generally speaking I think we respect other countries and cultures because we understand them better!. Before we were afraid of the unknown and thought it necessary to conquer it!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

No and pretty much everybody would!. Don't forget, this time round the rest of the world would have guns too!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

No!. Anyone!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

No, because we learnt our lesson the last time!. Taking over by force never ends well <clears throat> America <ahem>Www@QuestionHome@Com

Of course we couldn't!. We are a tiny over-populated island now and why on earth would we want to anyway!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

me!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

noWww@QuestionHome@Com

OF COURSE NOT
Where would the money come from!?
And who would want to anyway!?Www@QuestionHome@Com