The British Empire and its impact on International Relations
Key issue(s)
Colonial wars and their impact, and Empire and World Wars
Colonial wars and their impact, and Empire and World Wars
Earlier key topics reference events and sources relating to the development of nationalist and anti-colonial movements – these should be referenced here. However, more attention can also be given to the impact of World Wars in changing the political frameworks of imperial rule (after WWI) and speeding up the ‘end’ of Empire (after WWII).
Earlier topics make reference to sources on the South African Wars, for example. However, a key focus of interest, and which has resulted in fairly extensive provision of sources for teaching and use within schools in recent years has been the contribution that soldiers and other recruits from the ‘colonies’ made to the war effort in WWI and WWII.
Earlier topics make reference to sources on the South African Wars, for example. However, a key focus of interest, and which has resulted in fairly extensive provision of sources for teaching and use within schools in recent years has been the contribution that soldiers and other recruits from the ‘colonies’ made to the war effort in WWI and WWII.
Internet Resources
World War I
World War II
World War I
- Causes of War and War Years (BBC).
- The Empire Called to Arms (Imperial War Museum).
- Race, Empire and Colonial Troops (British Library).
- The British empire after the War (National Archives).
- 1914-1918-Online, an excellent encyclopaedia site of WW1, including themes such as Imperialism and Nationalism, and articles related to various colonies in Africa and Asia.
World War II
- Colonies, Colonials and World War Two (BBC).
- The British Empire and Commonwealth in World War II: Selection and Omission in English History Textbooks: a useful article critiquing the main textbooks that are available to schools on WWII and their Eurocentrism.