British Empire

[bligh]

When did the British Empire reach it's zenith?

[aggiela]

reports vary. Wikipedia states 1919 although other sources state any where between 1800,s and early 1900,s with 1890-1920 being the most popular answer.

[Drusilla1S]

I would say around 1880.

Prince Albert had been dead nearly twenty years and the public were getting fed up with Victoria's mourning. It was about the time of Gordon's death at Khartoum, the shock of Isandhlwana and a decade or so before the Boer War, when native and irregular armies inflicted embarrassing defeats on the British and began to undermine confidence in our military supremacy throughout the world.

It was ten years since Bismarck's Prussia defeated the French and began a rapid industrial and military process which culminated in the tragedy of 1914. WWI, in my opinion, fatally damaged the concept of European empires around the world and I'm surprised Wikipedia suggests the Empire was at its most powerful in 1919.

On the economic and industrial stage, Britain was still outproducing and out trading its competitors, though the USA was on the brink of its own economic miracle.

I suppose the date will vary depending on your interpretation of an Empire being at its strongest. Some people would define it by size, others by military power, many by its economic might and some by the general feel good attitude of the people, which, with the beginnings of socialist thought at this time was beginning to turn peoples heads towards an alternative social structure in the world.

[johnlambert]

1919

[Skids]

I agree with aggiela and john lambert. It was 7:19 in the evening; round about tea time.

[Johnmof]

One other factor - the acquisition of the Suez Canal in around 1874 greatly enhanced Britain's position, faster route to India, etc. This would suggest that 1880 is not a bad guess.

[Bert]

I agree with bernardo, and I was going to post an answer in the same vein, but he got there first. And I think he expressed his view in an amusing way, not boring at all.

[Famous5]

Did Britain ever have an Empire?

Victoria and her successors to George VI were Empress/Emperor of India, and were known as Queen/King in Great Britain & Northern Ireland