1: Introduction to Country Study – Great Britain

2.2. The Growing Empire.
I n the late 1600, Britain and France had begun to challenge each other for commer­cial and colonial control of North America. Troops, trad­ers, and settlers of both nations battled in the New World. British and French trading companies also com­peted for control in India. In Europe, Britain had fought France in a series of wars. But none of these conflicts had settled the rivalry between the two countries. An­other war was inevitable.The Act of Union 1800 united the Kingdom of Great Britain with the Kingdom of Ireland, which had been gradually brought under English control between 1541 and 1691, to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Independence for the now Republic of Ireland in 1922 followed the partition of the island of Ireland two years previously, with six of the nine counties of the province of Ulster remaining within the UK, which then changed to the current name in 1927. The dominant industrial and maritime power of the 19^th century, the United Kingdom is often credited with being the nation that "created the modern world", by playing a leading role in developing Western ideas of property, capitalism, and parliamentary democracy as well as making significant contributions to literature, the arts, and science and technology. At its zenith, the British Empire stretched over one-quarter of the Earth's surface and encompassed a third of its population, making it the largest empire in history. The first half of the 20th century, however, saw the Empire's strength seriously depleted from the effects of World War I and World War II. The second half witnessed the dismantling of the Empire and the United Kingdom rebuilding itself into the modern, prosperous, and technologically advanced nation it is today.
2.3. The Napoleonic Wars.
The French Revolution began in 1789. At first, many British approved the revo­lution as a triumph of liberty for the French people. But they changed their mind after the revolution grew more violent. Then the new French government seized Bel­gium and threatened the Netherlands. In 1793, Britain and France again went to war.
Beginning in 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte, a man of endless ambitions, led the French. At the height of his glory in 1812, Napoleon controlled most of Europe. In 1803, he began a plan to invade Britain. But in 1805, Ad­miral Horatio Nelson of Britain won a great victory over the French and Spanish fleets at Trafalgar, off the south­ern coast of Spain. The Battle of Trafalgar crushed Napo­leon’s naval power and ended all his hopes of invading Britain. Napoleon next tried to defeat Britain by striking at its dependence on trade. He ordered all countries under his control to close their markets to Britain. Brit­ain struck back with a naval blockade of France and its allies. But British interference with United States ship­ping brought on the War of 1812 between Britain and the United States. Napoleon was finally defeated in 1815 in the Battle of Waterloo.