It has been claimed that Britain’s “self-image” is an image of a country which is powerful and
influential in many ways. Such “self-images” are created over centuries. Which development in the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries created or strengthened such a self-image?
I believe, to explain the “self-image” of Britain, one has to go further back, to the sixteenth century, in history. One must start with the creation of the British Empire under the Tudors (1485 – 1603). I also think it’s wise to remember what genetic heritage the British have.To have in mind that this group of people conquered Britain before they looked beyond the shores of the British Isles. In their veins runs the blood of the Celts, the Picts, the Jutes, the Angles and the Saxons. Since the Romans stayed in Britain for almost 400 years and many Vikings settled here I also believe one will find their blood in the British veins as well. Most of these groups of people were conquerors, with a warlike behaviour. They could not even keep the peace between them selves. From history one also knows that the British through the centuries to gain the advantage used the idea of “divide and rule”. The British used to say that “the sun never sets on the British Empire” and the Americans added “because God does not trust the British in the dark”. The Russians calls them “the False Angel”. At the same time, who has not heard of the British gentleman, honest and well-behaved. In this essay I will not go further back than the Tudors and I will not dwell on British behaviour through the centuries, I simply want make an awareness of these facts.
As mentioned earlier the Tudors were the rulers of Britain in the period from 1485 till 1603.
Henry VII (1509 – 1509) brought wealth and power to the nation, Henry VIII (1509 – 1547), his son, created the Church of England. His daughter, Elizabeth I (1558 – 1603), defeated Spain, who was the number one power in the world, strengthened the Protestant religion, and made the Church a part of State. In addition she encouraged English traders to settle abroad to create colonies and she told her sailors to keep on taking Spanish ships, after the war was over, especially the ones who were on their way back to Spain with treasures from the colonies. Actually, her sailors, like Drake, were pirating. Ireland became the first English colony under Elizabeth. After her death the Stuarts became the monarchs in England. However they were not as successful as rulers of England. When the Stuarts were removed from power by The Glorious Revolution and the Dutch prince William of Orange, he and his wife, the English princess Mary, daughter of James II, were crowned as monarchs of England, mainly because they were Protestants. The people wanted the Catholic king removed and replace him with his daughter Mary. James’ daughters, Mary and Anne were Protestants. Under King William I (1689 -1703), the glory of England was again strengthened. William won wars and territories.
To sum up the sixteenth and the seventeenth centuries, beside kings and queens trying to create wealth and glory for them selves and England, many important steps were taken, in for example science, with sir Isaac Newton and Harvey. In this time period the great architect Christopher Wren, who re-created London after the big fire, lived. The British also had come far in education. At the beginning of the seventeenth century half of Britain’s population could read and write. England’s self-confidence one can see in the literature, poetry and music from this time period. Here one find, amongst many, Shakespeare, Marlow and Raleigh. Britain had started to build its empire, but it was still smaller than the Spanish and the Dutch ones. However Britain’s empire had more variety, from its 12 colonies on the east cost of America and the islands in the West Indies, to its colonies in India.
The eighteenth century was a century of war. Britain won many battles against France and Spain. By this time it also had the most powerful navy in the world. The fleet controlled Britain’s trade routes. The British pride rose to new heights during this period. However, it lost its colonies in America. After the wars against France it took Canada. This gave the British control over important trades like fish, fur and wool. France also lost its colonies in India to Britain resulting in almost full British control in the country. Britain, at the end of this century, was extremely wealthy and powerful. It had taken France’s place in the world as the most powerful country. Industry and agriculture had also improved dramatically within Britain and it also became the leading iron producer in Europe. However, only a few people got richer. Many others lost everything. The class system, beside the aristocrats, became more noticeable and there were mainly 4 classes of people in the English towns: the wealthy merchants, ordinary merchants and traders, skilled craftsmen and numerous workers.The British earned fortunes on the slave trade. It needed the slaves for its sugar plantations in the West Indies.
In the nineteenth century Britain was at its peak in power and of course this was visible on its self-confidence. After defeating Napoleon Britain was represented in most European councils. In this century Britain had two main targets. It wanted to prevent any nation to become strong enough to threaten its own position in the world and it wanted a free market to sell its products. During this time Britain had ships in almost every ocean in the world to protect its interest. By 1850 Britain was the number one industrial country in the world. They dominated world trade. The British produced industrial products and imported cheap raw materials and food from its colonies. London was the world’s economic centre and the pound was the international measure of value. After 1850 the technological progress continued, the textile industry was still number 1, but the iron- and steel industry soon became the key industry in the country. They produced everything from machines and tools to trains and boats. Steel were produced in enormous quantities and much cheaper than before because an Englishman, Bessemer (1813 – 1898), made it possible, in a simple way, to make steel of raw iron, which contained carbon. Actually, in all industrial fields the increase in productivity was vast in this period. Within the last 50 years of the nineteenth century there were also many new inventions. Charles Darwin published his 2 main works “On the Origin of Natural Selection” in 1859 and “The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex” in 1871. These two books gave the British and many other countries the idea that the white race was superior to other races.
Towards the end of the nineteenth century Britain lost its position as the leading industrial country to Germany, especially in the iron and steel industry, chemical industry and electrotecnic. By the twentieth century U.S.A and Germany had passed Britain as industrial countries, but Britain was still the greatest World Power. By the middle of the century Britain’s power had decreased, but it was still one of the three largest powers on earth. However it was much weaker than U.S.A and the Soviet Union. The answer to this is of course the cost of two World Wars and the cost of keeping the Empire. Britain lost most of its colonies during the twentieth century. The British created the Commonwealth where they were the permanent chairman up till 1974, when it was decided that the chairman must be elected. In the years after the last World War, the United Nations was created; here Britain has a permanent seat in the Security Council. Within the same years NATO also was started and Britain had a powerful position from the start, but over the years this position has decreased.
In 1973 Britain joined EU. Since U.S.A and Russia are not members, I believe the British have some power in the organization, but not more than France and Germany. Britain has the advantage of the English language, which is the language most spoken in the world beside Chinese. While Chinese is mostly spoken inside the borders of China, English is spoken as the first or second language in very many countries today. In most worldwide organisations English is the main language. In science, technology and in many other fields English is the language! The British believe that the reason is Britain’s earlier Empire. This is partly right, but the main reason is that the United States of America actually is the number one World Power today. Britain has a special relationship to U.S.A, probably because they were on the same side in the Cold War against the Soviet Union, and of course they share the same language.
As I see it Britain has always been outside Europe. The British have not easily accepted the European ways, maybe as a result of the past. They want to lead the way not follow!Their “self-image” is the result of centuries leading an empire, and the pride they take in their world known literature and poetry, like Shakespeare, Browning, Keats, Lord Byron and many more. Many of the most important inventions in history were made by the British.
As of today Britain is still at the top of its class in science, has some of the best universities in the world and has a leading position in popular music and literature. On the sports arenas Britain also has a respectable score. It has every reason to be proud of it self and its achievements, even today. Britain no longer is a world power and is not among the richest countries in Europe, but it contributes to the world in other arenas.
Bibliography
Printed material:
Halsey, A.H. Change in British Society.
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995
Hutton, Ronald. The Rise and Fall of Merry England.
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996
McDowall, David. An Illustrated History of Britain.
Harlow: Pearson Education Ltd., 2006
Encyclopaedia Britannica. Vol. 3
USA: Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc., 1994
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