Status Updates From The British Empire: A Very ...

The Empire was a product of the rise of global capitalism, an international order underwritten by Britain until replaced by America in the 20th century. Imperialism’s role in brokering global capitalism and deepening westernization was fundamentally more significant than the British Empire per se.

The territories that formed the British Empire ranged from tiny islands to vast segments of the world's major continents. Stretched across each ocean and time zone, the proud claim that 'the sun never set on the British Empire' was actually true (some said that this was because the British could not be trusted in the dark).