8.5 How did the British Empire dominate one fifth of the world?

By the early 20th century, it was said that the sun never set on the British Empire – meaning the empire covered so much of the Earth, there was always daylight somewhere within its territory. How did the British Empire reach such a vast extent?

This lesson looks at the main events and causes behind the British Empire’s rise to dominance in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Lesson highlights

• The chronology of key events in the British Empire’s rise to dominance in the 19th and early 20th centuries, from the start of Queen Victoria’s reign to World War One
• An analysis of which causes were the most important in the British Empire’s rise to dominance
• A look at the British Empire from the perspective of people from across the world who were asked to fight for the empire in World War One