Great Britain
At the height of its power and influence early in the 20th century, Great Britain controlled an empire covered approximately one fourth of the world’s territory (in 1922 it incorporated 13 million square miles) and boasted of 54 territories and colonies—including Canada, India, Pakistan, Egypt, Nigeria, Ghana and vast swaths of Africa, the land of Palestine, islands in the Caribbean, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific islands and others. It was the most expansive empire in the history of the world, holding sway over some 460 million people—a fifth of the world’s population at the time. Moreover, following the defeat of Napoleonic France in 1815, Great Britain enjoyed a century of almost unchallenged global dominance through its vincible as well as its invincible Royal Navy rules the waves.
The British Empire also possessed or controlled several strategic sea gates—the Suez Canal, Gibraltar, the Cape of Good Hope, etc. Historians agree that Great Britain became the preeminent nation of the world as a consequence of wrestling itself from French dominance. Indeed, after defeating Napoleon in 1815 it became clear that Britain was the undisputed ruler of the civilized world. Supported by unrivaled naval power, what followed was a century of peace—“Pax Britannica”—cut short only by the German militarism that triggered World War I in 1914-18, and again in World War II in 1941-45, and then its invincibility dropped out of any prominence.
Joel Huan
The Mystery of Ephraim 