Pax Britannica

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Cite This Source

Pax Britannica (Latin for "the British Peace", modelled after Pax Romana) refers to a period of British imperialism after the 1815 battle of Waterloo, which led to a period of overseas British expansionism. The term is derived from, during this period, the relative peace in Europe and the British Empire controlling most key naval trade routes and enjoying unchallenged sea power. Britain dominated overseas markets and managed to influence and almost dominate Chinese markets after the Opium Wars.

The Empire's strength was guaranteed by dominance of a Europe lacking in strong nation states, and the presence of the Royal Navy on all of the world's oceans and seas. In 1905, the Royal Navy was superior in strength to the next two largest navies combined (known as the 'two power rule'). It provided services such as suppression of piracy and slavery. Britain also went beyond the seas and developed and funded a universal mail system.

This led to the spread of the English language, parliamentary democracy, technology, the British Imperial system of measures, and rules for commodity markets based on English common law.

The Pax Britannica was weakened by the breakdown of the continental order established by the Congress of Vienna and the consequent establishment of new nation-states in Italy and Germany after the Franco-Prussian War. The industrialization of Germany and the United States further contributed to the decline of British industrial supremacy following the 1870s. The First World War seriously dented Britain's global position, and arguably ended the Pax Britannica, but the Second World War can be said to have brought this period to a close.

Other uses of the phrase

The phrase was used by the British author James Morris as the title of the middle volume of a trilogy about the rise and fall of the British Empire. The book surveyed the Empire at the time of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee on June 22, 1897. The first volume of the trilogy was Heaven's Command, the last Farewell the Trumpets.

"Pax Britannica" is the title of a 1949 book by the British writer and commentator F. A. Voigt, arguing that continuation of the British Empire - in a fast process of dissolution in the time of writing - was essential for the stability of the world.

The phrase was used as the title of a 1985 Charles Roberts/Origins Award-winning board wargame by Greg Costikyan which, while out of print, is still popular as a play-by-mail game. Play by email is also popular. The game has rules governing the acquisition of colonial territories, and declaration of war on other countries, but all wars only take place in the Third World.

The 1990 Album of the London industrial music group Test Dept was called Pax Britannica.

One of the series of novels from Abaddon Books is called "Pax Britannia."

See also

• British Empire
• Commodity markets
• Imperial Federation
• Pax Americana
• Pax Assyriaca
• Pax Coreana
• Pax Europeana
• Pax Germanica
• Pax Hispanica
• Pax Minoica
• Pax Mongolica
• Pax Ottomana
• Pax Praetoriana
• Pax Romana
• Pax Sinica
• Pax Syriana
• Pax Sumerica
• UK topics

References

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia © 2001-2006 Wikipedia contributors (Disclaimer)
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Thursday March 06, 2008 at 06:46:43 PST (GMT -0800)
View this article at Wikipedia.org - Edit this article at Wikipedia.org - Donate to the Wikimedia Foundation