The island of Britain and its various inhabitants have long been in the history books, from Roman invasion and occupation to the mysterious King Author. But it was only in 1707 that the political entity known as the United Kingdom came into being. England invaded and occupied Wales in 1284, but it was only we the agreement on Union in the 18th Century, building on the personal Union of the Crowns from 1603, that the UK existed as one.

Ireland was later brought into the Union (in 1800) after the English gradually took control of the country. The wars at the beginning of the 20th Century for Irish independence resulted in most of the country coming back under Irish control as of 1922, but the North Eastern part has remained under British control ever since, which is why the official name of the country is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The Industrial Revolution and Democracy

The United Kingdom was the first country to undergo an industrial transformation, with factories springing up across the country leading to widespread urbanisation and consequently social change. The widening of the franchise and the continued development of Parliamentary democracy were widely heralded despite their shortcomings and the irony of democracy co-existing with the British Empire.

The colonial expansion was fuelled by the industrial revolution as British goods were sent all over the world. With many main European rivals weakened, such as France after the defeat of Napoleon, the UK was the main navel power and thus managed to colonise large parts of Africa, the Americas, Australia, Asia and the Middle East. The height of this empire in size was in 1921, after Britain took Germany’s colonies and just before Ireland was successful in its war of independence. However the empire had been in decline for many years before this.

The 20th Century

The two World Wars crippled the British state and economy, which was only kept alive through American loans, but it also kept Britain dependent for the best part of half a century. Still though the country did not have to face the horrors of occupation, by the Nazis or the Soviets and in the 1960s the county was booming with a cultural scene that was widely envied throughout the world and a national Welfare State was created, including free universal healthcare, which alleviated much of the poverty which had existed before the war.

Slowly the ex-colonies fought wars for independence and became self governing and the British Empire shrunk considerably, although there are still parts throughout the world and Britain still involves itself in wars in Asia and the Middle East, albeit as a supporting role for America. Because of the Empire and the spread of the English language, many people moved to Britain from all over the world creating the culturally diverse country which exists today. The UK joined the EU in the 1970s and still plays an important role in world affairs with one of the permanent seats on the UN Security Council and as part of the G8.