WK2Disc-HIST 2005 - Week 2 Discussion Hist-2005-2 World...

Week 2 Discussion
Hist-2005-2, World History: 1900-1945
At the start of the century Great Britain had all the ingredients to be the super power of
the new world. "The British people enjoyed the benefits of a highly industrialized
economy fed by raw materials shipped in from a huge colonial empire", (Chapter 3
Pg.32). With an empire that spread all over the world including Australia and New
Zealand, they could have made an advance towards Germany and expanded their
agricultural resources, thus changing the future that we know, who knows where
Britain would be if this scenario would have played out.
Great Britain was able to achieve stability in the political system, their democratic like
system of a Parliament, Elected Officials, and a House of Lords was able to give them a
sturdy capitalist system and allow merchants and tradesmen to invest in foreign
pursuits.
Britain was also able to keep itself together and avoid civil wars which would ruin
other countries and being an island added to the advantage over other countries. The
borders between, for example France and Germany, were moving all the time whereas