E.E. Ibraev, Kostanai State University, Department of History of Kazakhstan

THE LEGACY OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE

The British empire with colonies on all continents was the largest in the history of mankind. By the 30th year of the twentieth century, the total area of all British land was 37 million sq. M. km. In the empire lived approximately 500 million. People (about a quarter of the world's population). The British Empire at the height of producing 25% of world GDP. Empire lasted more than four years (1497 - 1997) before the handover of Hong Kong under the sovereignty of China.

Scattered colonies around the world and extensive communication disperse material and human resources of the metropolis. And while London to restore order in the overseas colonies in Europe has changed the balance of power. Kaiser's Germany defied the British lion. Although Germany had lost the struggle for redivision of the world and world domination, Britain ceded the leadership of the American eagle.
In the book, the English historian, professor at Oxford University Niall Ferguson (b. 1964), "Empire. The rise and fall of the British World Order and the Lessons for Global Power "(2003) compares the former power Britain with modern American power. Scientists call the British Empire first superpower in the true sense of the word.

British Empire collapsed under the weight of the two world wars, becoming the largest creditor of the debtor. Great British emigration, paves the way for imperial expansion, has given way to immigration to Britain. Ugas missionary impulse of Christianity, preached the great commandments and circumcision. Empire is dead, but her legacy has had a tremendous impact on the modern world.

Without the expansion of Britain liberal capitalist model and parliamentary democracy could not have successfully strengthened in many countries with different socio-economic systems. Alternative authoritarian economic model to adopt the Russian and Chinese empires, brought upon their people untold hardships. The world's largest Indian democracy owes its formation to the British. English has become an important export, and for the last three hundred years, the number of English speakers increased to 800 million. People. Without denying the "shameful page" in the history of the British Empire (slavery and ethnic cleansing), Ferguson says the spread of free trade, capital and free labor. Britain has been extended to the Overseas Territories and the rule of law has invested huge funds in the development of global communications. Britain was the guarantor of global peace, in spite of numerous small wars. Without the British Empire would not have been large-scale trade liberalization and significant labor migration. The total outflow from England to the colonies was 20 million. People. More than a century prior to the War of Independence, Britain ruled the core of the future United States. Quality of life in British North America minimally different from the metropolis.

British Empire encouraged the export of capital to less developed countries. In the early twentieth century, 63% of FDI going to developing countries, while at the end of the century only 28%. Development of the colonized territories contributed to the British legal institutions and administration. Modern research has shown that in law the most protected investors in countries with a common-law British than in states that have adopted the French system of civil law. The British administration was highly efficient and surprisingly incorruptible. Especially when compared to decolonize and the Newly Independent States, where the observed correlation between economic backwardness and criminal corrupt government. Ferguson concludes that the experiment of running the world without the Empire cannot be considered successful. Economic globalization has clearly contributed to economic growth with uneven distribution of its fruits. But political instability and civil war have played a major role in the devastation of the poorest states.

The most logical way to confront chaos is colonization. The need for "defensive" ("Enlightenment") colonialism is very significant, but there is no state that can fulfill the role of the British Empire past. American, now ruling the empire, and the strengths and weaknesses of the last of the British power. With undisputed economic and military and political power, she lacks the human energy to export their capital, people and culture around the world. America is not willing to sacrifice their own material well-being for the sake of the whole world.

Arguing with Fergyusenom, Russian philosopher Boris Mezhuev observes that Empire enforcers democratic system - a logical absurdity. Democracy implies dependence on state power will of the citizens, while the meaning of the empire is to subordinate authorities external force. The British Empire has successfully exported its capital, good governance, integrity and British culture around the world. But the British lion fell from the extinction of the human energy and the missionary impulse of Christianity, as well as under the burden of two world wars. As a result of the imperial heritage in many countries to strengthen the parliamentary model of democracy and British law, the liberalization of world trade, and the English language continues to conquer the world.
Deserves respect and geopolitical transformation of the British Empire in the Commonwealth of Independent States. If we translate in abbreviation, it turns the CIS. But not with feet of clay, or live, or dead, and the present. The Commonwealth has 53 member states. Head of the Commonwealth - the Queen of England Elizabeth II. The total population of 1.8 billion. People or 30% of the population. Modern Britain remains attractive to many Commonwealth countries, and Russia in the CIS continues to scare near abroad devastating tsunami mindless democracy, created a danger stratification in society.
Among the great statesmen of the UK often referred to King Henry VIII, his daughter Queen Elizabeth, Queen Victoria, her husband and cousin - Prince Albert, who died at 41 years old. King of England and Ireland, Henry VIII (1491 - 1547) thanks to the cinema gained fame as a polygamist, the execution of several of their wives and friends. However, in between endless marriage and divorce drama king united the country, abolished the papal jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church of England, became the founder of the British naval power.

Queen Victoria (1819 - 1901), who had nine children, the rules for more than 60 years. The Victorian era laid the foundation for a "democratic monarchy". Of the politicians of the twentieth century, the primacy belongs to Prime Minister Sir Winston Spencer Churchill, who became, among other things, the Nobel Prize in Literature. Among the commanders preferred to Admiral Nelson, smashed the French fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar and the "Iron Duke" Wellington who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo itself.
In the UK, created numerous historical films "The Tudors," "Henry VIII», «Victoria and Albert," "The Duchess" and others, raising respect for the past fatherland.
Today is curious to observe the outgoing British aristocracy earn through tourism and other handouts for the content of their castles. Some family castle owners keep their own tours. Tourists are admitted to the castles in the morning until the evening. You can order a party or a wedding in the banquet hall, where the table once sat someone crowned royals. But in many cases, ticket and other charges is not enough to overhaul to restore the castle.

Probably, the same would have suffered, and to take into account the Russian aristocracy - from graphs to princes, if not for the proletarian revolution, has interrupted this natural evolutionary process of changing classes. As, paradoxically, in the Soviet Union of the victorious proletariat, destroyed the aristocracy as a class, many estates masterpieces of architecture or culture managed to maintain due to their transition to public ownership.

In all spheres of social and political life and life "Albion" is manifested eternal rivalry of English and French. Naturally, the most prominent British commanders those who broke the French. If conditionally to rank the core values of the British and French, they line up in the witness order. The English democracy, Hyde Park, horse and women. The French: wine, women and democracy.

In England, as we know, live ladies and gentlemen, and in France - Monsieur and Madame. English gentlemen love horses more than women. At least, it can be judged by the abundance of paintings by local artists depicting horses more often than women. Maybe because women have to say about all the men what they think and gentlemen it is not always like that. What a difference a horse. Famously said, "Oatmeal, sir!" Said that oats is not only the main crops "Albion", but also a staple food, as for the English, and for their horses. French men, on the contrary, more like not cloven-hoofed animals, and women, especially the courtesans.

French jealously indifferent to the British, accusing them of lack of national cuisine. The French - the cult of wine, and the British - the cult of tea. English life exclusively adapted for human benefit. Probably, having stayed world empire, train and make war on the world, the British began to appreciate more comfort at home.

SOURCES

1. Scammel J. The Oxford History of British Empire. New Haven; L.: Yale University press, Oxford University press, 2009. - 23 p.

2. Соколов А. Колониальная политика Великобритании в освещении новейшей зарубежной историографии '/ Внешняя и колониальная политика Великобритании в XVIII-XX вв. Ярославль, 1993. С 41

3. Rajat Kanta Ray, "Indian Society and the Establishment of British Supremacy, 1765-1818," in The Oxford History of the British Empire: vol. 2, The Eighteenth Century" ed. by P. J. Marshall, (1998), pp. 508-29

4. Ливен, Доминик. «Российская империя и ее враги. С XVI века до наших дней». М. «Европа», - 2007, с. 688, с. 173

5. Marshall, P.J. 1783-1870: An Expanding Empire // The Cambridge Illustrated History of the British Empire / ed. by P.J. Marshall / P.J. Marshall. - Cambridge: Cambridge University press, 1999. - P.24 - 51.