The+British+Forces+by+Kosuke+Kanehisa

=****The British: Armed Forces of War**** =

===**__The British Empire was surprisingly strong at wars with foreign monarchies and countries. There was three types of armies, the Army, the Royal Navy, and the Royal Air Force. First, with the || || || Army ||  Army. __** ===


===**__ By European standards, the British Army was a tiny army. But what it lacked in numbers it made up for in professionalism. In other words, this was a kind of a troop of assasins, not blundering soldiers. There was an odd combination of a public school educated officer corps bred to lead and a pool of hardy labourers forced off their land and/or workers attempting to avoid the harsh conditions of the new industrial cities. It is interesting that the Scottish and the Irish supplied such a high proportion of the British armed forces. This was probably due to the lack of economic opportunities in their respective home countries. Whatever the reason, they served the British army extremely ably. __** === ===**__ It should be thought of that the army was never given the title 'Royal' unlike the other two war services. This was due to its unreliability- with very good reason to assume so. It dates back to the time of the English Civil War and the defeat of King Charles. British monarchs never forgot this and so have never bestowed the 'Royal' name. The element of trust was also why so many members of the Royal Family were made in to the Colonels in Chief of so many regiments. It was a way of ensuring loyalty. __** === ===**__ It should be noted that the army has always been a interesting organisation. Ever since the Seventeenth Century troubles, Britain has never really liked having a large standing army on its land. Most of the warhomes were either overseas in the colonies or closer to home in Ireland - but not so often in England itself. Another hangover of the Seventeenth Century problems is still evident in the division of responsibilites of the army even to today. All soldiers must pledge allegiance to the king. It was hoped that this constitutional arrangement would keep the  army out of political squabbles and prevent future rebellions - which it has done remarkably successfully for over 300 years. __** ===


===**__Next there is the Royal Navy. Being an island nation, the Royal Navy was (and still is) the Senior War Service for a very real reason. Control of the seas would be important, maybe even crucial in defending Britain and in allowing Britain to secure such a vast Empire. Domination of the seas was not definitively achieved until the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, although Britain had been challenging for supremacy since the Seven Years War. During the nineteenth century, the Royal Navy was supreme and could deliver soldiers or marines pretty much anywhere on the planet and also deny rivals the ability to do so themselves. The floating gun vessels could be equally intimidating to leaders who might have contemplated resisting British encroachment or denying access to commercial opportunities. The Royal Navy would ensure the flow of trade vessels and goods to supply __** === === === ===<span style="font-size: 1.1em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">**__<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Britain's factories or deliver her products overseas. The Laissez Faire economic model that would enrich Britain could not have existed without the power of the Royal Navy. They controlled the communications and supply lines that made the Empire viable in any meaningful way. __** ===

<span style="font-size: 1.1em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">
===<span style="font-size: 1.1em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">**__<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Last, the Royal Air Force. The Royal Air Force grew out of the Royal Flying Corps of World War One. It was formed in 1918 and so is very much the 'baby' of the military establishment. However, the projection of power provided by its weapons allowed it to grow rapidly from the 1920s onwards. Initially hopes were high that air power would be a 'cheap' military option that would tie the empire together and police its wide, open spaces. Operations in Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq would, however, show its limitations. It was one thing flying the flag by buzzing the locals on the ground - but once the plane had disappeared, power and influence often went with it. Soldiers or police on the ground would prove far more durable in sustaining a presence over a period of time. Air power might suffice just enough but not replace land and sea forces. __** ===

=<span style="font-size: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Outside pressures that could lead to collapse ** =

===<span style="font-size: 1.1em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">**T__here were many countries that posed a threat to the greater British Empire. It's most hated foe, France, slowly weakened Britain. It engaged in many battles, a drastic, continental struggle for power that lasted for decades. Other powers also joined in on the fight, and the already weakened Britain was destroyed. It was a shame, because at it's highest points it covered about 23% of the world's continents, a massive superpower, but even "The strongest must one day be defeated."__** ===

=<span style="font-size: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">**Natural Resources** =

===<span style="font-size: 1.1em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">**__The British Empire was mostly dependent for cheap oil from Iran, conquered. Also, the extra oil was sold to the colonies that were also conquered, and with this the British empire made a great profit. Also, because it was such a large empire, it could take tremendous amounts of tax money. This also helped with the costs and polls of making more ammunition and firearms for war.__** ===