Pax Britannica
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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, Europe being relatively peaceful and the British Empire controlling most key naval trade routes and enjoying unchallenged sea power. Britain dominated overseas markets and favoured a strategy of informal colonialism: controlling markets like China's without direct formal colonial administration.
The global superiority of British military and commerce 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 to any two navies combined in the world. 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 also contributed to the decline of British industrial supremacy following the 1870s. The First World War formed a final and definitive end to the period.
[edit] 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.
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.
