The British Empire: Its Rise and Fall

How did a relatively small country at the edge of Europe come to acquire the largest empire in history? At its height it covered 24% of the earth's surface. How was it built up? What sustained it? What were the political, diplomatic, and military accomplishments of this empire "o'er which the sun never set?" Beginning with Colonial America this course will trace the history of the empire, and the men and women who shaped it, from the loss of the American colonies in 1781 to the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997.