Britain Has Invaded 9 of 10 Countries Around the World
Right after Occupy Central paralyzed the famous Hong Kong shopping district, the British Foreign Office weighed in calling on the Hong Kong authorities to protect the rights of demonstrators. (The Americans did the same.) For those who think Britain has been a bright beacon for democracy and human rights across the world, a new book tells of the extent of Pax Britannica’s global incursions.
Stuart Laycock’s All the Countries We’ve Ever Invaded: And the Few We Never Got Round To, found that at various times during and after its imperium, Britain has invaded around 90% of the countries around the world. His survey of histories of the almost 200 countries found only 22 that have not suffered invasion by the British.
On this map, all countries coloured in pink have been invaded/colonized by Britain at one time or another. For China, it has been a few times resulting in the corrupt, weak, and inept Qing Dynasty’s epic defeats. The unequal treaties that China was forced to sign earned for foreign powers enormous war indemnities and allowed Britain to carve out Hong Kong as a colony for 150 years.
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