British Empire: 1. 1707–1914

Abstract At its peak in the 19th century, the British Empire was the largest empire not only on Earth, but in human history, encompassing one fourth of the land area of the globe and one fifth of its inhabitants. This entry examines the First Empire in 18th‐century North America, the Second Empire in India, and the various accessions and developments up to World War I. It discusses the white settler colonies, later known as Dominions, as well as other models of colonial rule. It considers how experience of administering one area of empire, Ireland, shaped British policy in another, as well as the role of informal empire. The entry explores the attitudes toward empire of a wide range of people, from elite civil servants to working‐class and subject peoples. In this way, the British Empire 1707–1914 can be understood as a complex phenomenon which provoked both delight and despair.