The British

Having to date the Worlds largest and most influential Empire is there something different about the British compared to all other peoples. How could the small populace of a tiny Island achieve so much and still continue to have an Empire legacy.

Are the British more warlike, is it our class system, even today the British have and hold such influence over the World, our Armed Forces are seen as the best and most respected in the World, our diplomacy is legendary.

Just what is it about the British that makes us who we are and what we have achieved and continue to do so. Whilst there are pretenders to the throne they are mere amateures by comparison, so what does put the Great into Great Britain.

The Brits IMO are the result of all the European Races overtime invading the British Isles and breeding with each other. They have Germanic, Saxon, Norman and Viking bloodlines which you could call mongrelization or alternately.. how many breeds of dogs does it takes to make a Pitbull.

The Brits (or Pommies) stood up to the German Warmachine in WW2 on its own in the end. All the other Nations in Europe either sided with them or surrendered to the German Juggernaut as it was vastly superior in relative terms to anything in modern history.

Fortunately the Brits claimed Australia and it has become a small (Pop.) outpost of the British Isles and in a lot of ways the people here parallel the same doggedness shown by them, minus the pomp and ceremony often asociated with all things British.

Just waiting for your anti american slang here pal!!

Come on tell us how the USA is the devil!!

Originally posted by redseal
Just waiting for your anti american slang here pal!!

Come on tell us how the USA is the devil!!

Nice and mature post....

I'll add another line of text for the sake of the one-line rule.

Originally posted by redseal
Just waiting for your anti american slang here pal!!

Come on tell us how the USA is the devil!!

Red Seal you hear footsteps ?
Its the enemy knocking at your door !
Its the reds sleeping under your bed !


Paranoia ....what a beautiful thing.

Redseal this thread has nothing to do with the USA, its about my country and my countrymen, the question is how dose a small Island with a small population come to rule so much of the Earth and its people.

Any idea's or theories?

and after being conquerd, raped , and pilliged by so many more advanced european countries as Mazzroth wrote with Germanic, Saxon, Norman and Viking bloodlines (are we missing Italian). Well it created the brits and a resolutness to never let it happen again only this time round the brits would enjoy the fruits of victory, rape and plunder.
It is noteworthy that all these european countries that makeup britain have been notably agresive and successful in war throughout history.

If i could put it in a nutshell i would say the brits were masters of devide and conquer strategies coupled with the best navy in the world at that time and a belief they were better than most people pehaps anyone else.

Makes for one hell of an advantage when you have cannons and the opposition have rocks and spears.

Just my two pence

Reaper I think you have hit the nail right on the head, and the British still have the attitude of superiority over others.

Originally posted by reaper2

and after being conquerd, raped , and pilliged by so many more advanced european countries as Mazzroth wrote with Germanic, Saxon, Norman and Viking bloodlines (are we missing Italian). Well it created the brits and a resolutness to never let it happen again only this time round the brits would enjoy the fruits of victory, rape and plunder.
It is noteworthy that all these european countries that makeup britain have been notably agresive and successful in war throughout history.

I don't think Britain was overly aggressive at all, but we were willing to scrap if the situation depended on it. We were also considerably kinder to Native's than any other Colonial Power and actually worked to improve the lands we took. Many commonwealth countries were left with good infrastructure, education and healthcare when we willingly gave up the Empire (about the only empire ever in history to dismantle itself mostly peacefully).

It has to be said that the "Natives" that we left with the shiny perks of civilisation have no ruined it through corruption, greed and war, but thats not our problem anymore, is it?

Originally posted by reaper2
If i could put it in a nutshell i would say the brits were masters of devide and conquer strategies coupled with the best navy in the world at that time and a belief they were better than most people pehaps anyone else.

Yup. Look at India for a prime example. Hardly any British troops needed. We got them to conquer themselves for us! How typically British. We're so savvy, people were falling over themselves to be with us!

Originally posted by reaper2
Makes for one hell of an advantage when you have cannons and the opposition have rocks and spears.

Just my two pence

Contrary to popular belief (via Blackadder, no doubt, mentioning the natives with sharpened mango's), many Native people's were armed with guns anyway. Either independently, or via competing European power's arming each other's rivals.

The Zulu's had many guns, for example, but lacked the brains to use them. They used to shoot up into the air in the belief the bullets would be more powerful when they came back down. We, on the other hand, shot at them.

The Indian's were very well armed and the Princely states had huge armies. But, we used their rivalries to slowly get them to beat each other into submission for us.

Originally posted by stumason
But, we used their rivalries to slowly get them to beat each other into submission for us.

Great post Stumason I stand corrected for the most part.

Not sure how many guns the Zulus could of had ? or what condition ?

But our strategies of devide and conquer are second to none as you even pointed out.

and indeed the commonwealthg coutries did benefit altough firstly smashed by our iron fist which is how britain expanded it's empire and what this thread is about.

Originally posted by stumason
I don't think Britain was overly aggressive at all, but we were willing to scrap if the situation depended on it.

And I can sum up that point with a classic piece of British advertising

Originally posted by reaper2

Not sure how many guns the Zulus could of had ? or what condition ?

To begin with, not many, but in the latter stages of the Zulu Wars, they had a good amount of decent weaponry. Some supplied by the Boer, in fact..

They also won many battles against us as it was. They were quite good, tactically and strategically and not the savages some think they were.

But their main downfall was the silly superstitions they had. A belief that charms would protect you from bullets, and getting mashed on drugs before a battle would help. Needless to say, when they attacked, volleys of rifle fire would kill many thousands.

Originally posted by reaper2
But our strategies of devide and conquer are second to none as you even pointed out.

and indeed the commonwealthg coutries did benefit altough firstly smashed by our iron fist which is how britain expanded it's empire and what this thread is about.

Oh yeah, no doubt we brought them civilisation at the end of the gun. However, there is more than one example of nations joining (or wanting to join) the empire willingly.

Texas mulled it over, as they were not keen on joining the US. But they feared a war with the US or Mexico if they went British, so went with the USA. They are the only state that is legally allowed to succeed from the Union in the modern USA now.

Just wanted to add the British are very good at learning and adopting many good things from oter cultures like tea or sharpened mangos good one Stu.

seriously the brits are adverse to change for the better and this puts the great or at least adds something to Great in britain.

Coca-Cola may have taught the world to sing, but Britain taught the world how to queue!

Anyone for tea?

Originally posted by citizen smith
...but Britain taught the world how to queue!

Anyone for tea?

Nice one Wolfie, mines an Earl Grey.

The queue serves as the great assimilation test - learn to queue quickly and you might just pass muster. It confounds all foreign visitors and as such renders we the British, totally unsympathetic to any of their difficulties. A sarcastic sniff is all you'll ever get from us unless you learn the sacred system of the orderly line. No greater threat can face you while in British territory than to push in at the bar on saturday night near to closing - be afraid, be very afraid....

I for one have always admired the British...

Their tenacity

Ingenuity

Dogged belief in the endurance of their ideals

On and on and on..

I trained with some Brit Marines back "in the day" and WOW!!! I will put them up against any fighting force in the world..

My opinion is their belief in themselves is the single most powerful motivator for the Brits.

We used to have some of that, sadly it is fading rapidly away..

Semper

Originally posted by KilgoreTrout
The queue serves as the great assimilation test - learn to queue quickly and you might just pass muster.

The queue-test should be made mandatory at all immigration points. If you cant wait your turn in an orderly and polite fashion and without grumbling, then no tea and crumpets and a life in France for you johnny-foreigner! (the worst punishment any would-be British citizen could ever face)

Resourcefulness

Spirit

Idealism

Work ethic

Courage

Initiative

Courage

Humor

Courage

Tenacity

Courage

Inherent spirituality

Sense of fairness

Realism

Courage

Spirit

Sense of adventure

Romance

Strength in adversity

Steel backbones

Ingenuity

Individuality

Courage

Pride

Lion hearted

Souls of poets

Dock, you forgot to mention the love of warm beer!

Did he mention courage?

We have courage...

Oh, don't forget courage!

Personally, I hate warm beer. I prefer my Abbot Ale slightly on the cool side as opposed to warm.