The Sun Began to Set on the British Empire

When Elizabeth II was born the British Empire was the largest in the world. In the 1920s, the empire included a third of the world’s land and a quarter of the world’s population. Because the Empire was spread all over the world there was a saying that the sun never set on the British Empire. After two world wars, the empire was coming to an end.

The Cold War

During the Second World War, the US, Great Britain and the Soviet Union stood together against Germany, Italy and Japan. The three countries wanted to be as big as the British empire but lost the bloodiest war in history. After the war, the Soviet Union became an enemy of the US and Great Britain, and it was East against West. They fought against each other to spread their political systems. The ending of the Soviet Union in 1991 marked the end of the Cold War.

The Moon Landing

Airliners were not available for most people, but space was already being explored. The competition to send man to the Moon, also called The Space Race, quickly became part of the Cold War.

The first manned spacecraft landed on the Moon in 1969, and the Americans Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took the first steps on the Moon.

The Falklands War

The Falklands War was a military conflict over the Falkland Islands between Great Britain and Argentina. Argentina had claimed the islands since 1816, but Britain banned the Argentines in 1833. Argentina occupied the islands in 1982 but had to surrender to the British 74 days later. The islands are still under British rule, but with a sort of self-ruling.