The Sun Began to Set on the British Empire

Elizabeth II was born when the British Empire was the largest in the world. In the 1920s, the empire included a quarter of the world’s population, and it covered a third of the world’s total land area. Because it was so widespread, it was said that the sun never set on the British Empire. After two world wars, the British Empire was slowly but surely coming to an end.

The Cold War

During the Second World War, the great powers of the US, Great Britain and the Soviet Union stood together against the empires of Germany, Italy and Japan. The three countries wanted to match the British Empire, but lost the bloodiest war in history. Imperialism as a world order suffered a serious setback. After the war, the Soviet Union became a bitter enemy of its former allies. A cold iron blanket spread across Europe, and it was East against West. Soviet communism and Western capitalism fought each other to spread their respective political systems. The end of the Soviet Union in 1991 marked the end of the Cold War.

The Moon Landing

While airliners were still not available to the majority of the Earth’s population, 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.

In 1969, the first manned spacecraft landed on the Moon, 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 British forces banned the Argentines in 1833. Argentina occupied the islands on April 2, 1982, but had to surrender to the British 74 days later. Since then, the islands have been under British rule, but have a sort of self-government. Argentina has never recognized British control here.