How the British Empire Collapsed

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IWM Curator Carl Warner discusses the reasons for the British Empire's collapse following the end of The Second World War. 00:00 - The British Empire 01:16 - How it operated 02:37 - The First World War 06:40 - The Empire Evolves 08:52 - The Killing Blow 12:30 - Economic Uncertainty 13:58 - Indian Independence 15:50 - The Final Nail in the Coffin 16:55 - End of an Empire Note: The map at 14:50 should also show East Pakistan, which was included in the independent dominion of Pakistan in 1947. East Pakistan became Bangladesh in 1971. Visit Emergency Exits: The Fight for Independence in Mayala, Kenya and Cyprus, open now at IWM London: https://www.iwm.org.uk/events/emergency-exits-the-fight-for-independence-in-malaya-kenya-and-cyprus Explore and licence the film clips used in this video: https://film.iwmcollections.org.uk/collections/_J2YkNRAy Follow IWM on social media: x.com/I_W_M instagram.com/imperialwarmuseums facebook.com/iwm.london tiktok.com/@imperialwarmuseums

Published 2025-11-12 · Watch on YouTube ↗
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