Why has Great Britain's military power declined?

Question

The British were once the global superpower, they was mighty and fierce and had an empire that most of us probably know to this day. They are a great ally to the current global superpower 'USA' however why has the British power suddenly declined since the rein of Queen Victoria, will its power be influenced again when Prince William reins considering Charles does not want to be king or is it doomed to eternally have this decrease in strength?

Thanks.

Answer 1

Capitalism evolves and this is the phase of decline of Imperialism.

Answer 2

Don't you worry Aaron, we are still powerful,strong,fierce,well trained and well equip. If we need to we can fight fiercely and successfully don't you worry about that. We are still powerful and will be considered a strong adversary for many year's to come.

Answer 3

For the same reasons that all empires eventually crumble.

Answer 4

If you want to think of it in this manner, the amount of power in the world never changes. It never decreases nor increases, only shifts. When America (avec help) gained independence from the British , they in turn defeated the greatest military force that existed at that time. America then got a sliver of that power. It also then lost a h**l of a lot of its territories-- e.g. India, states in Africa, islands of the coast of south america as well as land itself in S. America.  All the power, be it in land, money, leaders, etc. has been lost to some other nation.

Answer 5

The British Empire faded in power as colonial powers rebelled and income from their natural resources dropped off.  The cost of being a military superpower is immense, and in a world where diplomatic friendship is necessary as much as military might, Britain decided that controlled release of remaining colonies was more in their favor than the struggle to maintain control over unwilling people.

The United States has more land mass, more people, and vastly greater natural resources than Britain, and as such, have an easier time maintaining military might.  Same goes for Russia and China, the other strong contenders for military power.

Military empire is very difficult to consolidate in the least, and virtually impossible to hold on to otherwise.  Even Russia suffered under the fact that many nations within the former Soviet Union felt no loyalty to Russia by the end, and the crumbling of the empire reduced their power.  However, Russia remained a large and populous country even without the remainder of the Union.

Britain retains a fairly strong military.  They possess high technology, nuclear weapons, and a fairly decent population.  Combined with fairly peaceful and friendly neighbors of similar economic conditions, Britain is in a great strategic position.  Simply enough, they don't need to use their military or build it up the same way that other nations find necessary, such as India and Pakistan.

Simply put, Britain is in a good position, and it would likely be harmful to push for anything more.  They can sit back and enjoy what they have for a while.

Answer 6

After World War 2 the British economy, as well as all of Europe, was in shambles. Britain could no longer maintain its colonies all over the world. These colonies gained their independence, and the British military already in shambles from the n**i victories relied on the US for a bulk of its protection. This military alliance continues today. UK military doctrine today states that they must never go to battle without a single ally to assist them.