These countries are now nothing more than shadows of what they once were. Since their height, some of them have shrunk by a factor of ten....CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
Some perished as a result of their ambitions, some as a result of an incompetent administration, and yet others as a result of the understanding that maintaining the colonies was unprofitable. In any event, for those who lived near them, these small kingdoms used to be a source of surprise and wonder.
1. The United Kingdom of Great Britain
With a land size of 243 thousand square kilometers, the United Kingdom is today ranked 78th in the globe. Only 100 years ago, the British Empire governed over a large territory of more than 36.6 million kilometers. According to this statistic, the British Empire was the largest colonial state in human history, with colonies on every continent.
Liberation movements erupted throughout the British Empire’s colonies after WWI, but they were violently suppressed. They halted down for a spell during WWII, but eventually returned with fresh enthusiasm.
India, Pakistan, Burma, Ceylon, Malaysia, and other countries were liberated following the election of the Labor Party, which supported decolonization. This eventually led to the empire’s demise.
However, this was done not out of goodwill, but rather out of fear of retaliation for what the country was doing in the controlled territories, as a result of the growing radicalization of society in the colonies and the metropolis’ fear of retaliation.
When it came to releasing the colonies, the British Empire abandoned common sense and reality in favor of drawing lines on maps, well aware that this would lead to future confrontations, as it did with India and Pakistan.
2. Austria
Austria is presently a small country, occupying 112th place in the globe, with an area of 83 thousand square kilometers. It was the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which barely over a century ago covered 676 thousand square kilometers and included modern-day Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Herzegovina, half of Romania, part of Italy, Poland, Serbia, Montenegro, and Ukraine.
After Archduke Franz Ferdinand was killed, Austria-Hungary entered World War I. The empire was defeated and broken into numerous territories as a result of national liberation struggles.
The Anschluss – Germany’s annexation of Austria – occurred later, in 1938, taking advantage of Austria’s weakness. Following the war, Austria declared its independence as a republic.
3. Mongolia
Mongolia, which covers 1.5 million square kilometers and is the world’s 18th largest country, is no longer considered a small country. Mongolia today is a sliver of the Mongol Empire, which was founded by Genghis Khan in the 12th century and expanded by his sons. At its peak in 1279, the Mongol Empire covered over 33 million square kilometers, second only to the British Empire in size.
Genghis Khan’s state comprised the world’s largest contiguous region at the same time. The Mongol Empire, which had a military advantage, extended from the Korean Peninsula to eastern Poland, impacting the history of many Asian and European countries. The empire eventually split into several states as a result of internal strife.
4. Portugal
With a land area of 92 thousand square kilometers, Portugal is presently on the outskirts of Europe, ranking 109th in the world. However, this country previously stretched 10.4 million square kilometers and was one of the world’s most powerful trading empires. It included Brazil, Mozambique, Angola, little Asian possessions, and North America.
The empire, which lasted from the 15th to the end of the twentieth century, gradually lost its colonies, the latest of which were Macau and East Timor. Portugal’s only foreign territories are the Autonomous Region of Madeira and the Azores.
5. The Netherlands
After gaining independence at the end of the 16th century, the Netherlands moved out to discover new colonies, mostly for trade.
In the early 17th century, the Dutch East India Company was established to compete with the Spanish and British Empires in the East Indies. By establishing colonies on practically every continent, the Netherlands rapidly expanded its power.
By the 18th century, the Netherlands had colonized Indonesia, Guiana, India, Taiwan, Borneo, Java, and other islands. The state had a total territory of 3.7 million kilometers at the height of its power. The Netherlands has long been regarded as one of the most successful commercial empires in history.
The Netherlands began to lose colonies with the advent of national liberation movements in the twentieth century, which they almost totally lost during the German occupation of the Netherlands during WWII. The Netherlands currently covers 41 thousand kilometers, or the equivalent of 131 countries.
6. Japan
Today, Japan covers 377 thousand square kilometers, roughly the size of 61 countries. It did, however, reach a maximum length of 7.4 million kilometers. The Japanese Empire included parts of the Republic of China, Burma, the Philippines, Kampuchea, Vietnam, Laos, New Guinea, and other territories.
Following the demise of the Japanese Empire in World War II, all of the territories acquired by the Empire attained freedom. The country continued to exist until 1952, when the San Francisco Peace Treaty was signed..CONTINUE READING>>
