The British Empire

This survey is part of our research into the British Empire and the possibility of a present-day empire like the British Empire. It would mean a lot if you took a few minutes of your time to answer these questions. Feel free to answer in Dutch if you can express your opinions better that way.

Thanks a lot!

Irene Klop & Lotte van der Linden

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How old are you?

12-17

18-25

26-35

36-45

46-55

56-65

65+

Do you speak English?

Yes

A little

How good would you say your English is?

Excellent

Very good

Good

Okay

Not very good

I don't speak English

How did you learn to speak English?

I am a native speaker.

At school.

I followed a language course.

I learned it because of its presence in daily life and the media.

Other:

Select your level of education.

VMBO

Havo

VWO

MBO/Secondary vocational education

HBO/University of applied science

WO/Academic or research university

Other:

Are you familiar with the term 'British Empire'?

Yes

Why do you think so many people speak English today?

It's a very easy language to learn.

Great Britain dominated world trade a few centuries ago, which increased the usage of the language.

Great Britain controlled very many colonies, which caused a lot of people to learn it as a second language.

Other:

When was the British Empire established (do you think)?

Before 14th century

14th century

15th century

16th century

17th century

18th century

19th century

20th century

21st century

Who do you think were the most important rivals of Britain/England? You can select more than one answer.

France

The Netherlands

Italy

Spain

Portugal

Germany

The United States

China

Other:

Which of the following do you think was the most important colony of the British? You can select more than 1 answer.

The United States

Canada

Australia

India

South Africa

Ireland

Other:

Why do you think England - or the British Empire - became so powerful?

Which factor(s), do you think, contributed the most in the maintenance of the Empire? You can select more than 1 answer.

England/Great Britain was the dominant power in world trade during the 18th century

The Industrial Revolution started in Great Britain (which caused production to speed up and increase profits)

Because Great Britain is an island, there had always been a focus on naval superiority and were hard to invade

The successful waging of wars

The establishment of crown charter companies (companies with military and naval forces of their own and adequate funds to buy the best men and equipment)

Capitalism and democracy (which left Great Britain as one of the most stable and economically strong countries in the world)

Great Britain had to deal with much less (internal) crises compared to other countries (French revolution, Bankruptcy of Dutch East India Company (VOC), Spain's bankruptcy, etc.)

Other:

What do you think caused the Empire to fall? You can select more than 1 answer.

Rise of other world powers like the USA and Russia/Soviet Union

Great Britain was weakened after the two world wars

Globally changing morals, it became unacceptable that one country was authorized to rule another

A rise of nationalism and independence movements in the colonies

Other:

Do you think it is possible to recreate an empire, like the British Empire, today?

Yes

Depending on your answer to question 14, why do you - or don't you - think so?

Do you think people’s decisions can be manipulated into choosing for an empire?

Yes

How? (choose the 2 best options in your opinion)

Social media

News

Search engines

Politicians

Celebrities

Television and radio

Other:

What would stop an empire from emerging today?

More freedom of speech (if people see something is wrong, they will speak up about it)

People are not dumb

Everyone wants to be their own person, they will not choose to give others a lot of power

People with another culture than the overpowering one, will fight against it

Governments will not agree

Other:

What could speed up the formation of an empire today? You can select more than 1 answer.

Globalization

Digitalization

Manipulation

Overpowering cultures

Social media

Other:

Do you think it would better for the world, if we had empires or even a global village? (global village means an increasingly unified world)

Yes

Depending on your answer to question 20, why or why not?

What negative aspects would having only one ruling sphere of influence have? (choose 2)

Cultures could disappear

Oppression

Exploitation

It could ruin local economies and small businesses

It could increase inequality on a global scale

Other:

What positive aspects would having only one ruling sphere of influence have? (choose 2 or 3)

More free trade

Better communication

Increased access to technology, media, products and other resources

It could reduce global poverty

It could create more peace and understanding, and therefore less war

Companies would have access to a much wider multinational market

Other:

Which nation or great power do you think is most likely to become a world empire?

USA

China

Russia

Europe

An influential company

Other:

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