How did a small country like Great Britain manage to conquer most of the world?

英国这样的小国是如何征服世界大部分地区的？

以下是Quora网友的评价：

Stowberi Park

Great Britain was able to conquer much of the world due to factors such as its strategic location, strong navy, industrial advancements, economic interests, technological superiority, and effective political and military strategies.

英国之所以能够征服世界大部分地区，是因为其战略位置、强大的海军、工业进步、经济利益、技术优势以及有效的政治和军事战略等因素。

Trashbean Soup

The same way all empires conquered other people.

The Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians etc started just from City States not even whole countries.

They took over their neighbours and soon their neighbours associated themselves with the original peoples and helped take over their neighbours.

Empires used their increased wealth to hire more soldiers. The more soldiers they had the more they could conquer and hire even more soldiers etc until the House of Cards was tumbled by someone else. Alexander the Great knocked down the House of Cards that was the Persian Empire. Once he eliminated the Persian King of Kings, he became the King of Kings.

和征服了其他民族的所有帝国一样。

苏美尔人、巴比伦人、亚述人等都是从城邦起家的，连国家都还算不上。

他们拿下了周围的城市，很快他们就和本地居民联手，继续拿下周围的城市。

帝国用他们获取的财富雇佣了更多士兵。他们的士兵越多，就可以征服越多城市，并雇佣更多的士兵，直到被别人推番。亚历山大大帝摧毁了波斯帝国，在他消灭了波斯的万王之王后，他就成了新的万王之王。

Harry Davidson

Simplest answer I have read is rain.

Rain meant good grass. Good grass meant good sheep. Good sheep meant good wool. Wool meant wealth.

我读过的最简单的答案是雨水。

雨水意味着牧草丰茂。牧草丰茂意味着羊群膘肥体壮，意味着多收羊毛，意味着财富增长。

Paul V Nieuwburg

By deception & betrayal (alliances for example), but for the largest part, Copying a smaller succesfull Empire, namely The Dutch empire.

他们就靠欺骗和背叛(例如联盟)，但在很大程度上，他们只是一个规模略小的成功帝国—荷兰帝国。

John Napper

Interesting question.

First of all, Great Britain is a geographical area, not a country, although it’s complicated. It is currently the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and has been since 1922 when the bulk of Ireland became independent. Between 1800 and 1922, it was known as The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Before the Act of Union made it all official, it was known as the Kingdom of Great Britain when the Scottish monarchy took over the English monarchy, following the death of Queen Elizabeth, who had no heirs. Before that, England and Scotland were separate countries, although the Kingdom of England actually included Wales. Technically, until the Act of Union, Ireland was an independent country, albeit ruled by the same monarch as England. In other words, part of the Empire, rather than part of the Kingdom whose empire it was. Let’s not go into Irish history, because that really is incredibly complicated!

这是一个有趣的问题。

首先，大不列颠是一个地理区域，不是一个国家，尽管这有些复杂。现在的英国是大不列颠和北爱尔兰联合王国，自1922年爱尔兰大部分地区独立就以来一直如此。在1800年到1922年之间，它被称为大不列颠和爱尔兰联合王国。在《联合法案》将其正式定名之前，它还被称为大不列颠王国，当时伊丽莎白女王去世了，因为她没有继承人，所以苏格兰皇室接管了英格兰皇室。在此之前，英格兰和苏格兰都是独立的国家，尽管英格兰王国其实囊括了威尔士。严格来说，在《联合法案》颁布之前，爱尔兰是一个独立的国家，但爱尔兰与英格兰由同一位君主统治。换句话说，爱尔兰是大英帝国的一部分，但不是大不列颠和爱尔兰联合王国的一部分。我们别研究爱尔兰的历史了，实在是太复杂了！

As for the British Empire itself, don’t get confused with other empires such as the Roman or Napoleonic empires. They are what I would call traditional empires that were created by armies conquering other countries by wng battles against rival armies. That said, the concept of foreign legions is nothing new. Rather like modern business mergers (aka takeovers), it is common for soldiers of conquered countries to be integrated into the armies of the conquerors. The same with the British, but where their Empire is different is that most of it consisted of so-called New World lands. Places that had been ‘discovered’ and claimed in the name of the monarch.

至于大英帝国本身，我们不要将其和其他帝国（比如罗马帝国或拿破仑帝国）混淆起来。在我看来，它们是传统帝国，是由军队通过战胜对手、征服其他国家而建立的。也就是说，外国军团并不是新鲜事物。就像现代的商业合并(又名收购)一样，被征服国家的士兵被整合到征服者的军队中，这是普遍现象。英国也是如此，但他们帝国的不同之处在于，它的大部分是由所谓的新大陆组成的，都是以君主的名义被发现并霸占的地方。

Indigenous peoples often did not fight back, or only had bows and arrows and spears, weapons designed for hunting, to combat guns. In many cases, horses were unknown before the invaders brought them and used them to fight the ‘natives’.

It’s also fair to say that the concept of land ownership, and countries was alien to the local people, so it wasn’t difficult to simply claim an area of land by planting a flag and building fences, expanding the claimed land until such time as they encountered colonials from other parts of Europe, which led to skirmishes and the occasional all-out war in far-away lands, where neither side had a huge army, so the Empire could be further expanded by defeating Dutch, French, Spanish and Portuguese settlers and claiming their stolen lands to add to the UK’s stolen lands, aka the British Empire.

原住民通常不会反击，或者只能用弓箭和长矛等狩猎工具来对付入侵者的枪炮。在很多时候，在入侵者带来马匹并用马来对付原住民之前，原住民都没见过马。

另外，土地所有权和国家的概念对当地原住民都很陌生，所以在某个地区插上旗帜，修建围栏，宣告主权并非难事。他们不断扩张领地，直到他们遇到欧洲其他国家的殖民者，导致双方爆发小型冲突和偶尔的全面战争。双方都没有庞大的军队，所以大英帝国在打败荷兰、法国、西班牙和葡萄牙殖民者后把他们侵占的土地归入了英国的领地。

The other thing to note is that we are talking about settlers colonising far-off lands. They arrived on ships, and sent things that they found there back home on the ships. Trade was a big thing, and large trading companies, such as the famous Hudson’s Bay Company, grew rich and basically ran the colonies, often with the help of one of the largest traded commodities – African slaves! It didn’t just have the largest Empire, the UK was king of the slave trade. Look around at the British Empire and you will see countries that were supplying slaves and countries that were dependent on slave labour, in many cases because the indigenous population had been largely wiped out, by European diseases that they had no immunity to, or by being worked too hard.

另一件需要注意的事情是，我们谈论的是去往遥远国度的侨民。他们乘船到达当地，并把在当地找到的东西运回来。当时，贸易是件大事，大型贸易公司，如著名的哈德逊湾公司，变得越来越富有，基本上在殖民地说一不二，当时最大的贸易商品之一就是非洲奴隶！大英帝国不仅拥有最大的帝国，还是奴隶贸易之王。环顾大英帝国，你会看到一些国家提供奴隶，一些国家依赖奴隶劳工，土著人口大都死光了，因为他们对欧洲来的疾病没有免疫力，劳动强度也非常大。

Australia was slightly different, in that they used convict labour instead of slaves. The local aborigines did not, as far as I’m aware, put up a fight, but were very good at surviving in the outback where the white men couldn’t cope with the extreme weather and lack of obvious food and water. No army really required, just keep to the coastal territory and let the aborigines have the rest, although that didn’t stop the Brits from claiming the whole continent in the name of the King. Of course, the aborigines were not well treated by the people who claimed ownership of the land they inhabited and believed belonged to no-one, people being merely there to look after it during their brief lifetime. However, on the whole, I’d say they were treated better than many who had the misfortune to be part of the British Empire.

澳大利亚略有不同，他们没有奴役奴隶，他们遣用的是罪犯。据我所知，当地的土著人并没有反抗，但他们很擅长在白人无法适应的极端天气以及缺少食物和水源的内陆生存。澳大利亚不需要军队，只需要守住沿海地区，而土著人退到内陆生活，但这并没有阻止英国人以国王的名义对整个大陆宣告主权。当然，土著人并没有受到强盗们的善待，这些强盗霸占了土著人世代守护的土地，土著人相信这篇土地不属于任何人，人类只是用短暂一生来照顾这片土地。不过总的来说，比起大英帝国其他地区，澳大利亚土著的待遇还是要略好一些。

Eternal Hermit

Conquering by invasion is but one method. True, a small country like ours would struggle immensely to conquer 1/4 of the world’s surface simply by invading. Our favourite was divide and conquer. It’s not as messy and it left our hands somewhat cleaner than many of the empires the world has ever seen. Few ever suspected they were willingly selling themselves to us all the time they were fighting someone else with our money, protection and influence. We made them offers and guarantees too tempting to refuse and they came running to sign the papers. A deal was a deal. Not once did we betray any agreements we made.

入侵就是方式之一。的确，像我们这样的小国，通过入侵来征服世界表面的1/4，是非常困难的。我们最喜欢的手段是分而治之。这样不会造成那么多混乱，它让我们的双手比其他帝国干净一些。很少有人会怀疑，他们用我们的钱、保护和影响力和别人斗争，但他们是不是真的心甘情愿投靠我们。我们向他们提供的条件和保证太诱人了，他们无法拒绝，所以他们愿意签署魔鬼协议。我们从来没有违背过我们达成的任何协议。

Patrick S

Great Britain’s ability to conquer vast territories across the world can be attributed to a combination of factors, including geographical advantages, naval supremacy, strategic alliances, technological advancements, and economic prowess.

Firstly, let’s explore the geographical advantages that Great Britain possessed. Situated on an island, it was protected from land invasions, allowing it to focus its resources on maritime expansion. Its location also provided easy access to the Atlantic Ocean, enabling British explorers and traders to venture into new territories and establish lucrative trade routes.

英国能够征服世界大片领土的能力可以归因于多种因素，包括地理优势、海军优势、战略联盟、技术进步和经济实力。

首先，我们来看看英国所拥有的地理优势。英国位于一个岛屿上，免受陆地入侵，英国得以将资源集中在海上扩张上。英国的地理位置也提供了通往大西洋的便利通道，使英国探险家和商人能够进行海上冒险，发现新的领地，建立利润丰厚的贸易路线。

Naval supremacy played a pivotal role in Britain’s conquests. The Royal Navy, renowned for its formidable fleet, dominated the seas, providing the country with vital military and logistical advantages. This maritime superiority allowed the British to project power, protect their overseas territories, and suppress rival European powers.

Strategic alliances were another crucial aspect of Britain’s success. By forming alliances with local rulers and exploiting exsting rivalries between indigenous powers, the British were able to gain a foothold in various regions. This approach allowed them to leverage local resources, manpower, and political support, facilitating their expansion.

海军优势在英国的对外征服中发挥了关键作用。皇家海军强大的舰队威名远扬，统治着海洋，为英国提供了重要的军事和后勤优势。这种海上优势使英国能够进行军事部署，保护英国的海外领土，并压制欧洲竞争对手。

战略联盟是英国成功的另一个关键因素。英国擅于和当地统治者结盟，利用当地势力之间的斗争，在各个地区站稳脚跟。这种做法使他们能够利用当地的资源、劳动力和政治支持，促进其扩张势头。

Technological advancements further bolstered Britain’s conquests. During the Industrial Revolution, Great Britain became a global leader in technological innovation, particularly in the fields of manufacturing, navigation, and weaponry. Advanced ships, such as the highly maneuverable and heavily armed warships known as “ships of the line,” gave the British a significant advantage in naval battles.

Economic prowess was also instrumental in Britain’s conquests. The country’s expanding economy fueled its imperial ambitions by providing the necessary financial resources to fund military expeditions and establish colonies. Moreover, Britain’s growing industrial output created a demand for raw materials, which they secured through colonization. This economic motivation drove the British to establish plantations, mines, and trading posts in various parts of the world.

技术的进步进一步加强了英国的征服能力。在工业革命期间，英国成为技术创新的全球领导者，尤其在制造业、航海和武器领域。英国拥有先进的战舰，如高机动性和全副武装的战舰，给英国人在海战中带来了显著的优势。

经济实力也在英国的全球征服中发挥了重要作用。英国不断扩张的经济为军事远征和建立殖民地提供了必要的财政资源，助长了其帝国野心。此外，英国不断增长的工业产能创造了对原材料的需求，他们在殖民搜刮原材料。这种经济动机驱使英国人在世界各地建立种植园、矿山和贸易站。

Another contributing factor was Britain’s ability to exploit divisions and weaknesses within the territories they sought to conquer. By taking advantage of internal conflicts and tribal rivalries, the British were often able to subdue local resistance more effectively.

Furthermore, Britain’s colonization efforts were supported by an efficient bureaucracy and a comprehensive legal system. These institutions provided stability and facilitated governance in the conquered territories, enabling the British to maintain control over vast regions.

另一个促成因素是英国十分擅长利用目标领地内部的不同势力和弱点。英国利用内部冲突和部落对抗，英国人往往能够更高效地镇压当地的抵抗。

此外，英国的殖民努力还得到了高效的官僚机构和全面的法律体系的支持。这些机构为被征服的领地提供了稳定和便利的治理，使英国能够保持对广大地区的控制。

Stuart Arnold

The same as the Romans in many ways. But like the roman empire did for us we normally managed and left those countries in a much better state with de ocracy, law, sanitation and education. We also engaged, employed and bribed the locals (where necessary) which we are famous for.

在很多方面英国人和罗马人一样。但就像罗马帝国为我们做过的那样，我们管理并为这些国家打造了更好的局面，包括皿煮、法律、卫生和教育。我们还会聘用、雇佣和贿赂当地人(如有必要)，这也是英国人十分擅长的事。