s ▁are ▁mentioned , ▁especially ▁the ▁industrial ▁rise ▁of ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁and ▁Germany . ▁The ▁Second ▁Bo er ▁War ▁in ▁South ▁Africa , ▁ 1 8 9 9 - 1 9 0 2 ▁anger ed ▁an ▁influ ential ▁element ▁of ▁Liberal ▁thought ▁in ▁England , ▁and ▁dep riv ed ▁imperial ism ▁of ▁much ▁moral ▁support . ▁Most ▁histor ians ▁agree ▁that ▁by ▁ 1 9 1 8 , ▁at ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁the ▁First ▁World ▁War , ▁permanent ▁long - term ▁decl ine ▁was ▁in ev itable . ▁The ▁domin ions ▁largely ▁had ▁fre ed ▁themselves ▁and ▁began ▁their ▁own ▁foreign ▁and ▁military ▁policies . ▁World wide ▁invest ments ▁had ▁been ▁c ashed ▁in ▁to ▁pay ▁for ▁the ▁war , ▁and ▁the ▁British ▁economy ▁was ▁in ▁the ▁d old rum s ▁after ▁ 1 9 1 8 . ▁A ▁new ▁spirit ▁of ▁national ism ▁appeared ▁in ▁many ▁of ▁the ▁colon ies , ▁most ▁dram atically ▁in ▁India . ▁All ▁histor ians ▁agree ▁that ▁by ▁the ▁Second ▁World ▁War ▁ 1 9 3 9 - 4 5 , ▁Britain ▁was ▁no ▁longer ▁a ▁super power , ▁and ▁it ▁was ▁finan cially ▁near ▁bank rupt cy . ▁With ▁the ▁S uez ▁f ias co ▁of ▁ 1 9 5 6 , ▁the ▁prof ound ▁weak ness es ▁were ▁apparent ▁to ▁all ▁and ▁rapid ▁de colon ization ▁was ▁in ev itable . ▁ ▁The ▁chron ology ▁and ▁main ▁features ▁of ▁de colon ization ▁of ▁the ▁British ▁Empire ▁have ▁been ▁studied ▁at ▁length . ▁By ▁far