<P> The independence of the Thirteen Colonies in North America in 1783 after the American War of Independence caused Britain to lose some of its oldest and most populous colonies . British attention soon turned towards Asia , Africa , and the Pacific . After the defeat of France in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars ( 1792 -- 1815 ) , Britain emerged as the principal naval and imperial power of the 19th century . Unchallenged at sea , British dominance was later described as Pax Britannica ( `` British Peace '' ) , a period of relative peace in Europe and the world ( 1815 -- 1914 ) during which the British Empire became the global hegemon and adopted the role of global policeman . In the early 19th century , the Industrial Revolution began to transform Britain ; by the time of the Great Exhibition in 1851 the country was described as the `` workshop of the world '' . The British Empire expanded to include most of India , large parts of Africa and many other territories throughout the world . Alongside the formal control that Britain exerted over its own colonies , its dominance of much of world trade meant that it effectively controlled the economies of many regions , such as Asia and Latin America . </P>
<P> The independence of the Thirteen Colonies in North America in 1783 after the American War of Independence caused Britain to lose some of its oldest and most populous colonies . British attention soon turned towards Asia , Africa , and the Pacific . After the defeat of France in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars ( 1792 -- 1815 ) , Britain emerged as the principal naval and imperial power of the 19th century . Unchallenged at sea , British dominance was later described as Pax Britannica ( `` British Peace '' ) , a period of relative peace in Europe and the world ( 1815 -- 1914 ) during which the British Empire became the global hegemon and adopted the role of global policeman . In the early 19th century , the Industrial Revolution began to transform Britain ; by the time of the Great Exhibition in 1851 the country was described as the `` workshop of the world '' . The British Empire expanded to include most of India , large parts of Africa and many other territories throughout the world . Alongside the formal control that Britain exerted over its own colonies , its dominance of much of world trade meant that it effectively controlled the economies of many regions , such as Asia and Latin America . </P>
when did the british empire reach its peak
when did the british empire reach its peak
19th century
19th century