the

world’s population and nearly a quarter of the world’s land mass. But that was then

and this is

now. So how powerful is the UK today?

The answer is....still pretty powerful. Today, the UK is the world’s 6th largest economy,

just

behind France. A lot of that is due to its island location, which makes it an important

maritime

trade route and connecting point between North America, mainland Europe, and Asia. 95%

of Britain’s economic activity depends on these maritime trade routes. So to protect

them, the

UK maintains an active military personnel of nearly 205,000 people, and has the world’s

5th

highest defense budget. Their air force currently possesses over 200 combat aircrafts, we well

as a navy fleet that includes 13 frigates and 6 elite destroyers. They do lack an aircraft

carrier,

but they make up for it, with what’s known as “the nation’s ultimate weapon”; a

“continuous at- sea nuclear deterrent.” These are four high

tech nuclear-capable submarines, one of which is

constantly patrolling the seas surrounding the UK.

This makes them powerful, but they’re still not exactly a superpower. There’s a reason

why Britain had to give up their empire. WWII and the period afterwards maxed out Britain’s

resources. They became increasingly dependent on the US, lost control of India, and with

it an

enormous amount of manpower. By 1956 and their mishandling of the Suez Crisis, it was clear

that Britain could no longer sustain itself or its empire, independently. A mass decolonization

ensued, with Britain granting independence to nearly all of their territories, including

the release

of Hong Kong as recently as 1997.

All of this leaves the UK today without the global reach to be considered a superpower.

However, the country still exerts enormous political influence as a key member in many

global

organizations, including the United Nations Security Council, Nato, and the EU. Through

those

organizations, and with the support of the US, they’ve rallied international intervention

in Iraq,

Afghanistan, and Libya. They also bailed out Ireland and Greece during the global financial

crisis. So while the UK might not be the superpower it once was, it remains a powerful ally for

many nations.

If you’d like to learn more about the power of other countries, check out our Strength

of

Nations Playlist. (sound up) Don’t forget to Subscribe. We release new videos 6 days

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