The British Empire is the largest empire ever seen on the face of this planet. The empire was divided in two. The first part of the empire revolved around the British colonies in America, popularly known as the Thirteen Colonies. These gained independence from Great Britain in 1783. The second part of the empire, which developed from the first empire, came later. Born during the Napoleonic wars, it survived throughout the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. In fact, the British withdrew from their last colony, Hong Kong, in 1997; in fact the empire lasted a long time. It developed from India and spread to the regions of Africa and Australia. The empire's influence and power spread across the world, shaping it in different ways. This influence is still evident in many places that fell under his control (Ferguson, 2004). For many people the world is the way it is because of the effects of the British Empire. Of course, this empire, just like numerous other empires before and after it, had triumphs and humiliations; however, the fact that this empire had numerous positive effects cannot be overstated. The empire had a positive impact on Britain and the colonies. The first notable positive effect of the empire is industrialization. The English, having been at the forefront of industrial evolution, helped spread the technology to new places around the world. In particular, the British Empire was responsible for the development of early industries in its colonies (Balasubramanyam & Wei, 79). They built industries in the colonies such as sugar mills, cotton factories, and tobacco factories. Of course, this was a new development in these colonies which later led the colonies to mechanize their cottage industries... middle of paper... and Globalization: A Forum. [Online] available at http://www.originofnations.org/British_Empire/british_empire_and_globalization.htm [accessed 12 November 2010]Glenn, J. M, 2008, Mixed Jurisdictions in the Commonwealth Caribbean: Mixing, Unmixing, Remixing . Electronic Journal of Comparative Law, Vol. 12.1. [Online] available at [accessed November 12, 2010]Marker, S, 2003, “Effects of Colonization.” Beyond Intractability. Eds. Guy Burgess and Heidi Burgess. Conject Research Consortium, University of Colorado, Boulder. [Online] available at [accessed 12 November 2010]Iyer, L, 2004, The Long-term Impact of Colonial Rule: Evidence from India [Online] available at [accessed 12 November 2010]