What was life like in the British Empire? As the British Empire covered so many parts of the world it embraced numerous cultures, economies and regional political systems. This in itself makes it impossible to give a simple answer to this question. The range of people living in the Empire ranged from those among the richest on the planet to those among the poorest It incorporated those who ruled from palaces down to those forced into Slavery.
For life on the Slave Plantations please see the pages on Plantations and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
The National Archives have a small unit on life in the British Empire.
Video (Youtube) Rural Life in the British Raj
Video (Youtube) Effects of British rule in India
Video (Youtube) Rulers and Ruled in the British Empire
Video (Youtube) Colonial House. Documentary and reconstruction. Colonial America.
Video (Youtube) Life in Jamestown
Video (Youtube) Australia’s early settlers
Video (Youtube) History of Convict Australia – Full Documentary
The British Empire – Making of the United Kingdom – Economic Consequences of the British Empire – How did the Empire affect Great Britain? – Society changes: Political Thought and the British Empire – Questions about the British Empire – British Empire Teaching Resources
