17. The era of Pax Brittanica (aka “British Peace”) is a misnomer… it was a very violent and unsettling time.
During the century between the Napoleonic Wars and the outbreak of World War I, Great Britain assumed the role of global policeman, an era often referred to as the Pax Brittanica, or British Peace. It was far from peaceful. Native rebellions and warfare occurred almost continuously throughout the period; in India, Africa, China, and virtually everywhere the British flag flew. There were wars in Afghanistan, which became a running sore in the side of the British lion, and with the Dutch Boers in Africa. There was war with the Russian Empire over Crimea. Wars of conquest were fought in Africa and central Asia. Rather than 100 years of peace, the Pax Brittanica was a century of suppression and conflict.
