HistoryBritain, Europe and the wider world, 1901–present40 min★★★ difficulty

Lesson 7: Britain and the world after empire

Decolonisation, Suez, European integration and new Commonwealth relationships transformed power and identity.

Part of your national curriculum

Challenges 1901 to the present: Understand social, cultural and technological change in post-war British society
Historical enquiry: Understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance
Challenges 1901 to the present: Understand the changing nature of the United Kingdom's relationships with the rest of Europe and the wider world in the twentieth century

Lesson overview

What you'll learn in this lesson

Understand the changing nature of the United Kingdom's relationships with the rest of Europe and the wider world in the twentieth century

Key learning points

• End of empire
• Changing relationships
• Final enquiry

This lesson at a glance

40 minutes
24 parts to scroll through
3 quick checks
Marked quiz at the end
Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses

Words to know

changingnatureunitedkingdomrelationships

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Part 1 of 24 · Discover4%

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Lesson 7: Britain and the world after empire illustration

Archive-led lesson

Historical enquiry

Lesson 7: Britain and the world after empire

Decolonisation, Suez, European integration and new Commonwealth relationships transformed power and identity.

In a nutshell

Understand the changing nature of the United Kingdom's relationships with the rest of Europe and the wider world in the twentieth century

What you already know

Part 2 of 24

Before we start

What you already know

You should already know that Britain governed a large empire, and that many colonies became independent states after 1945.

Recap: Lesson 6: 1945 and a changing Britain

Key words

Part 3 of 24

Key words

Words you'll need today

Decolonisation: The process by which colonies became independent states.
Suez Crisis: The 1956 crisis that exposed the limits of British power.
Commonwealth: The association of states with historic links to Britain.
Integration: Closer political and economic ties between states, as in Europe.

Reset break

Part 4 of 24

Pause

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Your lesson plan

Part 5 of 24

Lesson brief

How did Britain's global role change?

By the end, you will be able to

• Build an accurate twentieth-century chronology
• Connect British, European and global developments
• Use official records and testimony ethically and critically

Resources

• Empire Windrush passenger list (1948)
• Lesson notes and marked knowledge check

4 minRecall the chronology and frame the enquiry

16 minRead the textbook explanation and build the argument

12 minInterrogate the archive evidence in context

8 minAnswer the checks and write a supported conclusion

Learning cycle

Part 6 of 24

Learning cycle 1 of 2

The end of empire

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

Explore the idea

Part 7 of 24

Learn

End of empire

Independence movements and post-war conditions accelerated decolonisation. The process varied and could be violent.

Reset break

Part 8 of 24

Pause

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Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.

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Explore the idea

Part 9 of 24

Learn

Changing relationships

Suez exposed limits to British power. Membership of European institutions and later Brexit reflected competing ideas about Britain's place.

Quick check

Part 10 of 24

Quick check

Suez showed…

Give me a hint

Quick check

Part 11 of 24

Quick check

Decolonisation means…

Give me a hint

Reset break

Part 12 of 24

Pause

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Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.

Stop here for now

Learning cycle

Part 13 of 24

Learning cycle 2 of 2

A final enquiry

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

Explore the idea

Part 14 of 24

Learn

Final enquiry

Use political records, migration evidence and testimony to explain change without treating decline as the only story.

Quick check

Part 15 of 24

Quick check

Best final answer?

Give me a hint

Reset break

Part 16 of 24

Pause

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Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.

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Investigate evidence

Part 17 of 24

Evidence 1 of 1

primary

Empire Windrush passenger list

British shipping and immigration authorities, 1948

The passenger list records names, occupations and intended addresses of people arriving from the Caribbean.

An administrative record establishes who travelled and stated plans. Oral histories are needed to understand hopes, treatment and later lives.

Think like a historian

What can a passenger list tell us—and what can it never capture alone?

Source: The National Archives, Windrush stories

View the archive record ↗

Common mix-ups

Part 18 of 24

Common mix-ups

Things people often get wrong

People often think decolonisation was peaceful everywhere. It varied and in several places involved violence.
People often reduce the period to 'decline'. Britain's role changed rather than simply shrinking.

Challenge round

Part 19 of 24

Game · Sort it

Which of these are true?

Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.

True

Not true

Reset break

Part 20 of 24

Pause

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Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.

Stop here for now

Challenge round

Part 21 of 24

Game · Recall cards

The NHS opened in…

Card 1 of 4

Exit quiz

Part 22 of 24

Exit quiz

Show what you've learned

6 questions, marked together at the end. Nothing is timed.

1. Suez in 1956 showed…
2. Decolonisation means…
3. Decolonisation is best described as…
4. Membership of European institutions reflected…
5. Evidence for this period includes…
6. The best final answer explains change without…

Mastery quiz

Part 23 of 24

Marked quiz

End of lesson quiz: Lesson 7: Britain and the world after empire

4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.

1. The NHS opened in…
2. Windrush passengers were…
3. Why add oral history?
4. Suez showed…

Lesson round-up

Part 24 of 24

Lesson round-up

Ready when you are

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Understand social, cultural and technological change in post-war British society
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Understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance
Not looked at yet
Understand the changing nature of the United Kingdom's relationships with the rest of Europe and the wider world in the twentieth century