Pax Britannica (Latin for "the British Peace", modelled after Pax Romana) was the period of relative peace in Europe (1815–1914) during which the British Empire controlled most of the key maritime trade routes and enjoyed unchallenged sea power.
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Following the Congress of Vienna the British Empire's economic strength continued to develop through naval dominance [1] and diplomatic efforts to maintain the balance of power within a Europe that lacked a pre-eminent nation state.[2] In 1906 it was considered that Britain's only likely naval enemy was Germany.[3]
The Pax Britannica was weakened by the breakdown of the continental order which had been established by the Congress of Vienna.[1] Relations between the Great Powers of Europe were strained to breaking point by issues such as the decline of the Ottoman Empire, which led to the Crimean War, and later the emergence of new nation states in the form of Italy and Germany after the Franco-Prussian War. Both of these two wars involved Europe's largest states and armies. The industrialisation of Germany, the Empire of Japan, and the United States of America further contributed to the decline of British industrial supremacy following the late 19th century.
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