The Problems faced by Britain and her Empire at the start of the 20th Century were more imagined that real.' How valid is this statement?

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‘The Problems faced by Britain and her Empire at the start of the 20th Century were more imagined that real.’ How valid is this statement?

        Britain entered the 20th Century with lots of social, political and economical problems. Britain thought she had ‘imagined’ most of the problems. The reality was that these problems were real and were happening. Some of these problems have started developing since the 1890s. These problems built up and the mounting problems which Britain faced were quite disastrous – making her ‘imagine’ that these problems were far from real.

        One of the problems which started since the early 1890’s was the Bore War in South Africa. The Boer War (1899-1902) brought lots of changes and a wave of problems. The echoes of this superfluous war were still felt by late 1900’s. There were huge cots in lives and money. The most disastrous effect was how this was really exposed Britain. The immoral use of concentration camps and the “scorched earth” tactics made people question the role of the Empire. The ‘methods of barbarism’ (Campbell – Bannerman) brought a ‘series of panic attacks.’ As said by Lloyd George: ‘the savagery… will stain the name of this country.’ Lloyd George was correct.

        With 45,000 men dead (although two-thirds of the mortality was due to typhoid, dysentery and other diseases) and a billion pounds spent, Britain was also politically affected. The War shifted British politics to the Left – which would cause incalculable implications for the future of the Empire. To, many British people, the War was not only immoral, it was also a rip-off where the War was fought only to ensure that gold was at the hands of the capitalist. This war sets the scene for the problems Britain would face at the start of the 20th Century.

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As said above, the War was conducted to benefit a small number of elite people. This was often a problem because wealth was not evenly distributed which led to another problem for Britain and her Empire – Poverty.

        Although Britain thought she had “discovered” poverty at the start of the 20th Century, poverty has always been present in Britain. From the noisome squalors of East London to the poor states of the industrial areas – poverty was a future threat to Britain and her Empire. Ever since the early 1800’s, there were large families, low wages, unemployment and old age. ...

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