The British Empire entered the 20th century as the first hyperpower since perhaps the height of the Mongols. After 2 global conflicts, the once mighty empire seemed on the verge of being relegated to the British Isles. It is true that in terms of relative power, the Empire was greatly diminished during the first half of the 20th century. However, the British still saw enormous progress occurring over the half-century. Politically, the monarchy was preserved while national politics shifted to the left in response to economic trends. Technology has fueled a cultural renaissance of sorts that has had enormous impacts on daily life. Ultimately, the new post-World War II international order led to the British Empire losing many of its most valuable assets. In 1936, King Edward VIII took over the reign of the British Empire after the death of his father, George V. A dashing naval officer who eschewed tradition. , Edward angered bureaucrats by making politically charged statements, particularly regarding the problem of unemployment caused by the global depression. His political comments will not be his downfall, with that role being filled by a woman named Wallis Simpson. Although married, Simpson and Edward fell in love and Edward planned to marry her after his divorce. Of course, this was a morally untenable position at the time and Edward had no choice but to abdicate in 1936 itself. The very continuity of the century-old monarchy was threatened as public opinion and the political elite had negative feelings towards the institutions. King George VI replaced Edward and he realized that it was better to leave the government to the government. When Britain found itself embroiled in the Second World War, George simply made vigorous appeals to support the cause rather than try... middle of paper ... about 90 years ago. (Today Sinn Fein is a non-violent political party, but in Orwell's time it was also a violent terrorist group). Abroad, the British lost the empire's "crown jewel", India, in 1947. During World War II, in order to receive crucial Indian support and prevent an insurgency that would drain the resources of the struggle to save the British homeland, the British promised Indian independence to the Indian National Congress. The INC was the political party of Gandhi and Nehru and could have hampered British efforts to use India in the war effort if they had not been appeased. Moreover, as the United States established itself as a superpower in its own right, the British found themselves stuck in international affairs. For example, the United States used debt leverage on Britain to prevent conflict over the Suez Canal by restricting the lesser half of its privileged relationship..