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Comment by rayiner | Hacker News Reader

I wonder what will be the legacy of the British Empire. The Roman Empire lived on in a sense as many of the barbarian kingdoms purported to be continuations of the empire for a long time: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbarian_kingdoms. That hasn’t been the case with the British Empire.

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The British Commonwealth isn't entirely different from the Barbarian Kingdoms -- a lot of the political structure (elections to a Parliament modelled on Westminster, a nominally apolitical civil service) have been largely retained, and even almost a century after the Statute of Westminster the Commonwealth countries routinely look to the British for leadership in matters of foreign relations.

History doesn't repeat, but I think we're well into the realm of history rhyming here.

Virtually ever state today has more in common with Western States in the 19th century than their political predecessors. It would correct to say that we are "Western Cores" with X cultural skin than the opposite. Within that core, whether it's common law, parliamentary systems, or even beachgoing as a recreational activity, the British contributed major parts that define our day to day life.

Hmmm. Canada, NZ, Australia and even SA are all pretty darn "British," to this Commonwealth citizen.

In some small sense the British Empire lives on through the US hegemony. The British were experts at replacing local governments with people they could control, and since the Second World War we have tried doing the same thing.

America? the Anglosphere? the improvements to India? The almost complete eradication of slavery? The web? The British Empire arguably has a greater legacy than the Roman Empire.

improvements to India? Improvements to Britannia you mean!

> the improvements to India

You can't be serious.

Shallow dismissals are against the HN Guidelines.

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