The British Empire colonized many countries in the 19th and 20th century. One of their most exploitive captures was Australia. Before the 19th century, Britain sent many convicts and soldiers to Australia because of their overcrowded prisons, then settlers began living along the coast. Australia was their most credulous gain because it was deemed uninhabited, uninhabitable and there was current British soldiers and prisoners living there.
Firstly, Australia was declared a Terra Nullius in 1788. The term “Terra Nullius” is Latin for “nobody’s land.” This title means that this area was uncolonized, despite the approximate 750,000 Aboriginals already living . Because of this, Britain claimed and settled in Australia. When Lt James Cook was in Australia, he and his group came about the indigenous inhabitants, called Aboriginals, and considered it not their land because of how they lived. The Aboriginal culture and lifestyle was very different from the Europeans’. According
…show more content…
The Dutch had developed a strong trade system with the Aboriginals in the late 1600’s. The French had also sent many voyages there before Britain, but abandoned plans of a colony because of its unsuitable land. Even Spain planned to attack Sydney with boats equipped with a new kind of cannon, referred to as “hot shot.” According to The Telegraph, “The Spanish plan followed an expedition led by naval commander Alessandro Malaspina, who reported back to his government in the 1790s … that Britain planned to control the territory and use it for commercial ends and the discovery of resources.” Even though this plan was never followed through, historians believe that if Spain had seized the country, Britain would have quickly redeemed it because they had a stronger military and would have hesitated in giving up their commercial interest in controlling