Anglo-America

Since the end of World War II the Western nations and the Communist Eastern bloc have been in a competitive struggle that has at times erupted into violence. Great Britain and the United States, as a combined or dual world power, have led the Western nations in resisting the expansion of communism.
After twenty-five years of cold wars, provocative acts by both sides and hot wars, the world situation is still tense and dangerous, as shown by conditions in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and elsewhere. What will the future bring? Will it be annihilation in a global nuclear war? Is there any hope of ever realizing permanent peace? Certain facts concerning the Anglo-American world power shed light on the matter.
; Close Relationship
A close relationship has long existed between Great Britain and the United States. In 1946 Winston Churchill spoke of it as a “special relationship,” a “fraternal association.”
This relationship was clearly evident during World War I and World War II. It was the pooling of the military machines and economic resources of these two nations that enabled them to defeat the military might of Germany and her allies in those two wars. The atomic bomb that played such a prominent role in deciding the outcome of World War II was the result of a joint effort by British and American scientists. But that is not all.
It has been the partnership of these two nations and their initiatives that have played key roles in establishing systems for world trade and finance. In fact, the basic currencies for use in international trade have been the British pound sterling and the American dollar. Still another indication of the world influence of the Anglo-American combine is the fact that these two nations were the initiating force behind the formation of the League of Nations and the United Nations.
There can be little doubt that the Anglo-American world power has exercised a profound influence on world affairs in this twentieth century. Although Great Britain and the United States have had some differences of opinion, they have had, on the whole, a close partnership that has made them a dual world power unequaled in history. On this point the Saturday Evening Post of July 1, 1967, observed: “Winston Churchill was fond of pointing out that the United States and Britain together made an unchallengeable combination. This is still true, empire or no empire, gold drain or no gold drain.”
Noting the close relationship of the two countries, the British ambassador to the United States stated in a speech delivered on May 22, 1963: “Today, I believe our two governments are cooperating with each other more closely than any other two free and sovereign powers have ever done before in peacetime. . . . No alliance in history has wielded as much power as that of the Anglo-American partnership since the day in 1941 when we stood as comrades in arms.” This partnership is significant, as it was foretold in Bible prophecy.
; Early Beginning
The seed for the |Anglo-American World power was actually planted by the Roman Empire a long time ago. According to Biblical history, the Roman Empire was the sixth world power in a series that began with ancient Egypt, or the fourth counting from Babylon. As foretold, the Anglo-American world power, described as a ‘horn speaking grandiose things,’ was to spring from the Roman Empire. (Dan. 7:7, 8, 23, 24) How did this prove to be so?
When the Roman armies arrived in Britain in the first century before our Common Era, they made Britain part of the Roman Empire. Thus the sixth world power became firmly established there with its local capital at Camulodunum, which is now Colchester. Before the Romans came, the land was divided among approximately thirty tribes of people. After these tribes were subdued, the area constituted the western division of the Roman European provinces.
Under Roman protection Britain prospered, approximately ninety-two towns rising there. Acknowledging this Roman domination of Britain as the beginning of the history of Great Britain, the book The Historians’ History of the World by Henry Smith Williams states: “The history of Great Britain may be said to begin with the landing of Caesar’s legions on the southern shore of England.” Thus we see the link between the Roman Empire and the Anglo-American or seventh world power.
; Why the Date 1763 Is Significant
The first appearance of the seventh world power was in 1763, when Great Britain became the foremost commercial power of the world. It was in this year that she took over most of the French possessions in North America at the conclusion of the Seven Years’ War, which involved nearly every nation of Europe and was fought world wide​—in India, North America, Germany and on the high seas. Now the seed that had been planted by the Roman Empire had grown into a mighty organization that would in time become a dual world power, foretold in the Bible at Revelation 13:11 under the symbol of a wild beast that “had two horns like a lamb” but that “began speaking as a dragon.”
That the Seven Years’ War, which began in 1756 and ended in 1763, marked the emergence of Great Britain as a world power is noted by the Encyclopædia Britannica in its Eleventh Edition. It says: “This war laid the foundations of the British empire. . . . The treaties of Paris (February 10, 1763) and Hubertsburg (February 15) marked an important stage in the history of Europe. By the first [treaty] Great Britain emerged from the war an imperial power with possessions all over the world.”
Although Great Britain lost her American colonies in the Revolutionary War that began in 1775, she continued to expand elsewhere as a world power. From 1798 to 1805 she quadrupled her area of control in India and by 1818 was the sovereign ruler there. During the reign of Queen Victoria (1838 to 1901) further areas of India, as well as Burma and large portions of Africa came under British control.
At the time of this queen’s death the British Empire possessed one out of every four square miles of land area in the world, giving rise to the saying that ‘the sun never sets on the British Empire.’ It has been said that one person out of every five in the world was a British subject. Because of her sea power it was said that ‘Britannia rules the waves.’ But how did Great Britain, as the [[Great Britain|seventh world power, grow into a dual power, a power that plays an important role in world events today?
; Appearance of the Dual Anglo-American Power
The beginning of the change was when the American colonies, which were originally British, broke away to form a separate nation, the United States of America. It was not long until the British Empire and this new nation were working together in a partnership. This was at the time of the Monroe Doctrine in 1823.
It was about this time that Great Britain became alarmed when several European governments urged France to send troops to Latin America so as to help restore Spanish and Portuguese royal government there. She suggested to the United States that a joint notice be issued warning the European governments to stay out of the Americas.
The United States decided to act alone and issued the Monroe Doctrine, which stated that she would resist any attempt of those nations to colonize or dominate the Americas. Commenting on this, the World Book Encyclopedia, in its 1966 edition, states: “But the doctrine owed its effectiveness more to British sea power than to American policy.” At that time the United States was still relatively weak.
During the Spanish-American War of 1898 Britain and the United States drew still closer together. This is pointed out by the New Cambridge Modern History by G. N. Clark, p. 580: “A war in which the United States was subsequently engaged with Spain cemented this feeling. The government and the people of the United States recognized the advantage which they derived from the goodwill of Great Britain in the hour of their necessity, and the two nations drew together as no other two nations had perhaps ever been drawn together before.” This close relationship has continued into the twentieth century, as we have seen, resulting in a dual world power.
Showing that this world power still has a powerful position in world affairs, The Washington Post, in its issue of September 28, 1969, commented on the military presence of the United States in other countries. It observed that this presence exists in sixty-eight foreign countries and then said: “Truly, the sun never sets on America’s bewildering military entanglements.” Thus the influence of the Anglo-American world power is still felt world wide even though Great Britain no longer has the vast empire she once had. But now this influence is being challenged by the Communist nations.
Category:Anglo-America