what happened to the british empire after world war 2
British Empire in World War II
By the end of the war in August 1945 , British Commonwealth forces were responsible for the civil and / or military administration of a number of non-Commonwealth territories , occupied during the war , including Eritrea , Libya , Madagascar , Iran , Iraq , Lebanon , Italian Somaliland , Syria , Thailand and portions of Germany , Austria and Japan . Most of these military administrations were handed over to old European colonial authorities or to new local authorities soon after the end of the hostilities . Commonwealth forces administered occupation zones in Japan , Germany and Austria until 1955 . World War II confirmed that Britain was no longer the great power it had once been , and that it had been surpassed by the United States on the world stage . Canada , Australia and New Zealand moved within the orbit of the United States . The image of imperial strength in Asia had been shattered by the Japanese attacks , and British prestige there was irreversibly damaged . The price for India 's entry to the war had been effectively a guarantee for independence , which came within two years of the end of the war , relieving Britain of its most populous and valuable colony . The deployment of 150,000 Africans overseas from British colonies , and the stationing of white troops in Africa itself led to revised perceptions of the Empire in Africa . 
By the end of the war in August 1945 , British Commonwealth forces were responsible for the civil and / or military administration of a number of non-Commonwealth territories , occupied during the war , including Eritrea , Libya , Madagascar , Iran , Iraq , Lebanon , Italian Somaliland , Syria , Thailand and portions of Germany , Austria and Japan . Most of these military administrations were handed over to old European colonial authorities or to new local authorities soon after the end of the hostilities . Commonwealth forces administered occupation zones in Japan , Germany and Austria until 1955 . World War II confirmed that Britain was no longer the great power it had once been , and that it had been surpassed by the United States on the world stage . Canada , Australia and New Zealand moved within the orbit of the United States . The image of imperial strength in Asia had been shattered by the Japanese attacks , and British prestige there was irreversibly damaged . The price for India 's entry to the war had been effectively a guarantee for independence , which came within two years of the end of the war , relieving Britain of its most populous and valuable colony . The deployment of 150,000 Africans overseas from British colonies , and the stationing of white troops in Africa itself led to revised perceptions of the Empire in Africa .
Most of the military administrations under the Empire were handed over to other colonial or local authorities. The Empire was surpassed by the United States on the world stage and lost Canada , Australia and New Zealand, which all followed the United States. The strength of the Empire in Asia was damaged after the Japanese attacks and after India gained its independence. The deployment of Africans overseas and the stationing of white troops in Africa led to revised perceptions of the Empire in Africa.
By the end of the war in August 1945 , British Commonwealth forces were responsible for the civil and / or military administration of a number of non-Commonwealth territories , occupied during the war , including Eritrea , Libya , Madagascar , Iran , Iraq , Lebanon , Italian Somaliland , Syria , Thailand and portions of Germany , Austria and Japan . Most of these military administrations were handed over to old European colonial authorities or to new local authorities soon after the end of the hostilities . World War II confirmed that Britain was no longer the great power it had once been , and that it had been surpassed by the United States on the world stage . Canada , Australia and New Zealand moved within the orbit of the United States . The image of imperial strength in Asia had been shattered by the Japanese attacks , and British prestige there was irreversibly damaged . The price for India 's entry to the war had been effectively a guarantee for independence , which came within two years of the end of the war , relieving Britain of its most populous and valuable colony . The deployment of 150,000 Africans overseas from British colonies , and the stationing of white troops in Africa itself led to revised perceptions of the Empire in Africa .