Abstract
The American War of Independence (1775-1783) is referred to as the end of the first British Empire and as an evolution of the management of the colonies. Britain realized that trade might continue to bring prosperity even in the absence of colonial rule (this contributed to the extension in the 1840s and 1850s of self governing colony status as for example Canada and Australia). The old fashioned mercantilism is replaced by the laissez-faire liberalism of Adam Smith. Moreover, political changes of the management of colonies drove to social reforms too. This period around the 19th century is called: the "New Imperialism". I will divide my presentation into three parts: firstly, India and despotism; then, the nineteenth century changes; and finally, the "New Imperialism".
