Although Britain was a beacon of democracy in the twentieth century, it did not extend this principle to an empire that held sway over more people and territory than any previous world power. It suppressed independence movements in India and across the Middle East and Africa (though many of these movements’ members willingly fought for Britain during both World Wars).
尽管英国身为二十世纪民主世界的灯塔，它并没有把这一原则推广到比此前任何一个全球霸权领土更大、人口更多的整个大英帝国。它镇压印度、中东和非洲的独立运动（尽管这些运动的成员在两次世界大战期间都自愿为英国而战）。