God Save the Fuehrer

England had not perished with the rise of continental European countries as economic powers and competitors at the end of the 19th century. Yet the stars were not aligned favourably for the Empire. The island's share of world trade had been declining for decades, it did not have enough raw materials for its own economy, nor did it have enough inhabitants to end the economic rise of other countries with the help of military campaigns. How can it be explained that within 50 years the successful development of large empires petered out in wars and dictatorships and that England, even without a material basis, is still the global player it was a hundred years ago?