They were enemies in the Crimean War of the 1850s, and rivals in the Great Game for control of central Asia in the latter half of the 19th century. They allied again in World Wars I and II, although the Russian Revolution of 1917 strained relations.
Anglo-Russian War (1807–1812)
The term Great Game was used to describe the rivalry that occurred between Great Britain and Russia as their spheres of influence in Mughal India, Turkestan and Persia (Iran) moved the two powers closer to one another in South-Central Asia.
Crimean War, (October 1853–February 1856), war fought mainly on the Crimean Peninsula between the Russians and the British, French, and Ottoman Turkish, with support from January 1855 by the army of Sardinia-Piedmont.
We call it the Cold War, but in October 1962 the world seemed about to incinerate. The Soviet decision to install nuclear missiles in Cuba triggered a crisis with the United States that threatened a global holocaust.
These U.S. troops (below) were among some 13,000 Americans sent to Russia's Far North and Eastern Siberia in 1918 to fight both against -- and alongside -- Russians in one of history's strangest conflicts. U.S. troops (left) parade in front of allied Russian White Army fighters.
U.S.-Soviet Alliance, 1941–1945. Although relations between the Soviet Union and the United States had been strained in the years before World War II, the U.S.-Soviet alliance of 1941–1945 was marked by a great degree of cooperation and was essential to securing the defeat of Nazi Germany.
During February 1919, as the British fought defensively against attacking Bolshevik forces, the British decided to launch an offensive, aiming to capture extra territory from which locals could be conscripted. This would be the first significant action on the Murmansk front between the Allies and the Bolsheviks.
In 1942, around 100,000 British and Australian troops surrendered to Japan in Singapore despite having a much larger army. Japanese forces took advantage of good intel and poor command on the British side, securing an easy win in what would be remembered as one of the most humiliating defeats in British military ...
European Competition and the Colonies
In North America, Britain's greatest rival was France. While Britain controlled the 13 colonies on the Atlantic seaboard, France controlled a vast territory that extended from the St. Lawrence River to the Gulf of Mexico.
The British generally stood alone until the early 20th century, when it became friendly with the U.S. and made alliances with Japan, France and Russia. Germany was now the main antagonist.
What had started as a colonial rebellion became a world war in which Britain, the lion, faced four major adversaries: Spain, the spaniel; France, the rooster; the American colonies, the snake; and the Dutch Republic, the pug.
Between June 1941 and May 1945, Britain delivered to the USSR: 3,000+ Hurricane aircraft. 4,000+ other aircraft. 27 naval vessels.
Russia has been defeated in war on several occasions in the modern era.
The 2 sides were enemies long before they were allies in WWII. Relations had been bad since 1917 as Russia had become communist and the West had interfered to try and stop it. Russia had also not been allowed to join the League of Nations in the 1920s and things had got worse in the 1930s.
Italy wanted to gain the territory of Turkey and Africa but they didn't get what they wanted at end of WWI. Also, they were unhappy with the treaty of Versailles, they thought that injustice had been done to them. So it joined the side of Japan and Germany to get its territories back.
While Westerners tend to see the war through the lens of events such as D-Day or the Battle of Britain, it was a conflict largely won by the Soviet Union.
Japan won a convincing victory over Russia, becoming the first Asian power in modern times to defeat a European power.
However, the US was unable to get any significant victory in its wars abroad. America fought five major wars after 1945 including Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War, Iraq, and Afghanistan in addition to some minor wars in Somalia, Yemen, and Libya. Except for the Gulf War in 1991, America lost all other wars.
The Anglo-Portuguese Alliance is the oldest alliance based in known history that is still in force by politics. The Treaty of Windsor was signed on May 9, 1386 between the Kingdom of Portugal and the Kingdom of England, over 630 years ago, and is still active to this day.
Benedict Arnold, the American general during the Revolutionary War who betrayed his country and became synonymous with the word “traitor,” was born on January 14, 1741.
As prime minister (1940–45) during most of World War II, Winston Churchill rallied the British people and led the country from the brink of defeat to victory.
Our strategic allies include the United States, France and Germany and we have agreements with other nations, such as those belonging to the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) including Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
Along with Spain, France fought Britain both in Europe and overseas with land-based armies and naval forces, while Britain's ally Prussia sought territorial expansion in Europe and consolidation of its power.