You might be interested in past posts on this topic:

• How did Great Britain, a relatively small, resourceless island nation, grow to be one of the most powerful nations in the world?
  ^(14 Jan 2015 | 3 comments)
  ^In ^(this answer)^(, /u/elos_ explains GB's rise in the 17^th century.)
  ^In ^(this answer)^(, /u/Bakuraptor summarizes the topic and links to various past posts on it.)

• How did England/Great Britain go from a small island nation to a world-spanning empire in 200 years?
  ^(22 Dec 2015 | 3 comments)
  ^(/u/TedeKiel describes the topic with a focus on the 19^th and 20^th centuries.)

If you have followup questions, feel free to comment with them directed towards specific users using username mentions.