How has English become the lingua Franca of much of the world?

Answer:
The British Empire was the largest Empire the world has ever known. What they did was snap-up all the undeveloped places and impose their culture on it. This included the English language.
First answer by Wolfgang schwartzschild. Last edit by Wolfgang schwartzschild. Contributor trust: 533 [recommend contributor recommended]. Question popularity: 2 [recommend question].