What made the British Empire expansion so quick and violent in the 17th to 20th century? (Assuming it was)

It seems like in a short amount of time, they were able to conquer most of a continent (North America) multiple islands of another vast continent (Asia-pacific islands), parts of south America, India, Africa and parts of Europe. What made them so aggressive? They seem to have conquered a respectable portion of the world. Why was this expansion so quick?