<span>Imperialism as had happened with Great Britain in the past was not a factor in the modern world.</span>
The given statement is an example of a phrase, specifically, a participial phrase. The element that is necessary to complete the sentence is an independent clause. A participial phrase consists of words with the -ing or -en form plus its modifiers. This kind of phrase always functions as an adjective. The phrase "Beginning in the fall of 1957" is describing a certain noun, which is found in the independent clause.
