Imperialist Ideals 1914-47

Question 1

What was the Empire Marketing Board, and when was it set up?

Answer 1

1) Est. 1926.
2) Aimed to promote the consumption of imperial goods in Britain through advertising campaigns, often using racist and chauvinistic tones, and crediting Britain for the economic and moral improvements of the colonies.

Question 2

What was the role of Leo Amery in 1926?

Answer 2

The Secretary of State for Colonies and Dominions.

Question 3

Why did the Empire Marketing Board become more active in the 1930s?

Answer 3

Following the Great Depression, international trade plummeted, and the importance of the Empire to the British economy became apparent.

Question 4

What were the details of the Wembley exhibition (date, attendance, purpose, cost and 3 features )?

Answer 4

1) 1924-25.
2) £2.2 million cost - half paid by the government.
3) Around 26 million visitors (17 mil in 1924, 9 mil in 1925).
4) Aimed to give visitors an experience of the Empire in miniature.
5) Included a fun fair, the permanent erection of Wembley Stadium, and the showcasing of people from around the Empire in ‘ethnic villages’ to show the traditional lives/crafts of pre-colonial peoples.

Question 5

What were the details of the Glasgow exhibition (date, attendance, purpose)?

Answer 5

1) 1938.
2) 12 million attendees.
3) Aimed to promote Empire, and boost the Scottish economy after the Great Depression.

Question 6

Who was John Reith (3)?

Answer 6

1) The first Director-General of the BBC (1927-38).
2) A Conservative Politician (from 1940) with strong moral and religious beliefs.
3) He saw the BBC as a means of mass education and a vehicle for the promotion of Empire.

Question 7

When was the BBC established?

Answer 7

1923.

Question 8

How did the BBC promote Empire 1914-47 (2)?

Answer 8

1) Covered as many imperial events/exhibitions/celebrations as possible, with a pro-imperial stance.
2) Christmas broadcasts (from 1932), including the King’s speech and various items from the Empire.

Question 9

What was the significance of Empire in education (1914-47) (4)?

Answer 9

1) Empire became a focal point for Geography, History, and Literature syllabuses.
2) Focused on the poetry/writing of pro-imperialist writers, such as Rudyard Kipling.
3) The study of Empire was established at universities (Imperial History) with professorships in Imperial History being created (1932).
4) Universities were important in the training of colonial servants, e.g. London University’s School of African and Oriental Studies (est. 1917).

Question 10

How was Empire promoted in entertainment 1914-47 (2)?

Answer 10

1) Children’s literature celebrated Empire, with G.A. Henty remaining a popular author.
2) Films, like ‘Sanders of the River’ (1935), or ‘The Four Feathers’ (1939), promoted Empire as an exotic place of adventure, excitement, and bravery.

Question 11

How significant was music in the promotion of Empire in the interwar years (2)?

Answer 11

1) Composers continued to vaunt the imperial theme following WW1, with Edward Elgar conducting mass choirs of ‘Land of Hope and Glory’, and making new music ‘Pageant of Empire’ and ‘Empire March’, before his death in 1934.
2) Noel Coward’s ‘Mad Dogs and Englishmen’ 1931, was self-mocking of British ideals towards themselves and Empire.

Question 12

What was the Co-operative Wholesale Society (CWS)?

Answer 12

A supplier of retail shops, procuring many supplies (tea, sugar, meat, wheat, etc.) from around the world by the early 20th century. It had a strong presence in the Empire.

Question 13

How did private companies promote Empire 1914-47 (1)?

Answer 13

Private companies used imperial motifs to promote products, celebrating imperial links in their advertising. E.g. the CWS’s supply of tea featured collectable cards illustrating places in the Empire.

Question 14

How did informal links between people help promote Empire 1914-47 (3)?

Answer 14

1) Relatives who had emigrated across Empire (especially Australia) retold stories.
2) Former missionaries spoke in Church about their experiences in Empire.
3) Relatives who had served in the army/navy spoke about their experiences in Empire.

Question 15

How did the imperial message change following the First World War (2)?

Answer 15

1) Following the horrors of WW1, explicit jingoism lost its attraction. This led to Empire being presented as a family of nations (led by the British), a place of peace and cooperation.
2) The British were still portrayed as superior and beneficent, and non-European cultures as exotic and primitive.

Question 16

What was Empire Day (date, location, purpose, how was it celebrated)?

Answer 16

1) Celebrated on 24th May - Queen Victoria’s birthday.
2) Celebrated across the Empire, not just in Britain.
3) Aimed to create the sense of a family of nations, owing allegiance to the same monarch.
4) Participants would wear their national dress or costumes representing a colony, parading and celebrating.

Question 17

How did the imperial message change following the outbreak of WW2, and how was the new message promoted?

Answer 17

Positive images of Empire were promoted, due to the Empire/Commonwealth’s importance to the war effort. Ministry of Information films, such as ‘49th parallel’ and ‘West Indies Calling’ emphasised the need for tolerance and understanding of other ethnicities.

Question 18

How was the Empire linked to ‘imperial masculinity’ (4)?

Answer 18

1) Empire was a seen as a male enterprise, with those men who ruled empire expected to embody the ‘superiority’ of the British through bravery, selflessness, authority, a lack of emotion, and rationality.
2) The idea of ‘keeping a stiff upper lip’ in the face of danger (popularised in the 1870s) embodied the spirit of an imperial man.
3) Gendered expectations portrayed in literature, cinema, advertising, and education.
4) Men from the colonies ruled by the British were portrayed as effeminate.

Question 19

What was the extent of imperialist ideals within Britain (1914-47) (3)?

Answer 19

1) The great deal of pro-imperial propaganda potentially suggests that few took an interest in it.
2) Imperialist ideals varied between classes, e.g. the upper class likely held greater interest than the working class.
3) The Empire had a profound impact on British life, identity, and culture.