18th And 19th Century Britain

Question 1

How did industrial revolution impact towns and cities?

Answer 1

-Cities like Bradford and Manchester grew rapidly
-The number of people living in towns grew from 5,000,000 in 1700 to 32,500,000 in 1900
-This was because of the rapid growth of work available in factories as a result of industrialisation

Question 2

What was the impact of the industrial revolution on transport links?

Answer 2

-Transport links involving roads, canals, and railways were improved
-It became easier and quicker to move raw materials to factories and goods to docks
-The new docks in Liverpool, London, Glasgow, Hull, and Bristol, were the busiest in the world as trade links grew and developed

Question 3

What was the impact of the industrial revolution on government?

Answer 3

-Demands from towns and cities allowed for wider representation in Parliament
-By the end of the century, middle class and working class were able to vote
-Laws passed helped remove the transatlantic slave trade and slavery
-People felt freer to express different attitudes to the ways in which society should be run and to demand their civil liberties

Question 4

What was the impact of the industrial revolution on agriculture?

Answer 4

-Enclosure of fields meant that better crops were grown and high-quality meat and wool were produced
-This met the needs of the growing towns for more food, even though fewer people were needed to work the land

Question 5

What was the timeline of the British empire?

Answer 5

-1763: Canada became a British colony
-1783: American colonies became independent from Britain and its empire and formed the United States of America
-1788: Australia became a British colony
-1840: New Zealand became a British colony
-1858: The British government took control of India
-1881-: Britain gained colonies in Africa, from Cape town to Cairo
-1900: Britain rule one-fifth of the world’s land and a quarter of the world’s population by this date,
-Britain used its empire as source of raw materials and a market for its manufactured goods, which destroyed local industries like the Indian cotton industry

Question 6

What was the transatlantic slave trade and the British triangular trade?

Answer 6

-By 1750: Britain sold more black Africans into slavery in the Caribbean than any other European country
-3.5 Million black Africans were transported across the Atlantic in British ships.
-They were sold into slavery on sugar and cotton plantations in the Americas
-The ships were returned to Britain with cargoes of sugar, cotton, tobacco, and rum
-As enslaved people laboured in brutal conditions, slave trades became very rich, and reinvested into Britain

Question 7

Why did Irish migrants come to England?

Answer 7

-The whole of Ireland was part of Britain
-Ireland was mainly rural and the land poor quality
-Irish people usually crossed to England for a few weeks where they could earn more money than in Ireland
-In the 1840s and 50s they were hit with a terrible famine

Question 8

What were the experiences for Irish migrants in Britain?

Answer 8

-Tens of thousands migrated over
-They were fleeting poverty and starvation in search of a better life
-Liverpool and Glasgow were the nearest ports so were quicker and easier to reach, many Irish migrants settled in these cities
-Many migrants regarded England as a ‘stop-over’ on their way to America or Australia
-Hundreds couldn’t afford the next part of the journey, so stayed in Britain
-Rural occupations like weaving collapsed due to English competition

Question 9

Why did Indian migrants move to England? -1700-1900

Answer 9

-English families could have Indian servants come home with them to keep their jobs, normally these were ayahs
-Indians students migrated to study, many studied law
-Some Indian princes preferred the British way of rule
-The East Indian Company employed lascars from India, China, Malaya, Somalia, and Yemen to transport their goods, the working conditions were so poor, some resided on English ports

Question 10

What was the East India Company?

Answer 10

-Wa formed in 1600 to trade in the Indian ocean
-Eventually, it ran vast parts of India and had its own army and administrators
-From 1858, the British government ruled India in what was called the British raj

Question 11

Why did migrants come from Europe and the Russian empire?

Answer 11

-Jews: Came to join pre-existing communities, there was less persecution in England rather than in Russia even with anti-semitism in England
-Italians: Agriculture in Britain was prosperous compared to in Italy, Britain was peaceful and less dangerous due to war and outbreaks of typhus and cholera in Italy
-Germans: Britain had greater freedom for political thinkers to express and greater opportunities - it was free from government interference for skilled people, Britain was peaceful unlike the German states

Question 12

What were the experiences for Irish migrants in Britain?

Answer 12

-Most settled in Britain’s industrialising cities and took on labouring work as few had the skills for factory work
-Irish navvies/labourers dug canals and constructed railways, the work was hard, dirty and dangerous, many were killed, pushing their families into more poverty
-Irish migrants faced prejudice from English people as they were catholics and worked for lower wages than the English
-Some English believed the Irish ere all Fenians who ran bombing campaigns in London in the 1880s

Question 13

What were the experiences of European migrants?

Answer 13

-German migrants settled throughout Britain, but Italians settled in mainly London
-Some German engineers and scientists set up companies that became very successful like the Brunner-Mond from Liverpool
-Hundreds of Germans set up small businesses such as shops and restaurants
-Some Italians continued working as they had done in Italy, making tiles and ceramics or labouring on the roads, others developed new skills, such as making and selling ice cream or working as street musicians
-Because of their addition to the economy, the German and Italian migrants were usually well-regarded

Question 14

What were the experiences of Jewish migrants? In 1700-1900

Answer 14

-New Jewish migrants settled in established Jewish communities, where they were supported until they found work
-Many of the new Jews worked in the clothing industry
-New jews faced anti-semitism due to being different, some settled jews were afraid if more came there would be a large increase in anti-semitism and would ruin their carefully gained reputation
-Many English people thought their income was threatened due to the Jews willing to work more for less, the authority couldn’t do anything and the unions were furious as they spent so much time getting work schedules regulated

Question 15

What were the experiences of ayahs and lascars in Britain? In 1700-1900

Answer 15

-Many ayahs stayed with their families when they moved to England and found work with other families too
-Some ayahs were abandoned by their English employers and became destitute, a Christian charity set up a hostel for them and raised money for their passage back to India or found them work
-Some lascars were abandoned by their shipping companies when they reached port, but others decided to leave themselves
-Many lascars found work on the ports others became destitute, begging and stealing to stay alive, hostels were set up for them

Question 16

How did the media help to change social attitudes toward migrants?

Answer 16

-Newspapers publicised the judgement of Lord Justices Mansfield in 1772, when he said that slavery did not legally exist in England, this judgment delighted many black Africans in Britain as well as those against slavery, those who benefited from slavery were less happy
-Paul Reuter, a German migrant, started the London-based Reuters News Agency in 1851. It sold international news to British newspapers and made British people feel more close to the outside world
-Newspapers publicised the plight of Mary Seacole, a Jamaican nurse who was left for destitute after caring for soldiers during the Crimean war, a fund-raising gala was held and they raised a significant amount of money
-The rail network carried newspapers all over Britain, so what they printed was widely read

Question 17

What were the impact of migrants on politics and parliament?

Answer 17

-Black Africans, some of whom had been enslaved, like Olaudah Equiano, helped persuade the public and MPs that the slave trade should be abolished
-In 1807, Parliament voted to abolish the transatlantic slave trade, and in 1833, to abolish slavery in the British empire
-The ideas of German migrants Karl Marx, and Friedrich Englands had a significant impact on the way people believed society should be run, their communist manifesto outlined how industry and property should be owned and run by the community, which they believed would make society fairer
-Some migrants became involved with Chartism, a national movement that wanted working-class representation in Parliament.
-Feargus O’connor, an Irish Protestant edited the Northern Star, a radical newspaper that supported the Chartists
-William Cuffay, whose father was enslaved in the Caribbean, became chairman of the London Chartists
-Lionel de Rothschild became the first Jewish MP in 1956
-In 1829, Parliament passed the Catholic emancipation act that gave Catholics almost the same civil rights as everyone else, they still couldn’t attend university, gold public offices, or become monarch

Question 18

How did migrants impact trade and industry?

Answer 18

-Irish navvies, dug canals and constructed railways, which helped Britains economy become successful.
-In the 1880’s a rail network linked all the major cities, towns, and ports, transporting raw materials and finished goods
-Migrants owned and ran shops, banks and businesses, many did well and helped the economy grow, in 1884, a polish Jew called Michael Marks, owned a stall in Leeds market, by 1900, Marks & Spencer had shops in all Britain’s major towns
-Many migrants were employed in and helped some industries thrive, many European Jews worked in the clothing trade

Question 19

How did migrants impact the urban environment?

Answer 19

-Railways went into town and city centres
-Synagogues were built so Jews could worship in line with their own beliefs, by 1900, a small number of mosques had also been built for Muslims to worship

Question 20

How did migrants impact culture?

Answer 20

-Chinese, Indian, and Jewish restaurants and cafes added variety to people’s diets
-The music of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, the son of a black African father and his English wife, was enjoyed by many and helped to break down racial prejudice

Question 21

What was the growth of Liverpool?

Answer 21

-Liverpool faced the Atlantic ocean, so Liverpool merchants traded mainly with America, importing raw materials and exporting finished goods
-Raw cotton was Liverpool’s main import, it was needed to meet the demands of the growing number of spinning and weaving mills nearby, about 80% of Britains cotton import came from the USA, mostly through Liverpool
-In 1845, Liverpool docks handled 2.5 Million tons of goods, by the 1900s, the port had 7 miles of docks which handled 10.5 Million tons of goods, Liverpool was the second most profitable port in the world, second to London
-Steamships replaced sailing ships, they were faster, could carry more cargo and needed less skill to use
-Liverpool as very attractive to migrants as work was readily available

Question 22

How did the Irish community impact Liverpool?

Answer 22

-Irish navvies built the docks and thousands of migrants worked on them afterwards
-After the 1840s, Irish businesses opened, rich pubs gave advice and support to new arrivals
-By 1851, over 20% of the population of the city was Irish - 83,000 people, most of them lived in the poor, run-down districts of the city - areas where ideas flourished
-Irish people who felt ill were looked after by the Liverpool Workhouse Infirmary. In 1847, 60,000 people caught typhus, a disease associated with poor living conditions, huge sheds were used to isolate those with the disease and restrictions were put on Irish migrants coming to Liverpool, the disease was known as ‘Irish fever’ and sprung resentment from the English
-Most Irish migrants were Catholics. In 1870, there were 8 catholic parishes in the city. By 1916, there was 24
-Many people were prejudiced against the Irish and crime was often blames on them. In 1850, half of the 6,000 people brought before the magistrates were Irish

Question 23

How did Sailors impact Liverpool?

Answer 23

-Indian Sailors- Some carried on working as sailors for other shipping lines; others took what work they could find; and some set up lodging houses. Many married English women, which helped the settle, In 1890, a mosque was opened for the Muslim Indians
-Chinese Sailors- From the 1850s, Liverpool merchants began trading in silk and tea from Shanghai and Hong Kong. Chinese sailors stayed in Liverpool, setting up businesses, shops and cafes. They gained a reputation for hard work, soon, Liverpool had the largest Chinatown in Europe, many marred English women and became well known for the support they gave to their families
-African Sailors- Increasing trade wit Erica brought sailors to Liverpool, many were hired by shipping companies because they were willing to work for lower wages, and in worse conditions than other sailors

Question 24

What was living and working in the east end of London like for the Jewish?

Answer 24

-In the years after 1880, 150,000 Jews arrived in London, many had been travelling for weeks, desperate for safety, and were very weary
-Their journeys had been long and uncomfortable, they had brought with them only what they could carry
-Whitechapel and Spitalfields were areas where most of the Jews headed, there were already established Jewish communities - but living and working conditions were poor
-Jewish community leaders established a ‘shelter’ where migrants could stay for a maximum of 14 days, they were given two meals a day while they found other accommodation and work
-Many Jewish people found work in sweatshops, where they worked for long hours in poor conditions and little pay. They produced a variety of clothing from cheap to expensive
-The new migrants spoke little if any English, jewish leaders introduced a course for the English Language. This would help the new migrants integrate while also keeping their Jewish heritage
-The Jewish Free School was important in educating London’s Jewish children in their new way of life

Question 25

What were the sweatshops in London?

Answer 25

-There was lots of unemployment and the arrival of thousands of Jews created a tense situation
-Many English people living in London believed the Jews working in sweatshops took jobs from the
-Trade unions worked hard to establish basic working conditions, however, sweatshop owners ignored them and produced goods more cheaply than properly regulated factories
-All sweatshops were illegal, wherever they were run in England, the sweatshops in Whitechapel were owned by the Jews, which made it particularly difficult to shut them down, due to the owners only speaking Yiddish, which the police did not

Question 26

What was the racial tension in London towards the Jewish migrants?

Answer 26

-There was lots of violence so much in fact, police were afraid to patrol streets alone
-Parliament set up two committees of enquiry into anti-semitism
-When five women were murdered by a man under the nickname of ‘Jack the Ripper’, people blamed the Jews
-There was a suggestion that the knives of Jewish ritual slaughtered had been used, however this was not true
-Graffiti blaming Jewish people was found near the bloodstained apron belonging to one of the victims, the connection to the murder could not be proved
-Various witnesses testified that they had seen the women talking to ‘foreigners’ before they had been killed, but this was not verified
-The murderer was never caught and anti-Semitism continued to increase