Expansion of empire and trade and the changing structure of society Flashcards
where was the empire expanding rapidly and what did this lead to
- expanded rapidly in India, Africa, North American and the Caribbean
- led to increasing levels of overseas trade
how was the East India Company important
- it was very profitable
- grew in importance after the restoration as Charles II allowed it to annex territory to protect its trading interests
what did the expansion in trade lead to
- growth of the merchant class
- growing number of merchants became very wealthy through the trade of lucrative foreign commodities
what did the growth of the merchant class lead to
- resulted in the growth of the professional class to service the needs of the merchants
- e.g lawyers, doctors and teachers
what did the growing taste for consumable goods, such as coffee, tea and sugar lead to and what did it serve as
- led to a coffeehouse boom during the restoration era
- coffeehouses served as meeting places to read newspapers, discuss current affairs, politics and new ideas
what did the public becoming more politically engaged lead to
led to the foundation for the ‘rage party’ in the late 17th century
how did the gentry, merchant and professional classes become increasingly interlinked
- merchant families intermarried with members of the gentry
- number of grammar schools increased and so did the number of young men seeking legal education
what class do historians argue experienced a significant decline
the nobility/ peerage/ aristocracy class experienced a significant decline
how was inflation beneficial to some nobility
- power of the nobility was based on their major landholding
- influence of the nobility was linked to food prices and rent rates
- so, as large landowners, the nobility benefitted from the long period of inflation as food and rent prices increased
how was inflation disadvantageous to the nobility
- not always did the nobility have large annual incomes
- fortunes of several noble families had declined over time, with some having an annual income of as little as £200 per year
why was the social position for some noble families a financial disadvantage
- due to the inheritance as great estates which often came with trouble as its standards of expenditure were too much for the income of the family
- the demands of a new world of luxury and fashion were expensive
- wealth of some nobility was locked up in frozen assets
what war helped with the gradual relative decline in the power of nobility
the civil wars
by who was the economic power of the nobility challenged by
by the merchant classes
by how much did the gentry flourish while the nobility declined
- the gentry had a 300% increase in their numbers between 1550-1650
- they became the largest social group attending universities and the Inns of courts
in what area did the gentry become increasingly educated in and how did it benefit them
- the gentry became increasingly educated in terms of farming techniques
- they were proactive in improving the quality of their land through methods such as improving drainage
- by maximising their profits the land, they increasingly invested in the growing industrial and trade sectors
