Economy 1851-1885

Question 1

Farmers turned from pure arable to…

Answer 1

Mixed farming and specialised breeding

Question 2

How much were artificial fertilisers (such as Guano) worth by 1870?

Answer 2

£8 million

Question 3

Why were there large improvements in crop yields during the boom?

Answer 3

Problems of poor drainage were solved by the manufacture of clay pipes

Question 4

Why was there an increase in demand for food?

Answer 4

Population growth, rising prosperity, general rise in wages.

Question 5

How was the development of railways beneficial to farming?

Answer 5

Food could be transported quickly to growing towns, where there was an increasing market for fresh produce.

Question 6

Between what years was there an exceptional run of high yielding harvests?

Answer 6

1850-1873

Question 7

How much home consumption of wheat were farmers producing by the early 1870s?

Answer 7

50%

Question 8

How much home consumption of meat were farmers producing by the early 1870s?

Answer 8

90%

Question 9

Why were farmers able to live comfortably during the boom?

Answer 9

The rising prices of produce led to the expansion of farmhouses.

Question 10

What happened to the weather after 1873?

Answer 10

Wet, cold summers and poor harvests.

Question 11

How did the poor weather after 1873 impact farming?

Answer 11

Caused a severe depression, particularly in arable.

Question 12

What is arable?

Answer 12

Land fit or used for growing crops.

Question 13

By 1886, how much wheat consumed in Britain was imported from the USA?

Answer 13

2/3

Question 14

The development of c______ meant that meat could be imported from Argentina and Uraguay in tins

Answer 14

Canning

Question 15

Developments in methods of refrigeration meant that…

Answer 15

Perishable goods from Australia and New Zealand could be imported.

Question 16

Why did many farmers move to dairy farming during the agricultural decline?

Answer 16

It was not easily imported and could be transported quickly using railways.

Question 17

Why was Britain being the first industrial nation important for prosperity?

Answer 17

Outstripped other countries in establishing markets at home and abroad for its range of goods.

Question 18

What did Britain control which allowed travel to and from its colonies?

Answer 18

Vital sea routes

Question 19

What natural resources did Britain have a plentiful supply of?

Answer 19

Coal and iron ore

Question 20

What was the population of Britain in 1851?

Answer 20

27 million

Question 21

What was the population of Britain in 1881?

Answer 21

35 million

Question 22

What did Britain’s increasing population mean for the economic boom?

Answer 22

Provided a large workforce and an expanding home market.

Question 23

By what year had railways lined every major town and sea port in Britain?

Answer 23

1875

Question 24

How much money was Britain making from coal exports in 1851?

Answer 24

£2.3 million

Question 25

How much money was Britain making from coal exports in 1875?

Answer 25

£8.8 million

Question 26

What were many iron rail tracks replaced by between 1860-1870?

Answer 26

Steel rail tracks

Question 27

What did precision engineering lead to?

Answer 27

The production of more stock and locomotives, and the development of prosperous railway towns such as Crewe.

Question 28

In 1875, how many passengers were carried by train?

Answer 28

490 million

Question 29

What year did the Suez Canal open, and which countries did it connect to?

Answer 29

1869 - connected to India, China, Australia.

Question 30

Which industry accounted for 2/3 of Britain's exports in 1851?

Answer 30

Textile industry

Question 31

What were Britain's five staple industries?

Answer 31

Coal, Iron/Steel, Engineering, Shipbuilding, Textiles.

Question 32

By what percentage was Britain's economy growing each year thanks to trade?

Answer 32

2-3%

Question 33

How did international trade help Britain's relationships with other countries?

Answer 33

The dependence of nation upon nation promoted peace.

Question 34

What were Britain's two major rivals (USA and Prussia) occupied with during the boom?

Answer 34

The American Civil War and the German Unification Wars.

Question 35

What policy allowed individual entrepreneurs and businessmen to build up fortunes?

Answer 35

Free Trade

Question 36

Which countries had stronger home markets than Britain by the 1870s?

Answer 36

USA and Germany

Question 37

When did Germany introduce trade tariffs?

Answer 37

1879

Question 38

By the 1880s, what had Britain fallen behind in?

Answer 38

The latest technology and modern machinery.

Question 39

What did the decline of the railway boom mean for the demand in steel?

Answer 39

Demand for steel decreased, with a decline in manufacturing.

Question 40

During the decline, which industry was still bringing wealth?

Answer 40

Shipbuilding (e.g Tyneside AND Clydeside)

Question 41

Why were the USA and Germany rapidly developing?

Answer 41

Political stability, population expansion, natural resources.

Question 42

USA and Germany were able to exploit what resource better than Britain?

Answer 42

Steel

Question 43

How many years behind was Britain when it came to technical colleges during the decline?

Answer 43

10

Question 44

Britain bought what percentage of the world's meat exports during the decline?

Answer 44

50%

Question 45

How much of the total number of ships was represented by the British merchant fleet?

Answer 45

1/3

Question 46

How did Britain's balance of payments remain afloat during the decline?

Answer 46

Invisible exports and imports

Question 47

What are invisible exports and imports?

Answer 47

Services and things that can't be physically seen such as tourism

Question 48

London was still the world's main centre of what during the decline?

Answer 48

International banking, commerce and insurance.