IMPACTS OF EMPIRE Flashcards
attitudes, trade commerce, popular culture (ie books etc) (83 cards)
what was the 1900 khaki election
- a landslide election for the conservatives, displaying their intense electoral support (by using empire to catapult and catalyse their support)
- UPPER CLASS SUPPORT
*empire was a duty to bring stability and order to the world
features of propaganda and how did this portray empire, and give examples of this
- propaganda attempted to be inserted into everyday life
- propaganda attempted to unite society
- propaganda was mainly used after the 1880’s to display a sense of justification
- propaganda would emphasise the need for unity, which it claimed empire was doing on a global scale
- also glorifying empire, only portraying its positive impacts
example:
- for example, in the SBW, after the seige of Mafeking by the british, this action became a celebration in the UK
give the statistic for the decline in british goods being invested in empire
1860 - 49%
1929 - 36%
describe popular attitudes to empire pre-1875
- apathy and lack of care toward Empire in Britain
- the british government did not pursue intervention and were not committed to it
- empire was a burden / “millstone around our necks”
- felt disconnected from the average person because of such entrenched class struggles - no incentive to inquire
- lack of knowledge and portrayal of empire - it felt distant because people were not directly impacted by empire, and its minimal impact meant people were not proud of empire
- government did not promote empire and was not committed to its cause, which did not reflect onto the people
how many people were in poverty in london by 1900
1/3 of londoners in poverty
*key in displaying how the attention of the british government was elsewhere
- after 1902, there is an exponential spike in british domestic investment (ie education acts, free child meals 1906, NI act 1911 etc) - only when exposed do the british acc do something about it
how did empire benefit middle classes
1) literacy of middle class children - would boost pride in empire
- ie boys and girls own paper 1879 (bravery of soliders in imperial committments)
- membership of 500,000 increase from 1890-1914
2) activities related to empire
- 1883 - formation of the boys brigade for milirary training and reinforcing imperialist values
- the non-conformist boys brigade is established in the 1890s
political attitudes to empire of Disraeli and Gladstone post 1875
disraeli:
- more positive, optimistic attitude toward empire, supporting its justification of a civilising mission etc
- post 1870, he adopted a much more pro-imperialist stance
- portrays it as a DUTY to protect empire
- empire must expand to counter economic competition
- paints the liberals as failing to protect empire - prioritise care of empire)
gladstone:
- supports the existent empire, but is against needless expansion
- thought that disraeli was promoting jingoism
- supports a strong home government, and co-operation
- the more colonial relationships you have, the weaker you are
- feel that the empire undermines individual freedoms of the public in the UK (more emphasis on the individual)
political attitudes to empire before 1875
- a passive, non-interventionist approach, wanting to pacify empire and prevent needless expansion (influenced by a minimal-intervention government policy)
- the government felt disconnected from their empire
- they felt that empire was a burden to empire and a “millstone around our necks”
give the date and the PM at the time in South Africa:
- cape colony given self gov
- annexation of griqualand to cape colony
- annexation of transvaal
- first anglo-zulu war
- independence to transvaal
- zululand becomes a protectorate
- second boer war
cape colony given self gov = 1872 (gladstone)
- annexation of griqualand to cape colony = 1871 (gladstone)
- annexation of transvaal = 1877 (disraeli)
- first anglo-zulu war = 1879 (disraeli)
- independence to transvaal = 1881 (gladstone)
- zululand becomes a protectorate = 1887 (sailsbury)
- second boer war (sailsbury)
*conservatives = annexation, protectionist attitude etc
*liberals = much more power and autonomy given to colonies
describe the concept of national efficiency
- the concept of physical efficiency and needing a vigorous race (with the way todo so, being to implement social reforms)
- the idea of bringing a more productive british economy and imperial free trade to ensure that the British did not fall behind other powers
- wanting a more efficient economy to meet the demands of empire
- imperial committments made soliders weak, and britain relied therefore on colonial soliders, not british ones
- idea of preventing british decline
- aim to have a more productive military force and that stark conservatives were hindering a continuation of empire
name the different PMs from:
1868-1874
1874-1880
1880-1885
1885-1886
1886-1886
1886-1892
1892-1895
1895-1902
1868-1874 = gladstone
1874-1880 = disraeli
1880-1885 = gladstone
1885-1886 = sailsbury (conservative)
1886-1886 = gladstone (resigns over the irish home rule bill)
1886-1892 = sailsbury
1892-1894 = gladstone
1895-1902 = sailsbury
list off all the facts which come to mind when talking about lancashire cotton
- lancashire cotton production employed over 600,000 people
- 25% of the lancashire population worked in cotton mills
- lancashire cotton millionaries increase by 15 from 1850-1914
describe class dynamics in britain at this time from 1872-1914
- very separated society, purely based on class
- lower classes were completely disinterested in empire and what it represented, and therefore chose not to participate in such activities and not educate people about it (background)
- upper and middle classes were much more engaged with empire, and because material was purely focused and attracting them, it created a very insular and isolated society, whereby only educated people knew and interacted with empire (massive disparity)
- the public was living in ignorance to what was actually occurring in empire
- the upper classes and middle classes cared about empire because they directly benefitted from it
when was king george v coronated
1911
- coronated at crystal palace in london - EMPIRE FESTIVAL
- amplified ideas of empire + pride and extravagance
how many people did the midlothian campaign of gladstone attract
in total, around 87,000
- 5000 at the speech at Dalkeith
- attack imperial ambition
give the different categories of popular culture:
- art
- education
- literature
- media and the press
- propaganda
describe the evolution of national insuarance
following the Boer war, the government was fearful of this idea of national decline and a less productive nation
- they tried to implement a baseline welfare state, todo the bare minimum
- the National Insurance Act was implemented in 1911
give examples of britain starting to trade with more international bodies (3)
- 1896 - british trade was worth 700 million, only 183 million was to empire
- in 1894, britain imported 64 million hundred weight of wheat, 30m from the us, and only 3m from canada
- british investment doubled from 2 billion to 4 billion between 1900-1913, but investments were not all imperial focused
*british exports to non-empire countries was always higher than imports from non empire
how did empire impact industry
- empire placed more pressure on industry, expanding shipbuilding and expanding global trade links
- for example, soap and ginger beer businesses grew (ie lever hulme and lever brothers)
- this allowed for the concentration of wealth with individuals
describe the impact of empire on migration
- 16 million people emigrated from britain within a century, 3/4 of these people going to colonies
- it became a default for people to emigrate to empire, because people wanted to escape poverty
(increasing migration increased the demand and need for ships - increased employment prospects)
list some of the critics of the SBW and their impact of imperialism on britain
- hobson
- writer of the ‘imperialism’ book in 1902
- claimed imperial expansion was a capitalist plot, which enabled an elite
- claimed a motivation of the second boer war was to enable this elite - hobhouse
- launched the 1911 Fawcett Comission (looked into conditions on the SBW)
impact:
- triggered socialist anti-imperialism ideas
- led to a government inquiry into the conditions of concentration camps in the SBW – exposed bad conditions, and forced the expansion and construction of a welfare state in britain
- tarnished the glorified portrayal of imperialism in britain
impact of education on popular life in Britain, with examples
- uneven impact, typically depending on class
- mass influx of subjects from colonies going to school in Britain
- establish British education systems in India - ie Kipling - enhance empire abroad (further civilising mission)
- constant emphasis on empire (ABC for Baby Patriots 1899 = mary fraser armes
- 1902 = introduction of ‘empire day’
- 1908+1909 = Baden-Powell’s Boy Scout movement
give examples of educational initiatives in britain todo established in empire, or schooling etc
- ABC for Baby Patriots 1899 = mary fraser armes
- 1902 = introduction of ‘empire day’
- 1908+1909 = Baden-Powell’s Boy Scout movement
- 1903, a boy’s school in Panchami got teachers mostly from england
- entrance exams to Oxford and Cambridge focused on british imperialist ideas or amplified the grand nature of the british educational system
- Ahmed Khan formed the Muslim-Anglo-Oriental college in 1875
describe Gladstone’s Midlothian campaign, and what does this show
- Gladstone resigns in 1874 as leader of Liberal party, and returns in 1876
- he has a planned, political campaign to amplify his dissatisfaction with conservative government policy
- 1879 - he defends imperialist policies and defends the Zulus when speaking in Dalkeith, with 5000 people
- in 1880, the liberal leaders resign to allow Gladstone to become party PM, given he won his seat in Midlothian, and was adopted as a candidate in Leeds (displays extreme public support for his cause, and a focus on Empire at home)
what does this show:
- people want a reform of empire to focus on Britain and want drastic changes
- political focus on person, not politics - desperate for reform
- willingness to step down, recognition of the importance of the domestic sphere and changing colonial policies
- discontent with contemporary conservative policies and their interventionist approach in SA (ie Anglo-Zulu war)