ME - The Impact of Scots on the Empire Flashcards
Impact on Canadas economy and enterprise
- Scots were very important for the Canadian economy, especially in development of trade in furs and timber and additionally in agriculture. They additionally were involved in banking and the development of the Canadian railway network. Furthermore, some industries were wholly dependent on and run by Scots, such as the paper industry. By the 1920s, one quarter of Canada’s business leaders were born in Scotland, and 25% had Scottish-Born fathers.
- In 1830 the fur trade became increasingly important, coming to being the most important trade that Scots were involved in. The fur trade in Canada is associated with Hudson Bay company. The Hudson’s Bay company recruited primarily around the Western Northern Isles of Scotland. These recruits would work for the company to pay off debts built up in Scotland before returning home.
- Working and bringing their skills - especially in Canadas growing hard industry - Many Glasgow engineering firms, engine building works in Mother well began emigrating to Canada. This caused the engineering industry to begin to develop in Montreal.
- Helping building infrastructures
Impact on Canadas railway
- The Scots had a huge influence on industrial development, one example of this would be the Scots action in the Canadian Pacific railway. This support was initially from John A. MacDonald, the first Prime Minister of Canada, and also Scot born from Glasgow. He served for a total of 18 years. He believed that building a railway would unite the vas territories of the country.
Impact on Canadas education
- While the first lead of the Canadian education system was taken by the church as Bishop MacEachern formed a college. The Presbyterian Scots were also heavily involved. Thomas McCulloch, a Presbyterian Scot, was the first principal of Pictou Academy in Nova Scotia, the curriculum was based on those at Glasgow University.
Furthermore, another example is the McGill university, founded in 1821 with money from the estate of James McGill, a merchant and politician from Glasgow. The first principle was a Scot.
Scots also influenced the development of curriculum. Scottish universities had a broad curriculum that was interested in practical subjects. This meant that William Brydone Jack, a Scottish graduate from St. Andrews University, arrived as principal of King’s College in Fredericton, Canada, he introduced more practical subjects. This caused King’s College to be the first Canadian university to offer an Engineering degree in 1854.
Grace Annie Lockhart, child of Scottish emigrants, was the first woman anywhere in the Empire to graduate from university when she did so in 1875.
Impact on Canadas politics
- In Politics Sir John Alexander MacDonald was very influential. He was born in Glasgow and migrated to Canada.
He became Premier of Canada West, before Canada had its own government, He then went on to be elected as Canada’s first Prime Minister in 1867, founded the Canadian Mounted Police and the Canadian Pacific Railway.
MacDonald is widely seen as one of the most important men in the history of Canada and served a total of 18 years as prime minister.
But he is an incredibly controversial figure with critics highlighting his role in the destruction of traditional Native Societies especially the creation of racist Native schools which separated children from their families and whose prime role was the removal of traditional native culture.
Another Scottish emigrant, William Lyon Mackenzie, led a rebellion against the provisional Canadian government. He is seen as the head of Canadian radicalism in the 19th century.
Impact on Canadas culture
There is the Canadian black watch which is modelled by the Scottish regime.
Scots had a massive impact on culture, such as literature which was influenced by Robert Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson and Sir Walter Scott. The Scots influence on education meant that Canada embraced ceilidhs, bagpipes, tartan, the fiddle and curling. Scots also introduced Highland Games.
Impact on Indias Government and civil service
- Britain had a large role to play in India’s government, such as with the creation of the Honourable East India Trading company which was founded in 1708, in 1784 the British government began to take an interest in this company and established a ‘Board of control’ in London, overseeing the East India company
Impact on Indias politics (Dalhousie)
Dalhousie was made Governor General of India in 1848, he was somewhat controversial as he stole a lot of Indian land and stated ‘lapse and annexation’ which meant if the ruling Indian king of a province/state did not have a natural heir the British took over their land. However, Dalhousie also encouraged a national postal service, development of schools, roads and irrigation. This helped modernise and unify India. He served until 1856, during this time he developed a plan to build railway lines to connect the main regions of India.
Dalhousie banned the practice of Suttee. Suttee was the Hindu practice where a widow would voluntarily (or forced to do so) on the funeral pyre of her husband.
Dalhousie bans the practice of thuggee. Thuggee is a term used for an organised cult of killers in India who would kill travellers, Dalhousie stopped this practice and hung over 500 Thugs between 1830 and 1841.
Dalhousie and other administrative like him believed India and their culture was inferior and claimed their practices to be savage.
The role of Scottish soldiers in Crushing the Indian Mutiny
The mutiny takes place in 1857, the Indian Mutiny is also known as the First Indian War of Independence. This meant that Indian troops serving in the East India Company army rebelled. Due to the dislike of the British ruling and fear of conversion to Christianity. Sir Colin Campbell led the fight against the Indian Mutiny.
During July of 1857, British inhabitants of Cawnpore surrendered to Indian mutineers after a siege. The 78th and 84th Highland regiments then recaptured the town of Cawnpore. Soldiers looking for the British residents found most of the men having been massacred and 120 British children and women had been hacked to death with meat cleavers in a small room.
Impact of Scots on Indian economy
The Scottish middle classes played a massive role in the fortunes of the British empire. Scots had established a tradition of imperial service. They made a fortune working with the Indian Government.
An example of this is Andrew Yule, he arrived in India 1857-8. Initially, he made a fortune in the tea industry. One of his first companies was the Hoolungpooree Tea Company. He later expanded into the cloth and insurance companies. Then expanded further in 1875 into the Jute industry. He retired to Britain in 1888 being one of the richest men in Britain.
Impact on Indias culture, education and religion
Many Scots would move to India to become missionaries of Christianity. A missionary is someone who tries to convert people to their religion. Most Scottish missionaries wanted to educate the Indians, as they believed they could educate the Indians on the bible and the word of god.
One example is the Reverend Alexander Duff. He arrived in India from Scotland in 1830 on a Church of Scotland mission. He opened an educational establishment which taught English. This led to him having a great influence in the 1854 proposal to establish universities in Calcutta. Additionally, he also set up a number of girls’ schools in India, which is one of the first times that a girls education was prioritised.
Another example is John Wilson. E set up an educational institution in 1832 and was known as the Ambrolie English School. It is now known as Wilson College. It is the oldest college in Bombay (now known as Mumbai).
The impact of Scots on New Zealands native people
Scots had a big impact on Maori people in New Zealand. The Maori people are the descendents of Polynesian settlers from South-East Asia. To begin with, Scots had a good relationship with Maori. The Maori even helped Scots survive the harsh winters, according to some evidence. However, Scots began taking land from the Maori. The Treaty of Waitangi gave the British the right to rule New Zealand, in return the British promised to protect the rights of Maori people and their land.
Problems arose though as demand for land increased.
The relationship soured when Scots continued to take land and clear the trees.
Conflict broke out in 1872.
Impact on New Zealands education, culture and religion.
In 1872 the Scottish Education Act was passed. This made education compulsory for all Children in Scotland between the ages of 5 and 13, and it was provided for free. This system became the basis for New Zealand’s education system, introduced in 1877.
In Otago, a Scot called Learmonth Dalrymple was behind New Zealand’s first school for girls which opened in 1871.
In 1875 the first medical school in New Zealand opened up in Otago.
Impact on New Zealands economy
Lowland scots were very important to New Zealand’s economic development. Lowland Scots understood the institutions of capitalism and the value of investment for long-term gain. Examples include John Ross from Halkirk in the Highlands and Robert Glendinning from Fife who set up a wholesale drapery business in Dunedin in the 1860s.
Impact on Australias economy
Scots were a very important aspect in the development of farming in Australia. They particularly developed sheep farming. For example, George Russell originally from Fife, had was managing 8000 head of sheep and almost 300 cattle in Van Diemen’s Land (Modern day Tasmania)
Impact on Australias whaling, mining and brewing.
Additionally, they also had a large effect on the wine industry. Samuel McWilliam planted his first vines in New South Wales in 1877. His firm did well so he developed vine yards in six regions in three states.
Scots also helped develop the mining, manufacturing, shipping and engineering and finance industries.
Alexander Imlay from Aberdeen operated from Tasmania. This involvement in development can be seen from the 1840s in New South Wales and the coal mining developments around New Castle.
