Napoleonic Wars impact on economy

Question 1

why was the British economy protected during the wars?

Answer 1

the RN was key in protecting the merchant navy which allowed global trade to continue

Britain’s financial strength also proved influential

Question 2

how did the British fight an ‘economic’ battle with the French?

Answer 2

blockaded French ports for the entirety of the war
boarded neutral ships which may have been trading with the French

CUT OFF TRADE WITH THE FRENCH

Question 3

when was the Continental System introduced?

Answer 3

1807

Question 4

was the Continental System a failure?

Answer 4

YES
smugglers and neutral merchants continued to trade with Britain

French markets extremely suffered as they themselves relied heavily on British imports

Question 5

where did Britain open an export market in response to the Continental System?

Answer 5

Northern Europe

Question 6

when did Russia restart trade with the British?

Answer 6

from 1810

went against the Continental System (massive failure)

Question 7

when did Franc restart trade with Britain?

Answer 7

1813

Question 8

what were major British exports?

Answer 8

textiles from British mills

re-exports from British colonies in the Caribbean and India:
- tea
- coffee
- sugar
- cotton

Question 9

successes in Britain’s dealing with trade

Answer 9

carried on as usual

French wars had little impact

most countries could not survive without British imports

RN (convoy system) was too powerful and ensured that the seas were safe and secure for British merchants

British export markets flourished with an expanding empire

Question 10

failures in Britain’s dealing with trade

Answer 10

Britain’s response to the Continental System did lead to the War of 1812 with America

put further strain on the British economy

Question 11

where was Britain able to set up NEW export markets during the wars?

Answer 11

Spain
Portugal
Latin America

Question 12

how much of the workforce in Britain were fighting in the war?

Answer 12

1/6

Question 13

how did the British worker suffer during the war?

Answer 13

wages stagnated during the war

rising food prices majorly hurt the poorer population

men (the breadwinners) were not home so families struggled to survive

Question 14

what was the Speenhamland System?

Answer 14

system which determined relief dependent on the size of your family

larger family = more bread

Question 15

how much did the Napoleonic Wars cost Britain?

Answer 15

£1.6 billion

Question 16

what were the main costs of the war?

Answer 16

funding the RN and BA to fight the French

subsidising Britain’s allies to keep them fighting the French

Question 17

how did Britain get the money to fund to war?

Answer 17

BORROWING

largely reliant on credit from British banks

Question 18

in what ways was the government involved in generating money for the war?

Answer 18

prevented the legalisation of the minimum wage

graduated income tax in 1799

massive borrowing

Question 19

what was the effect of the wars on banking?

Answer 19

banking industry GREW in Britain

more government stock was put up for sale which meant a stock exchange developed in Britain

Question 20

stock market traders by 1812

Answer 20

726

Question 21

when was the London Stock Exchange set up?

Answer 21

1802

Question 22

how many banks by 1815?

Answer 22

over 600

Question 23

what was the role of Nathan Rothschild in the wars?

Answer 23

helped fund the debt and arrange loans

funded the British expedition into the Iberian Peninsula

Question 24

why did farmers benefit from the war?

Answer 24

higher wartime prices meant they were getting more money for their produce

Question 25

what farming revolution had taken place during the war?

Answer 25

the agrarian revolution

Question 26

what were the Corn Laws of 1815?

Answer 26

placed tariffs on cheaper international imports of grain in favour of domestic trade of grain increased price of food

Question 27

what economic system did Britain adopt?

Answer 27

Mercantalism maximise exports minimalise imports encouraged imperialism and colonialism

Question 28

what impact did the Agrarian revolution have on British agriculture?

Answer 28

farming was more efficient new technology introduced to improve farming

Question 29

examples of new technology used in agriculture

Answer 29

crop rotation selective breeding new machinery

Question 30

crop rotation

Answer 30

improved field fertility and ensured fields weren't left fallow

Question 31

selective breeding

Answer 31

allowed farmers to produce sheep and cows which produced more meat, wool and milk

Question 32

new machinery

Answer 32

lighter ploughs which needed less horses and men to use

Question 33

when was the Board of Agriculture set up?

Answer 33

1793

Question 34

what was the Board of Agriculture?

Answer 34

surveyed the farming across Britain promoted modernisation of agriculture

Question 35

what were Parliamentary Enclosure Acts?

Answer 35

when small farms were forcibly absorbed by larger farms

Question 36

how many Parliamentary Enclosure Acts by 1820?

Answer 36

3,000

Question 37

pros of Parliamentary Enclosure Acts

Answer 37

increased output as farms became more centralised and grew in size more richer farmers had more access to land which could be exploited by access to new technology MORE CULTIVATED LAND

Question 38

cons of Parliamentary Enclosure Acts

Answer 38

left many small farmers unemployed

Question 39

grain import decrease between 1807 and 1808

Answer 39

fallen by 100,000 tonnes

Question 40

what happened to the price of grain?

Answer 40

with imports too expensive, grain prices went up

Question 41

when were the poor harvests?

Answer 41

1809 and 1810

Question 42

was consumption of luxury goods affected?

Answer 42

not really imports from Empire and neutral nations were still occuring

Question 43

why was there an oak problem in Britain?

Answer 43

instead of planting oak trees, landowners were heavily investing in grain plantations instead led to a lack of oak in Britain oak was vital for the construction and repair of RN ships

Question 44

what tech was influential in the production of cotton?

Answer 44

Crompton's spinning mule powered looms

Question 45

by 1818 how many cotton mills in Britain?

Answer 45

337

Question 46

what impact did the war have on industry?

Answer 46

it STIMULATED it

Question 47

which countries did Britain begin exporting cotton to during the war?

Answer 47

Spain and Portugal

Question 48

why did the war boost the textile industry?

Answer 48

production of army uniforms

Question 49

examples of industrial technology developed during wars

Answer 49

industrial lathe 1797 improved power loom 1813

Question 50

what was significant about factories building sailing blocks?

Answer 50

first factories in the world to have mass-production lines

Question 51

why did the war boost the iron industry?

Answer 51

needed for cannons and guns

Question 52

Cyfartha iron works in 1787

Answer 52

500 tons of iron a year

Question 53

Cyfartha iron works in 1812

Answer 53

10,000 tons a year

Question 54

why did the war lead to many canals being built?

Answer 54

materials had to be moved around Britain and canals made this more efficient roads were slow and of low quality

Question 55

when was the steam-engine locomotive invented?

Answer 55

1802

Question 56

what were Martello Towers?

Answer 56

coastal defences which were built by the government to prevent an invasion major wartime construction project

Question 57

when was the London-Portsmouth telegraph line completed and how important was it?

Answer 57

1806 allowed communication between the Admiralty in London and the RN ships docked in Portsmouth

Question 58

what was Luddism?

Answer 58

many skilled workers started breaking machines that were taking their jobs

Question 59

how did the government deal with Luddism?

Answer 59

in 1812 it became a capital offence to break a machine

Question 60

how many Luddites hanged in 1813?

Answer 60

17