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AQA History A Level British Empire > 1.3 - Trade and Commerce > Flashcards

1.3 - Trade and Commerce Flashcards

1
Q

What is trade?

A

The buying and selling of goods e.g. raw materials

Trade is a fundamental economic activity that includes various forms of exchanging goods and services.

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2
Q

Define commerce.

A

Activities that help facilitate the exchange of goods from products or manufacture to markets.

Commerce includes transporting, banking, insurance, and warehousing.

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3
Q

What is mercantilism?

A

A system of regulations governing trade whereby colonies had been obliged to send most of their produce to Britain.

It involved buying British manufactured goods and using British ships for imports and exports.

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4
Q

What is free trade?

A

Trade left to its natural course without tariffs, quotas, or other restrictions.

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5
Q

Why did free trade come to dominate economic thinking in the 19th century?

A

Mercantilism was dismantled under the influence of new theories of ‘free trade’ advocated by Adam Smith.

Smith argued that wealth was indefinitely expandable and freedom from commercial restrictions maximized prosperity.

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6
Q

What role did Britain play in promoting free trade?

A

Britain was the world’s foremost trading nation, actively supporting free trade agreements and using threats to achieve them.

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7
Q

What were the consequences of free trade for British colonies?

A

Trading patterns became well established; borrowing in London capital markets was cheaper; free trade saw imperial trade and investment grow.

Approximately 20% of foodstuffs and raw materials came from British colonies.

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8
Q

What technological improvements supported the growth in trade?

A

Innovation in banking, shipbuilding, telegraph lines, railways, and refrigeration.

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9
Q

What was the impact of steamships on trade?

A

Steamships increased cargo capacity, could travel faster, and extended Britain’s reach into previously inaccessible countries.

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10
Q

What was the significance of railways in the British Empire?

A

Railways ensured British control and opened new areas for economic development.

They linked production areas to markets and were a major investment in self-governing colonies.

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11
Q

How did canals support trade?

A

Canals provided important means of transport for trading purposes and were developed to avoid hazardous stretches of water.

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12
Q

What agricultural goods did Britain import from its colonies?

A

Cheap foodstuffs and raw materials such as wool, sugar, coffee, cocoa, and palm oil.

Tropical colonies produced goods not available in Britain.

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13
Q

What mineral goods were sourced from British colonies?

A

Tin, gold, diamonds, copper, coal.

Gold deposits in South Africa prompted a gold rush, increasing British ambitions in the area.

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14
Q

Fill in the blank: In 1886, gold deposits were found in ______, prompting a gold rush.

A

Transvaal

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15
Q

True or False: Free trade led to the establishment of London’s financial capital.

A

True

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16
Q

What percentage of British exports went to its Empire?

A

Approximately 1/3

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17
Q

What did the introduction of railways in India achieve?

A

Linked cotton and jute growing areas to mills and enabled rice exports.

Railways were built for strategic purposes.

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18
Q

What was the role of British possessions in capital markets?

A

Borrowing in London capital markets was cheaper because British possessions were trusted.

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19
Q

What percentage of all imports came from colonies between 1850-1875?

A

20%

The Empire provided raw materials and foodstuffs needed by British industries.

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20
Q

What fraction of all exports went to the colonies between 1850-1875?

A

1/3

The Empire provided markets for British industries.

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21
Q

Which country was essential to Britain’s economy?

A

India

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22
Q

What valuable resources did tropical African colonies provide?

A

Agricultural materials, foodstuffs, and minerals

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23
Q

What high-profit goods were produced in tropical colonies?

A

Cocoa and coffee

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24
Q

What was the increase in value of British imports of raw cotton from India from 1854 to 1876?

A

From £1.6 million to £5.8 million

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25
Q

What types of precious materials were mined that brought wealth to Britain?

A

Gold and diamonds

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26
Q

True or False: Trade outside the Empire was less significant than trade within it.

A

False

Trade outside the Empire was far greater than trade inside it.

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27
Q

What preference did Britain reject at the 1887 Colonial Conference?

A

Trading preference for its colonies

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28
Q

Which self-governing colony introduced tariffs to protect its industry against British manufactures?

A

Canada

29
Q

Fill in the blank: Britain was the world’s leading source of _______.

A

Technology and capital

30
Q

What was one immediate impact of imperial free trade on indigenous manufacturing?

A

Collapse of local industries

31
Q

What did Britain not invest in to limit competition?

A

Other manufacturing industries

32
Q

What was the British Navy’s status in the 19th century?

A

The biggest in the world

33
Q

What did the growing number of smaller ships allow Britain to do?

A

Penetrate coastal areas previously inaccessible

34
Q

What military actions did the British Navy enable to protect British interests?

A

Naval bombardments, seizure of ships, land raids, punitive expeditions

35
Q

What was the concern regarding naval power in the 1880s?

A

Growing concern about naval weakness

36
Q

What significant program began in 1889 to address naval weaknesses?

A

A large shipbuilding programme

37
Q

What are Chartered Companies?

A

Commercial organisations granted privileges by the government

38
Q

What did chartered companies often have that prevented competition?

A

Monopolies

39
Q

What led to the decline of chartered companies in the 1850s?

A

The advent of free trade and the Indian mutiny

40
Q

What economic challenges did Britain face in the 1870s that revived the idea of Chartered Companies?

A

European and American industrialisation and economic depression

41
Q

What was the purpose of the Imperial Federation League founded in 1884?

A

To promote colonial unity and support for Chartered Companies

42
Q

What company received a charter in 1881 to administer North Borneo?

A

North Borneo Trading Company (NBTC)

The company was instrumental in the administration and development of the territory.

43
Q

What natural resources were found in North Borneo that benefitted the NBTC?

A

Coal, iron, copper, coffee, and tobacco

These resources were crucial for trade and economic development.

44
Q

Why was North Borneo strategically important for Britain?

A

It was a key site in the South China Sea and a midpoint between India and Hong Kong

45
Q

Who were the main figures associated with the North Borneo Trading Company?

A

Alfred and Edward Dent

46
Q

What military group did the NBTC use to establish control in the area?

A

Sikh soldiers

47
Q

What significant changes did the NBTC implement in Borneo?

A

Removed slavery and built railways

48
Q

What happened to Borneo during WWII, and how did Britain respond?

A

Borneo suffered badly, leading Britain to take over to fund repairs

49
Q

What was the original name of the Royal Niger Company?

A

United Africa Company

50
Q

Who founded the Royal Niger Company and when was its charter granted?

A

George Goldie; charter granted in 1886

51
Q

What was the main area of interest for the Royal Niger Company?

A

Niger River basin in West Africa

52
Q

What were the primary trade goods for the Royal Niger Company?

A

Palm oil and cocoa

53
Q

How many treaties did the Royal Niger Company make with local chiefs?

A

Over 400 treaties

54
Q

True or False: The Royal Niger Company eliminated competing firms by introducing large tariffs and licensing fees.

A

True

55
Q

What was the fate of the Royal Niger Company’s charter?

A

Revoked in 1900

56
Q

What was the Imperial British East Africa Company’s charter response to?

A

Growing German interest in East Africa

57
Q

Who founded the Imperial British East Africa Company?

A

William Mackinnon

58
Q

What were the primary areas of interest for the Imperial British East Africa Company?

A

Uganda, Kenya, and Zanzibar

59
Q

What was the Imperial British East Africa Company’s aim regarding local chiefs?

A

To build trade and open new markets

60
Q

Fill in the blank: The Imperial British East Africa Company made plans to build a _____ to improve trade.

A

railway

61
Q

What year was the charter of the Imperial British East Africa Company revoked?

A

1894

62
Q

What prompted the formation of the British South Africa Company?

A

Success of the Royal Niger Company and desire for mineral wealth

63
Q

Who was the influential figure behind the British South Africa Company?

A

Cecil Rhodes

64
Q

What areas did the British South Africa Company primarily focus on?

A

Lands north of the Cape Colony and the Boer republic of the Transvaal

65
Q

What resources did the British South Africa Company hope to mine?

A

Gold, diamonds, coal, copper, and iron ore

66
Q

What military action did the British South Africa Company take to secure interests?

A

A ‘Pioneer Column’ marched into native lands

67
Q

What significant deal did Rhodes make in 1888?

A

Mining rights deal with King Lobengula

68
Q

What was the outcome of the Battle of Shangani River?

A

Establishment of British dominance

69
Q

Fill in the blank: The areas seized by the British South Africa Company eventually became the colony of _____

A

Rhodesia (Zimbabwe)

AQA History A Level British Empire (8 decks)

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