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Britain 1906-57 History A level > 2. The State of the Economy > Flashcards

2. The State of the Economy Flashcards

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1
Q

How big was the population in the UK and Ireland in 1906?

A

43 million

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2
Q

Where was the textiles industry prominent in 1906?

A

Leeds, Bradford and Lancashire

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3
Q

Where was the coal mining industry prominent in 1906?

A

South Wales, Yorkshire and north-east

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4
Q

Where was shipbuilding prominent in 1906?

A

Liverpool, Glasgow, Belfast

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5
Q

Where was engineering prominent in 1906?

A

Birmingham and the West Midlands

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6
Q

Where was the steel industry prominent in 1906?

A

Sheffield

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7
Q

What were the new industries?

A

Chemicals, electricity and motorcars

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8
Q

What were the main staple industries?

A

Textiles, steel, coal, shipbuilding

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9
Q

What percentage of exports came from staple industries in 1913?

A

60%

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10
Q

How much of the world’s shipping did England own before 1914?

A

50% (1/2)

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11
Q

Why were some people not worried about Germany and the USA overtaking Britain economically?

A

Both Germany and the USA had considerable more access to raw materials. It would have been worrying if England was being taken over by countries who had similar amounts of resources to them, but they weren’t

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12
Q

How many tons of coal had been mined in 1870 as opposed to 1913?

A
  • 100 million tons in 1870
  • 287 million tons in 1913
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13
Q

How much of British exports were cotton goods?

A

Just over 1/4 before WW2

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14
Q

How much were new industries growing yearly compared to the overall growth rate

A
  • New industries growing by 3.8% annually
  • Overall growth rate at just over 2% annually
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15
Q

Between 1906 and 1914, how much of employment, national investment/income did farming account for?

A

10%

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16
Q

How many cars did Henry Ford make in 1913?

A

7310

17
Q

How many cars were made in total in 1913?

A

16,000

18
Q

Where did Henry Ford build a new factory?

A

Manchester (the leading UK producer)

19
Q

How much had people working in agriculture fallen between 1850 and 1913? Why?

A
  • 1850 - 2 million
  • 1913 - 1.4 million
  • Because of mechanisation/an increase in how much overseas produce Britain consumed
20
Q

What percentage of goods and services produced in Britain were sold abroad in 1914?

A

30%

21
Q

What percentage of the of the world’s trade did Britain have in 1914?

A

25% (though this was down from 40% in 1870)

22
Q

What were invisible exports? How important were they to Britain?

A
  • Exports of services like banking, insurance and lending/investing money
  • Vital to Britain’s economy, being world leader in banking, investment and insurance
  • London remains commercial centre of the world
  • Reliability of the Bank of England encourages many businesses to invest in British enterprises
23
Q

What percentage of Britain’s total national wealth was in overseas investments by 1913?

A

32%

24
Q

What was the late-Victorian recession?

A

Between 1870 and 1914, Britain was overtaken by Germany/USA in iron/steel output, its rate of industrial growth was less than the USA and its share of world exports declined

25
Q

What is a trade gap?

A
  • Imports growing faster than exports
26
Q

What was Britain’s lack of research?

A
  • Britain had been leading in cheap textiles and providing iron/steel to build railways and steamships. However, they weren’t investing anywhere near enough money in figuring out how to improve production of these goods. America invested much more time into it.
  • For example, in US/Germany, they made more efficient and effective ways to make iron. However, the British refused to adopt these methods.
  • Foreign observer says that the British steel industry was characterised by ‘pessimism and a lack of courage’
27
Q

Why was there a lack of innovation in Britain?

A
  • Industries were so much more established in Britain, with factory/plant equipment often less modern than other countries
  • Changing would be too expensive
28
Q

What percentage of coal was cut mechanically in Britain vs the US?

A
  • 8% in Britain in 1914
  • 25% in US in 1900
29
Q

How many people were employed in the mines for the most of 1913 and 1927? What did this show about the mines?

A
  • Over 1 million
  • Shows how Labour intensive it was
30
Q

How much did productivity fall between 1880 and 1914?

A

Around 20%

31
Q

How much bigger was the German chemical industry in 1913?

A

Twice the size of Britain’s (even though industrial output was only slightly higher)

32
Q

What percentage of artificial dyes were imported into Britain in 1913?

A

90% (British army used German dyes for their uniforms)

33
Q

When did electrification for tramways and factories start compared to the US?

A

Only began at the end of 1890 (ten years after America) + many cos producing electrical equipment came off of German/US companies

34
Q

What was a high wage vs low wage economy?

A
  • Americans introduced a high wage economy where workers were paid enough to buy goods produced. Ensured high demand/encouraged production
  • Britain had a low wage economy where only the rich/middle class could afford new manufactured goods. Domestic market remains quite small
35
Q

Why did the Liberal’s Free Trade policies come into question?

A
  • More competition meant that foreign traders had easy access to British markets and Britain couldn’t bargain with other countries to reduce tariffs
  • Germany/US both have tariffs to keep domestic market competition free
36
Q

What might imply that Britain was behind in education?

A
  • Both US and Prussia introduced primary education for all children in the early 19th century
  • Britain did this in stages between 1870 and 1881
  • They were behind Germany in science teaching in schools and unis
  • Fewer graduate engineers
37
Q

What proportion of wheat sold in Britain came from English farms before WW1?

A

Only about 1/4 of wheat sold

38
Q

What were the main problems in agriculture in the 1900s?

A
  • Foreign competition from steamships and railways meaning that grain started being sold more cheaply from North American farms
  • Refrigerated ships brought cheap meat from Australia, New Zealand, South America
39
Q

What were positive impacts of the British economy?

A
  • Staple industries still profitable
  • World trade expanding rapidly so overall Britain was selling goods in greater quantities than ever before
  • London still commercial centre of the world
  • World’s largest foreign investor from invisible earnings which compensated the growing trade gap
  • Home demand for meat remains strong. Census of 1911 shows increase in number of farmers

Britain 1906-57 History A level (8 decks)

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