2.9 Trade And Commerce

Question 1

What was the general assumption about the empire in 1890?

Answer 1

It made Britain wealthier and an expansion in empire would make Britain wealthier still

Question 2

Did Britain have a disproportionate amount of trade and investment in its own colonies?

Answer 2

Yes

India took 20% of total exports (worth about £150 million)-in return

Question 3

What were the main goods that India imported to Britain?

Answer 3

Raw cotton and tea

Question 4

What were the main exports from Australia and South Africa?

Answer 4

Wool and sugar

Question 5

What was the main imports from New Zealand?

Answer 5

Dairy produce and lamb

Question 6

What was the main imports from Canada?

Answer 6

Beef(10% of empire imports)
Flour(15% of empire imports)

Question 7

When was the imperial federation established and disbanded

Answer 7

Established 1883
Disbanded 1893

Question 8

What was the initial idea of the imperial federation league when it was founded in 1884?

Answer 8

To promote closer colonial ties

Question 9

What does the imperial federation league being disbanded imply?

Answer 9

Waning interest in the empire’s commercial importance

Question 10

In 1913 what % of imports were form the empire

Answer 10

24.9% empire
75.1% outside

Question 11

In 1913 what % of exports were form the empire

Answer 11

37.2% in empire
62.8% outside empire

Question 12

In 1913 Britain were increasing trade outside the empire, especially…

Answer 12

The USA

Question 13

British wheat imports from outside and inside empire in 1894?

Answer 13

64 million hundredweight of wheat
30.7 million form the USA
17.2 million from Russia
Only 3.6 million from Canada

Question 14

In 1896 what was the total race of the empire worth and what was the trade within the empire worth?

Answer 14

Total trade:£745 million
Empire trade: £183 million

Question 15

In 1897 the whole of tropical Africa only took______ of British exports over the ensuing years

Answer 15

1.2%(colonies increasingly brought more from foreign nations rants than Britain

Question 16

What did anti imperialists argue about empire?

Answer 16

It costs them more than it benefited them

Question 17

How much did Boer war 1899-1902 cost Britain

Answer 17

250 million

Question 18

What did John A Hobson believe?

Answer 18

Mine owners has tricked British into fighting Boers to maintain their own profits

Foreign policy has been a struggle for profitable markets of investment

Ruling classes has ever-increasing incentive to employ public policy

Critic for empire only benefit was for capitalists

Question 19

What were invisibles?

Answer 19

Any export that provides income but doesn’t have a physalis presence (e.g insrijace)

-with huge earning from invisibles Britain could import much more than it exported

Question 20

Background to imperial preference?

Answer 20

System of mercantilism replaced by free trade

Free trade becomes successful approach for rest of 19th century

Question 21

What were the changing circumstances in imperial preference?

Answer 21

Competition in Europe had been growing and other industrial and trading rivals were building up in the USA and Japan

Agricultural depression affected last 14%th of the 19th century and was a problem for British

Question 22

Who was Joseph Chamberlain?

Answer 22

Colonial secretary 1895-1903

Raised the idea of trade protection again

Idea of imperial preference which meant British and empire would trade together freely but protect themselves from foreign competition

Idea discussed at 1902 colonial conference

Question 23

What was the opposition to imperial preference?

Answer 23

Manufactures wanted to stop it because it might reduce their profits

Banks and investors who has business links to non-empire countries objected

Empire not completely self sufficient

1906 liberal landslide victory unionist gov defeated

Question 24

What was the aftermath of imperial preference?

Answer 24

-dominions were disappointed

-looked for trade agreements with other countries instead

South Africa , New Zealand and Australia imposed their own import tariffs

Trade with empire increased after 1914