7.1) the impact of the growing empire on britain

Question 1

how did slavery and the empire benefit the british working class?

Answer 1

• the empire brought new commodities to britain from asia and the americas
• it also brought more work -> as plantations and EIC bases expanded, workshops received more orders and the demand for metal rose (as this was used to make tools for the plantations)
• much of the equipment used for slavery to function was made directly by british workers
• exports over the atlantic provided work for dock labourers and those who transported the goods + work was created for people making the goods like: tailors, weavers and carpenters
• work for professionals was also offered in india and the caribbean
• transportation -> more demand for shipbuilding materials and seamen required to build them

Question 2

what are some examples of ‘slave ports’ in britain?

Answer 2

• bristol - major centre for ships sailing to west africa and returning to the caribbean loaded with sugar
• liverpool - world’s leading slave port by the end of c18th
• london - the gained most of it’s wealth from the slave trade + helped the monarchy

Question 3

how were coffee houses significant to the change in political ideas?

Answer 3

• coffee houses were the place where the latest gossip, business deals or politics were discussed -> many came to freely exchange ideas
• london had more coffee houses than any other city and this forced politicians to have to respond to such intense political discussion

Question 4

which two political parties grew following the glorious revolution?

Answer 4

• the TORY party represented landowners -> they later developed into the modern conservative party
• the WHIG party represented the growing class of wealthy merchants -> they later developed into the liberal democrats

Question 5

who could vote at the time following the glorious revolution? and what was the result of this?

Answer 5

• only wealthy men could vote
• the vast majority of men and all women were denied a vote
• those who were wealthy had political power and their wealth came from plantations in the americas and asian trade

Question 6

how was information distributed during this time?

Answer 6

• the newly sophisticated forms of pamphlets, broadsheets and newspapers etc.
• each party had its own paper - POST BOY for the tories and FLYING POST for the whigs
• these papers were printed and also held advertisements

Question 7

how did enslavement and the empire impact political discussions?

Answer 7

• it influenced the way decisions were made and who made them -> this in turn created a wider gap between the rich and the poor
• created great wealth and employment for many
• produced political power
• generated the main issues and conflicts -> increased trade in the americas and asia leading to exploitation
• defined whose interests were protected

Question 8

why did coffee addiction become a problem during this time?

Answer 8

• women said that coffee made men lazy and sexually impotent
• men almost always drank coffee because it was cheap and coffee houses were a great place to pass the time

Question 9

how did the empire affect consumer habits?

Answer 9

• asian styles became more fashionable
• asian commodities like tea, furniture and porcelain became popular - the first tea came from china and was seen to be luxurious and only available to the rich
• indian textiles were also fashionable, especially indian designs mixed with european plants. this had a huge impact on dress and furnishing styles in britain

Question 10

how did the change in demands affect the atlantic trade?

Answer 10

• tobacco, tea and sugar were seen to be fashionable and addictive + chocolate from central america
• as these commodities grew in popularity, more enslaved people were bought to work in the plantations
• as prices went down (tobacco - 1600: 30 shillings, 1680s: half a shilling) more people could afford to smoke so demand increased -> mass consumption which drove the economy
• the demand for tea increased too and so did the profits. this meant that the unpaid labour and exploitation of enslaved africans and lascar seamen continued to be possible

Question 11

how did the empire affect changing ideas?

Answer 11

• as the british continued to colonise other regions, the people they colonised were dehumanised and suggested to be sub-human
• africans were described as ‘stateless’ and inferior and being a ‘lower’, less intelligent species therefore not part of humanity.
• people argued that the bible supported their actions

Question 12

what is plantocracy racism?

Answer 12

• a claim that there were natural differences between africans and europeans which made ‘people of colour’ inferior to the white europeans
• this idea was supported by emerging science at the time -> when carl linnaeus divided humanity into four ‘races’

Question 13

why did the idea of plantocracy racism have such an impact?

Answer 13

• the drive for wealth and power allowed people to disregard other considerations
• people needed some way to justify enslavement
• too many people from britain were benefitting from the slave trade
• planters wanted to prevent united rebellion by indentured and ensalved people

Question 14

what was the impact of such racist ideology?

Answer 14

• although it had a deep impact on the lives of black people in britain in c16th and early c17th, the laws are unclear
• the legal status of black people living london was unclear but they were still looked down upon as less intelligent