British empire Flashcards
What were Indian Soldiers called?
Sepoys.
Which main countries / continents did the British Empire invade?
America
Australia
India
Africa
Why was India referred to as the ‘Crown Jewel of the British Empire’?
Ruling India was economically very beneficial for Britain, because the British authorities exploited India’s resources and population.
India had a population of around 300 million people, which meant the British could export and trade goods to this huge market. India also produced goods Britain could sell at home and worldwide for a huge profit.
India also had a strong army, which Britain was able to use. The Indian Army fought alongside British troops in several conflicts. Indian soldiers fought in the Second Boer War in South Africa from 1899 - 1902, and in both world wars.
How many people were killed in the Amritsar massacre and when was it?
379 innocent people were killed
The Amritsar massacre, took place on 13 April 1919.
What was transportation?
When they took British convicts over to Australia, because they did not have enough money or space to build more prisons in Britain and Australia had recently been taken over by the British Empire.
Transportation was seen as a middle punishment between whipping and hanging.
What were escaped Australian convicts called?
Bush rangers. When they were caught they were usually shot on sight.
What was the EIC
The East India Company were sent to India by Queen Elizabeth I and they had their own army + navy. British goods were sold in India to make profits for England and many taxes were increased.
Mutineer Sepoys (Indian soldiers mostly Muslim) were sewn into pig skins before being hanged, forced to clean blood by licking it off the floor and were strapped to canons as punishment for their treachery and treason.
What was the Boston Tea Party?
December 6th 1778 American settlers were upset about of tax they had to pay to Britain. Their votes were not counted in British government. They used the slogan ‘NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION’. To protest against this they dumped 342 chests of tea into the Ocean. This was worth about £1 million pounds for the government.
