Economic developments 1851-1886

Question 1

How did the repeal of the Corn Laws (1846) affect agriculture

Answer 1

British farmer now had to face competition from abroad as Britain entered a period of free trade

Question 2

What improvements were made to pedigree breeds

Answer 2

Aberdeen Angus cattle was developed, which had a better quality of meat

Question 3

How did farming methods improve

Answer 3

Moved to high farming methods through the ideas of James Caird

Question 4

How did population growth help agriculture

Answer 4

It increased demand

Question 5

How did development of railways help agriculture

Answer 5

They improved distribution

22,000km of railway was built by 1875

Question 6

How much ddi the number of agricultural labourers fall by between 1851-75

Answer 6

Half a million

Question 7

What was the hardest hit industry during the depression

Answer 7

Agriculture

Question 8

What happened to cheap imports during this period

Answer 8

They increased with faster methods of transporting them being developed such as using steam powered and refrigerated ships

Question 9

How did agriculture wages do during this period

Answer 9

They fell, increasing the gap between the living standards of the industrial and agricultural workers

Question 10

Where did British wheat face competition

Answer 10

Russia and US

Question 11

How did mixed farming help

Answer 11

Farmers grew crops and livestock so spread their risk of crop prices
Perhaps shows the extent to which crops were affected by free trade

Question 12

How was international trade advanced

Answer 12

The advancements of the steamships and the railway

Question 13

Why was Britain helped by being the first industrialised nation

Answer 13

They dominated international trade, with Germany un-united and USA in a civil war

Question 14

What type of trade made a breakthrough during this period

Answer 14

Invisible trade (finance, banking, insurance and shipping)

Question 15

What was the value of International trade in 1870

Answer 15

£2000 million

Question 16

What was the value of British investment abroad

Answer 16

£1000 million

Question 17

How much of world trade was made up by British trade

Answer 17

25%

Question 18

Export of railway iron and steel in 1870-1875

Answer 18

4 million tons

Question 19

How did shipping benefit Britain

Answer 19

Shipbuilding created large amounts of work in areas such as Glasgow, Belfast and Liverpool
Increased international trade like the opening of the Suez Canal where only narrow British ships could pass through

Question 20

How did the cotton industry benefit before the depression

Answer 20

The average annual production of cotton textiles almost doubled
International trade with the US led to cotton being shipped over

Question 21

How did the civil war impact cotton for Britain

Answer 21

Led to drop in imports of cotton

Led to cotton famine impacting Lancashire where there was a loss of many jobs

Question 22

Coal production before the depression

Answer 22

60 million in 1855 to 109 million in 1870

Question 23

How was coal mining in Britain less effective than in the US

Answer 23

Britain was still extracting it via hand whereas the US was using mechanised methods
Coal industry was still run privately and they were reluctant to spend money of mechanisation

Question 24

Output of British iron 1855-75

Answer 24

2.9 million to 5.9 million

Question 25

What city in Britain produced the most steel

Answer 25

Sheffield produced 90% pop Britain’ steel, accounting for half of Europe’s production

Question 26

Examples of innovation for shipping

Answer 26

In 1884 Sir Charles Parsons invented the steam turbine

Question 27

Example of innovation in steel industry

Answer 27

Henry Bessemer’s converted system in 1856 meant that steel could be produced at 3 tons an hour

Question 28

What style of trade did Britain move to as a result of the repeal of the corn laws (1846)

Answer 28

Free trade

Question 29

Which party supported free trade

Answer 29

Radicals in the Liberal party such as Cobden

Conservative party as they moved away from their traditional support of protective tariffs

Question 30

Coal production from 1856-70

Answer 30

65 million to 110 million

Question 31

Iron production 1856-70

Answer 31

2 million to 6 million

Question 32

Steel production 1856-70

Answer 32

60,000 - 2 million

Question 33

Growth of the British population

Answer 33

Grew by almost 6 million in 20 years

Aiding growth in demand

Question 34

The Limited Liabilities Act 1855 and 1862

Answer 34

Encouraged the buying of shares in firms as the level of risk was limited to the value of investment

Question 35

What was Britain refereed to as

Answer 35

The ‘Workshop of the world’

Question 36

How much higher were imports during 1871-75

Answer 36

62.5 million

Question 37

How was the US and Germany’s economies more encouraging

Answer 37

Larger populations 
More resources 
Better research 
Invested in new technologies 
Larger firms

Question 38

What was male illiteracy in Britain and Germany

Answer 38

Britain had a male illiteracy of 17% and Germany had one of 2%

Question 39

What technologies did the US mass produce

Answer 39

Guns and sowing machines

Question 40

Arguments that there was a depression from 1873

Answer 40

Profits and prices were falling 
Unemployment increased 
Relative decline on Britain's economy
Lack of investment in new technology 
Lack of tariffs

Question 41

Arguments that there wasn’t a depression from 1873

Answer 41

Unemployment wasn’t always low, 2% for trade unions in 1875-95
Economy grew at 1% a year
Production of coal, iron and steel increased
Failure to invest was the fault of the private businesses not the depression’s
There were still positive innovations
Cost of living fell so real wages rose

Question 42

How were tariffs signifcant during the depression

Answer 42

Europe and the US introduced protective tariffs
Britain still occupied free trade so there was less demand for the British products, as they could get them cheaper somewhere else