Evidence of Imperial Culture Flashcards
What were the main two forms of drama types in the C19th? How did they lend themselves to colonialism?
Melodrama and Spectacle
Melodrama - concerned itself with differences in race
Spectacle - concerned itself with grand and exotic display e.g. that of imperial events and campaigns
In what play did the popular actor Henry Irving perform in 1860?
The Indian Revolt
Name some examples of imperial plays between the 1880s-1890s?
The Raid on the Transvaal
The Great Mogul
The Cape Mail
The Cousin from Australia
Which pantomime in 1882 featured the British bombardment of Alexandria?
Sinbad the Sailor
Which two sources of the illustrated press documented key imperial events? Give some examples of events documented
The Illustrated London News or The Graphic
The Indian Mutiny, the death of David Livingstone or the death of Gordon in Khartoum 1885
How was the royal family transformed into an imperial symbol?
Victoria became Empress of India in 1875 and her strength and values became associated with the empire and civilising it
Which colonial themed book did Anthony Trollope write in 1869?
Phineas Finn
Name a popular child’s author at the end of the C19th whose works focussed on empire. Name an example of a book he wrote
G.A. Henty
‘True as Steel’
How did advertisers contribute to the development of an imperial culture?
They associated products e.g. cigarettes or tea with parts of the empire in order to encourage people to buy them
What was the most popular medium of entertainment in the late C19th in Britain? Whose jingo song featured in this after 1878?
Music Halls
MacDermott
Which war marked a dramatic explosion in public fervour for imperialism?
The Second Boer War
Which historian firmly believes that the empire permeated British culture?
John MacKenzie
When was the Hyde Park exhibition opened? How many visitors did it receive? How could it show an impact of empire on the metropole?
1851 - 6m visitors
Included industrial products from the empire on display
When was the South Kensington exhibition?
1862
When was the London ‘Colonial and Indian’ exhibition opened? What is this a wider example of?
1886
Example of the growing imperial exhibitions towards the end of the C19th
How could compulsory education for 5-10 year olds from 1880 have contributed to developing an imperial culture?
Ideas of race and images of Empire featured heavily in the reading material for these children
Where was the emphasis on taught history placed from 1890?
On the creation of an Anglo-Saxon Identity as well as Elizabethan history (discoveries of Francis Drake)
Why were racial attitudes promoted in education in the late C19th?
So as to develop unity amongst all British classes
Which group were particularly keen readers of imperial books?
Young People
What values did historical novels generally reinforce?
Valiant, military characteristics
When was empire day introduced? When did it officially become an annual event?
1902 introduced
1916 became an official annual event
What happened on Empire Day? Which organisation led festivities on this day, even during WW1?
Children sang patriotic songs and listened to pro-imperial speeches. They received a half-day so they could be sent home early for parties and concerts.
Led by the “Empire Day Movement”
When was Boy Scouts introduced? Girl Guides?
1907 = Boy Scouts 1910 = Girl Guides
Which Christian organisation was inspired by the likes of imperial explorers such as Livingstone? When was it founded?
Salvation Army (1878)
When did Geographical societies, often concerned with imperial lands, begin developing in England?
1870s and 1880s
How did photography help develop an imperial culture?
Helped to circulate real life images of empire in advertising, magazines and postcards
Name an example of a postcard with imperial images.
Commemorative postcard celebrating the contribution of British colonies in WW1
Which event in 1902 led to popular celebrations in Britain?
The relief of the Siege of Mafeking (Second Boer War)
Why is the 1900 election sometimes used as evidence of an imperial culture?
Because the conservatives managed to win the election after stigmatising the Liberals as pro-Boers
Why does John MacKenzie argue that the empire gained increasing visibility during the inter-war period?
As a result of increasing and improving propaganda, literature, news and exhibitions. Likewise, personal connections to empire were increasing with employment in colonial lands or emigration to dominions
When was the Empire Resettlement Act passed? By 1936, how many emigrants had travelled to the colonies?
1922
405,230 emigrants
When was the imperial Wembley Exhibition opened? How many visitors did it attract in the first year?
1924
Attracted 27m visitors
How many visitors was the Imperial Institute receiving a year by the 1930s?
1m
What was the role of the Empire Marketing Board established in 1926?
To publish booklets, pamphlets and postcards to do with empire. These encouraged the purchase of imperial goods too.
How did BBC broadcasting contribute to imperialist culture?
- It held some programs abot colonial development e.g. Empire Day programmes
- From 1932, Christmas programmes were begun with contributions from colonies
- During WW2, there were a few festivals of Empire broadcast from the Royal Albert Hall
How manu people possessed wireless licences by 1939?
9m
What was the popular imperial feature film released in 1939?
Gunga Din
Which cinema produced documentaries on empire for schoolchildren?
The Imperial Institute Cinema
How did WW2 change popular attitudes towards imperialism? How is this still evidence of an imperial culture?
- Made the idea that Britons were racially superior seem somewhat anachronistic
- Made many Britons reject the idea of sending fighting men off to combat colonial nationalism
Demonstrates some anti-imperialism which is still indicative of the empire affecting political culture
Who said in 1957 that “We should take our place where we know we most belong i.e. in Europe with our immediate neighbours”?
Foreign Secretary Selwyn Lloyd
How could the election of a Labour government in 1945 be evidence of strong anti-imperialism?
The Labour government was committed to Indian independence whereas the Conservative party wasn’t
How did Gandhi gain some British sympathy during the Round Table Conferences 1930-32?
He gained an audience with King George V and visited mill workers in Lancarshire. This gained him significant publicity to garner public support.
What was the British response to the Amritsar massacre?
Public outcry which forced General Dyer to retire.
Which Chariman of the Independent Labour Party argued that working class imperialism distracted the working class from “real issues” in the 1890s? How is this evidence of imperial culture?
Keir Hardie Indicates that he thought popular jingoism amongst the working class was a problem and hence, empire had greatly impacted them.
What was the result of international opposition to British methods in the Second Boer War back home? Who drew up an anti-imperialist poster titled “Stop the War”?
Anti-imperialist views grew somewhat
Walter Crane drew the “Stop the War” poster from 1900
Which anti-imperialist historian believed that popular jingoism was widespread in the late C19th?
John Hobson
Which historian has argued that many working class men volunteered to fight in the Boer War?
Richard Price
The death of which general in 1885 turned him into a national symbol of Christ-like sacrifice?
General Gordon
What was the Times Newspaper’s response to the Indian Mutiny? Which massacre received particularly large attention?
It called for widespread retribution for the mutineers
Cawnpore Massacre
What was the response of the British politicians and public to Governor Eyre’s Morant Bay repression?
Large outcry
The Jamaica Committee was organised in December 1865 to oversee the government’s response and to try and get Eyre prosecuted.
How did the number of British troops in Canada change between 1841-56? What could this be evidence of in the mid-19th century?
Fell from 16,000 to 2,800
Potential evidence of anti-imperialism
What films did London Films release in 1936-39 as part of their so-called “imperial trilogy”?
Sanders of the River
The Drum
The Four Feathers
When was the popular film Zulu released?
1964
Which historian argues that imperialist attitudes were instilled through schools in the late C19th, although particularly in the 150 Public Schools in England?
Robert Pearce
When did Buchan write the Thirty Nine Steps book series? How did they promote imperialism?
Between 1915-1936
Action stories about a gentleman hero (Hannay = former officer in Rhodesia) fighting off malignant vilains in foreign countries. They encouraged racial assumptions (such as social darwinism) to not be questioned.
How did Cecil Rhodes explain the reason for many Imperialists in England in 1899?
“The people of England are finding out that ‘trade follows the flag’ and they have all become imperialists”
When was the daily mail founded? Daily express? Who was their target audience?
Daily Mail - 1896
Daily Express - 1900
Designed for lower-middle classes
What did the Daily Express declare in its first leader?
“Our policy is patriotic, our policy is the British Empire”
Whose study of children’s literature in the late Victorian period has shown that it was steeped in imperialist themes?
Michael Paris
When was the Chums magazine created for schoolboys? What was its aim?
1892
To link virility with the defence of Empire
Whose study has shown that the lower-middle classes were enthusiastic about joining in the Second-Boer War through patriotism?
Richard Price
What was Robert Baden Powell regarded as during the Second Boer War?
the “Hero of Mafeking”
What was done to commemorate Gordon’s death in Sudan in 1885?
Gordon Boys’ Clubs opened and over 25 books (and many more pamphlets) were written in his glory
Who wrote “Heart of Darkness” in 1899? With whose other work does this relate?
Joseph Conrad
Relates to Orwell’s “Burmese Days” (1934) which criticise the corruption and immorality of Empire.
Which children’s author, whose works were explicitly related to empire, preceded G.A.Henty?
W.G.H Kingston
Who wrote King Solomon’s Mine in 1885? How does it depict empire?
Rider Haggard
Depicts the Englishmen in Empire as civilising e.g. removing witch hunts and potrays those natives who accept these civilising actions with sympathy
