Impact on the Periphery

Question 1

Social impacts - consistent disregard for life

Answer 1

• Era of Free Trade: 1866 Orissa Famine - Governor General of Bengal refused to divert grain away from exports resulting in 1 million deaths
• Inter-War Years: mishandling of the 1929 Western Wall Incident - failure to de-escalate religious conflict between the Arabs and Jews led to the death of 116 Arabs mostly caused by the British soldiers sent to intervene
• Decolonisation Period: Inhumane treatment of prisoners at Hola Camp - in 1959 11 prisoners were clubbed to death by British guards

Question 2

Social impacts - investment in living standards

Answer 2

• Free Trade: Universities were set up in Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta in 1857 while elite schools e.g. Rajkumar College were set up to produce ‘Westernised Oriental Gentlemen’
• New Imperialism: Aswan Dam opened in 1902 and enabled year round cultivation in 500,000 acres of former desert
• Decolonisation: 1962 One Million Acre Scheme settled 35,000 families

Question 3

Economic impacts - English benefit at natives’ expense

Answer 3

• Free Trade: The EIC reversed India’s trading position exporting raw materials e.g. cotton, opium instead of finished products like textiles
• New Imperialism: Khedive Isma’il accrued £70 million in debt - mostly to European bondholders
• Inter-War Years: 1934 Native Grown Coffee Rules meant Kenyans couldn’t grow coffee without a permit

Question 4

Economic impacts - benefited periphery

Answer 4

• Free Trade: Trade with India increased: the value of exports to India were only £23 million in 1855, but by 1910 they were worth £137 million
• New Imperialism: By 1918 Britian were paying the Arabs £220,00 a month in gold to fight the Ottomans
• Decolonisation: Swynnerton Plan resulted in the value of output from small-holdings rose from £5.2 million in 1955 to £14 million in 1964

Question 5

Political impacts

Answer 5

• New Imperialism: All Egyptian government ministers had the ‘support’ of British adviser - if they resisted the advice they could be dismissed
• Inter-War Years: Britain’s 1922 draft constitution for Palestine was boycotted as despite being the majority on the legislative council, Arabs weren’t given right to advise on matters concerning Zionists
• Decolonisation: 1962 Second Lancaster House Conference negotiated a framework of self-governance so by the May 1963 elections Kenyatta became prime minister under a constitution that gave Kenya self-government