Imperial Attitudes 1890-1914 Flashcards
Who were the supporters of empire
Empire was widely accepted among the ruling elites of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. There were public displays of support for empire which greeted the Boer war and helped conservatives win an impressive victory in the 1900 khaki election. The empire was sometimes justified on authoritarian/moral grounds as a responsibility even a burden that god has placed on the British in order to bring stability and order to the world. The main political parties had different concepts of empire. The liberals looked beyond the conservative support for good gov and white rule for its own sake. They aimed at the education and improvement of the colonies and their peoples with the objective of ultimate self rule. Even they however were reluctant to bring and end to empire. Conservatives were real imperialists (enthusiasts) the PM Salisbury embraced the imperialist cause. They argued in favour of the creation of a stronger and more closely united empire. This not only meant support for territorial expansion but for support for schemes that would bind the empire together. Most imperialists also argued for the economic benefit of empire. Many imperial activists were members of societies like the royal colonial institute which provided a meeting place for those interested in colonial and Indian affairs. Another pro empire group was empire day movement although empire day wasn’t celebrated until 1902. The idea of a day of festivities was intended to reinforce imperial unity and celebrate the image of a motherly queen Victoria.
Who were the critics of empire
One of the strongest critics of empire was John A. Hobson an economist who wrote imperialism in 1902. His view catalysed by the Boer war was that imperial expansion had been driven by a search for new markets and new opportunities for the rich capitalists of Britain. These capitalists he argued were a small and powerful elite. Hobsons views provoked debate and fed into socialist anti-imperialism. Other critics emerged after the Boer war. Emily hobhouses reports led to a gov enquiry into the conditions in the British conc camps. Other figures to challenge empire were:
- Herbert spencer who criticised the Victorian enthusiasm for colonial acquisitions
- Walter crane who used his design skills to produce anti war illustrations
What was national efficiency
Britain’s national efficiency was exposed after the Boer war. Up to 40% of the British recruits in Britain had been tested and found unfit for the military service and in Manchester 8000 out of 11,000 would be turned away. Poor diet and living conditions has weakened Britain’s manpower. This was a threat to Britain’s imperial supremacy just as it was to Britain’s industrial strength. The concerns increased given the decline in industrial production relative to the US and Germany. In 1902 it became common for journalists to speak of the need for national efficiency as the only way of preventing Britain’s decline. Measures taken to improve national efficiency included:
- the 1902 education act which sought to raise school standards and led to the opening of over 1k schools in the following decade
- the modernisation of the navy by committing to a new class of battleship
- a spate of liberal social reforms including free school meals, unemployment and health insurance etc
What were the popular press
Between 1890-1914 was a golden age of newspaper publication as technical advances in printing and the emergence of the professional journalist with a political agenda enabled print to demand and reach out to a new mass audience. Alfred Harmsworth pioneered the production of an entirely new form of cheap populist newspaper in 1896 with the daily mail. The paper was deliberately aimed at the lower middle class market and sold at a low retail price. It sold stories damming the Boers and kruger whilst praising the heroism of the British.
How did music and literature change
Rudyard Kipling did Much to shape the attitudes of the British public towards empire in the years before 1914. He could often be critical of imperial administrators but he had an almost religious belief in empire and filled his works with references to Britain’s higher goals. More subtle encouragement for imperialism featured in women’s writing particularly in romantic fiction. Nationalist and imperialist themes were also found in music and could be heard up and down the country in music halls, concert halls and churches. The best known imperialist was Edward Elgar. He sought to stimulate listeners’ emotions and create mental images which captured the nobility of the empire. There was also an interchange of musicians within the empire which served to strengthen imperial ties.
How did youth and empire change
It was hard for children to escape the imperialist message spread through books,organisations and schools. Increased literacy had produced a new market for books and comics and the Young were fed a diet of adventure stories with imperial themes. These secured a readership of between 1/4 and 1/2 a million in the years 1890-1914. These comics were read in schools and church halls across the country their popularity was based on their promotion and celebration of both military and missionary activity. Howard Handley Spicer published an alternative boys of the empire and separate boys of our empire magazine. He also setup the boys empire league which boasted 7000 members in 1900. Other organisations included the the girls friendly society which boasted over 200k members by 1914. The history and geography books used in the state elementary schools also tended to emphasise the glories of empire and presented the explorers and missionaries who had helped create it as heroes. Children of all classes enjoyed the pageantry of empire day.
What were the representations of empire
British culture was permeated by imperial themes on many levels and images, motifs, exhibitions and advertisements all helped spread awareness of empire. Advertisers frequently used imperial connotations to sell their goods which would suggest that the British public felt favourably disposed to empire. The empire was also represented in architecture and the imperial creations of Herbert Baker and Edwin Lutyens. Lutyens designed both in Britain and in the empire itself. One of the greatest representations of empire was Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee celebration of 1897. King George V’s coronation was also celebrated with a festival of empire at the Crystal Palace in London 1911.
