Imperialist Ideals Flashcards
Why was the Britain population bombarded with imperial imagery in the 20th century?
To try and keep the spirit of empire alive, as well as the fact that media, mass communication and social organisation were extremely prevalent at this time.
Britain were also keen to encourage trade with the empire following the world wars due to its reliability, hence the British governments support for a lot of the imperial imagery despite the controversy of empire at this time
How did Britain market the desire for British trade with the empire and imperial preference?
1926 - Empire marketing board set up following efforts of Leo American (secretary of state for colonies and dominions)
- this board promoted the consumption of items produced from the empire in Britain through posters and advertisements
When did the Empire marketing Board peak and become most active?
During the start of the Great Depression as international trade drastically declined and empire became vital to a stable British economy
What was surprisingly reminiscent of the 19th century British empire in the Empire Marketing Board’s imagery?
Often racist and chauvinist in its tone, appearing to place Britons at the top of the racial hierarchy and responsible for the economic and moral ‘improvement’ of the colonies.
- it almost seems as though Britain expects its colonies to be thankful for the ‘improvement’ it has dealt out to the colonies (questionable view)
How much did the British government contribute to the Wembley exhibition of 1924?
£2.2 million, clearly the government are extremely interested in promoting the British empire
Which other exhibition apart from the Wembley exhibition was seemingly a success in promoting empire?
1938 exhibition in Glasgow attracted 12 million and offered a chance to boost the Scottish economy after the depression
- the big figures put into all these exhibitions made them seem like an obvious success on he surface, but were they all that successful in their aim of promoting the empire?
When was the BBC made and how did it relate to imperialism?
1923 under first general director John Reith
- had a very pro-imperial stance and covered as many major imperial events, exhibitions and public celebrations as possible
Which imperial tradition did the British empire bring in from 1932?
Christmas broadcasts, including the King’s speech and other various imperial items
How important was the Empire in schools?
Teaching of Geography, History and Literature was all shaped around the idea of Empire e.g studying poetry and writings of pro-imperial writers such as Rudyard Kipling
How influential was Empire in universities in the inter-war period?
Historical study of empire became established:
. Professorships in Imperial history came about such as the Vere Harmsworth Chair at Cambridge (1932)
. Played a huge role in training colonial servants, seen in the role of London University’s school of Oriental and African Studies, founded in 1917
How did popular culture represent the empire in inter-war years?
. Children’s literature celebrated empire e.g G.A Henty’s books still popular
. Cinema became huge and often followed imperial themes
- films such as Sanders of the River (1935) used the empire as an exotic area to carry on the ideas of adventure and bravery which the Empire always seemed to promote
. Also in music (on another flaschard)
Which composer sustained the spirit of Empire?
1924 Empire exhibition, Elgar conducted mass choirs singing ‘land of hope and glory’
- Elgar died in 1934
Which composer didn’t really express pro-imperialism in his music?
Noel Coward - his song ‘Mad Dogs and Englishmen’, although containing imperial notes, self-mocked British ideas about themselves and the Empire
When was the British Empire’s Great Exhibition?
Two six month seasons in 1924 and 1925:
. 23rd April 1924-1st November 1924
. 9th May 1925-31st October 1925
What was Britain’s Great exhibition ignorant of?
The looming collapse of the empire - the empire’s ‘Last Hoorah’
How large scale was the British empire exhibition?
Huge, covering 216 acres
What was the message behind the great exhibition at the time?
That nothing had changed since WW1 and the empire was still united and the empire was still loyal to Britain. Britain are trying to keep empire relevant
In what ways was the Great exhibition insensitive and criticised?
. Many of the military displays of famous battle scenes from British history were untimely given losses during WW1
. Even Edward Elgar described the pomp of the exhibition as ‘irredeemably vulgar’
. There was distaste of the exhibition especially among north Londoners, with the WGTW society being formed to oppose the exhibition
What was the WGTW society?
The ‘won’t go to Wembley society’
- socialist, anti-imperialist and pacifist protest group
- opposed the Great exhibition on the grounds that it was seen as imperialist propaganda to glorify colonialism and Britain to distract from the social injustices in Britain coming out of WW1
In what ways was the Great exhibition criticised for being reminiscent of past imperial exhibitions (seeming a bit backwards)?
. Seen as an addition to traditions of exhibitions which had included real subjects who were shipped over as subjects to look at
- this tradition seemed to somewhat continue in this tradition
What are the typical coal for British colonial exhibitions?
Showcase military and technological dominance over territories, while also spreading knowledge and care for ‘native cultures’
What are some examples of aspects of the producers of the Great Exhibition that were reminiscent of imperial past?
Kiralfy’s productions had orientalist styles such as tableux titled ‘savage South Africa’ at 1899 Greater Britain exhibition at Earl’s Court
Did Britain find it easy to get support to set up the great exhibition?
No, it wasn’t very popular:
. First proposed by British empire league in 1906
. Liberal landslide in 1906 killed the idea off
. Post WW1, seemed ‘essential’ to have the exhibition to promote unity and reignite spirit of empire to recover
This meant the aims of the exhibition were more out of desperation than a show of dominance
When did Edward Elgar die?
1934
How did commercial advertisement continue an imperial theme?
Traders and private companies used imperial motifs to promote products of private companies all the way up to 1947
E.g Co-operative wholesale society celebrated global and imperial links in their advertising, especially in its supply of products such as tea, with packets containing collectible cards illustrating places in the empire
What was the CWS?
Co-operative wholesale society
- supplied the retail societies in Britain by obtaining tea, sugar, meat etc form all over the world for retail stores, especially from the British empire
How were there still informal links of empire in this period?
. Relatives who emigrated to Australia or elsewhere showed the informal links with empire
. Former missionaries spoke in church about their experiences in the empire
. Relatives who had served in the army or navy experienced greater colonial ties through their direct contact with each other in the war
It seems like the imperial links are more of a community after the war, creating more real knowledge of the empire but also fantasising it again
What main development in Britain helped incense wags that empire could be represented to people in Britain?
Changes in Mass media e,g films and the BBC
How did the imperial messages of the empire change after WW1?
. Explicit jingoism lost its attraction after the horrors of the First World War
. Involvement in the war made Britain appreciate the empire as a family of nations led by the British (still progress)
Empire became a symbol of unity and togetherness but still had the paternalistic overtones
How did the paternalistic overtones of the empire continue?
White British administrators were still portrayed as superior with non-European cultures being seen as p’primitive’ and ‘exotic’
How did empire day show the changing representation of the empire in the inter-war period?
It sought to create a sense of belonging to this new idea of a family in the empire, with allegiance still to the monarch of Britain.
- this meant empire day was celebrated on Queen Victoria’s birthday (to show loyalty to monarch) but all the way across the empire (showing unity in the empire)
- participants often wore their national dress representing the different colonies of empire
Empire moving towards an embracing of culture rather than Britain ‘owning’ these possessions
What did the celebration of empire day show about the reality of the empire in the inter-war period?
Celebratory efforts to reignite the spirit of the empire were treated with enthusiasm because it was a fun event, not necessarily because the main event was the significance of the empire
- Britain’s knowledge of the empire and appeal with it was lowering
Why did Britain have to try and promote positive images of the empire at the start of WW2?
They needed to keep support from the empire and commonwealth as they were so vital for the war effort
- ministry of information films such as 49th parallel stressed the need for tolerance and understanding of other ethnicities in the empire
How did the imperialism relate to imperial masculinity?
Imperialism inspired an idealised view of British masculinity, with the men ruling the empire expected to be brave, unemotional, to embody the natural ‘superiority’ of the British ‘race’
What phrase capture the spirit of an ideal imperial man?
‘Keeping a stiff upper lip’ - ability to stay calm in danger, popularised in 1870s
How were the gender expectations on masculinity that the empire encouraged spread through Britain?
. Children’s literature, cinema and advertising
- especially seen in the system of male-only public schools where most colonial administrators came from
How did imperial masculinity arising from imperialism have racist overtones?
Ideal imperial man was white and men from the subjects of the empire were often portrayed as backwards races
To what extent were imperial themes in this period significant in bringing about a reigniting of the empire?
. Just because there was still pro-imperial propaganda didn’t mean that if influenced consumers
. Such huge efforts to reignite the empire were due to the fact that so few of the masses now were aware or interested in the empire
. Impact of imperialism differed by class and social group (not everyone shared the same values or had same level of contact with empire)
It is very difficult to measure the impact of imperial messages in this period as the population was so diverse, with different views and levels of exposure to the empire
