Individuals in the Empire Flashcards
Why were individuals involved in the Empire?
- Scientific discovery
- Moral reasons (spreading Christianity)
- Power / status
- Gain wealth
- Thrill of exploration
Who was David Livingstone?
A missionary doctor / explorer who arrived in South Africa in 184. He lectured on his discoveries at Cambridge Uni in 1856 and ‘57.
He was an inspiration for others, explored the Zambezi river, and thrilled the British public with his stories - hugely popular figure back home.
He died from dysentery and malaria in 1873.
Who was John Kirk?
A Scottish physician, botanist and explorer.
He nearly drowned while exploring waterways with Livingstone in 1860, and returned to Africa in 1868 as a medical officer and vice consul in Zanzibar and worked as a diplomat until 1886.
Zanzibar’s slave trade was outlawed and British aid helped commerce grow. Kirk gave Britain a foothold in Africa’s coast coast which grew into British East Africa.
Who was Sir Richard Burton?
A linguistic scholar, explorer and adventurer who told stories of his visits to Islamic cities such as Mecca in the 1850s.
He explored Somaliland in 1855, and Zanzibar in 1857 and ‘58. He was forced to abandon the latter due to malaria, giving John Speke the glory of discovering Lake Victoria.
Burton published 43 volumes of his explorations.
Who was John Hanning Speke?
He joined Burton on his adventures in Africa and became the first European to discover Lake Victoria in 1858.
Speke believed Lake Victoria was the source of the Nile - which was disputed by Burton and many others in England. Speke returned in 1860 alongside James Grant to map the lake.
Ultimately they helped explorers Samuel Baker and Florence von Sass discover another source of the Nile, Lake Albert. Speke died in 1864, presumably of suicide.
What was the goal of missionaries?
Missionary societies felt a duty to convert the world to Christianity. This stemmed from a mixture of absolute adherence to their faith and a belief in the worthlessness of other faiths.
What was the problem with missionary societies?
They could be quite aggressive in their attempts to spread the word and sometimes led incursions into territory.
Methodist / Wesleyen missions were particularly prolific at this (e.g. in Fiji, China & South Africa).
How were missions established?
- established compounds and set up churches
- typically provided housing and farm work in return for native conversion to Christianity
- offered material gain, education and “personal advancement” (white man’s faith)
- advanced imperialism by consolidating territorial control and extending commercial reach
Why were attempts to establish Christian bases often unsuccessful?
- clashes with indigenous people
- conflict between missions and colonial authorities
- conflict between one mission and another
Relations between expansion and missionaries were complex - they sometimes delayed colonisation and provided a focus for opposition.
Who was Mary Slessor?
A Scottish presbyterian missionary in Nigeria. She was born to a poor working class family and received very little education.
What is a presbyterian?
A reformed protestant faith, which has the Bible as the main source of authority.
What did Mary Slessor do in Nigeria?
She sailed to Africa in 1876, and planned to pioneer work in Africa’s interior. She travelled between villages and shared the gospel.
Her ministry activities also included overseeing schools, medical projects and served as a mother to orphaned children. She also stood against the cultural murder of children and chose to live among the people.
Who were the London Missionary Society?
A society founded in 1795 as a nondenominational organisation dedicated to spreading Christianity to the non-European world.
What did the London Missionary Society end?
They sent missionaries to the Pacific, Africa, China, India and Southeast Asia. It’s most famous representative was David Livingstone.
How was Cecil Rhodes?
A British trader who grew up in South Africa and bought up all small diamond mining operations in the Kimberley area.
What were Cecil Rhodes’ acheivements?
In 1890, he became partners with the Diamond Syndicate and gained a monopoly of the world’s diamonds. He also invested in growing fruit.
He received a charter for the British South Africa company in 1889, and established Rhodesia in his name.
Who was Sir William Mackinnon?
A Scottish ship owner and businessman who traded in the Bay of Bengal and founded the British India steam navigation company in 1856.
He also founded the British East Africa company in 1888 and the Free church of Scotland East African Scottish mission in 1891.
What did George Goldie do?
He bought a palm oil business in the Niger basin in 1875. He also formed the Central African trading company and united all British trade in the Niger basin to form the United African Company in 1879 - controlled 30 trading posts.
His work led to British protectorate over Niger at the Berlin Conference.
Who were administrators?
High positions within the Empire - company directors, consuls, high commissioners, governors.
They were positioned in the colonies and seen as the men who “ran” the Empire.
How independent were administrators?
They were appointed to posts by the Colonial office in London, but had considerable freedom to interpret instructions. They often made independent decisions on territorial developments.
Who was Sir Evelyn Baring?
He served in India as private secretary from 1872-1876. He was a typical administrator: inflexible, condescending, efficient, patronising.
He worked in Egypt in 1877, and his work led to the establishment of Britain’s “veiled protectorate” of Egypt.
Who was Bartle Frere?
He began in the Indian civil service and earned a knighthood after helping crush the Indian Rebellion.
He was placed in charged of a planned confederation of British South Africa and Transvaal. He deliberately provoked a war with the Zulus whom he saw as a threat - but the British defeat led to his withdrawal in 1880.
