Migration: Expansion and Empire

Question 1

Why were the Europeans first interested in India?

Answer 1

Natural resources such as iron ore, silk and copper

Question 2

What were initially set up along the coast to support European trade with India?

Answer 2

Trading posts

Question 3

What was the name of the British company trading with India?

Answer 3

East India Company

Question 4

Which royal family was in decline which allowed the East India company to take control of land and make deals with Hindu princes?

Answer 4

Mughals

Question 5

What was the battle in 1757 which allowed the British to take over Bengal?

Answer 5

Battle of Plassey

Question 6

What was the significance of the battle of Plassey?

Answer 6

It allowed Britain to take full control of India from other European posts as well as get richer parts of India such as Bengal. It allowed them to establish superiority against India

Question 7

Apart from economic motivations, what was Britain’s other justification for control of India?

Answer 7

Also found people that would work for their empire, eg: labourers and were able to grow their empire

Question 8

What was the Government Act of India?

Answer 8

The EIC was bankrupt and so the British government took joint control of the territory in India and appointed a governor general

Question 9

What caused the mutiny of the sepoys?

Answer 9

• treated poorly with little hope of promotion
• sent to the most dangerous places
• cartridges for new Enfield rifles were rumoured to have pork and beef fat

Question 10

What were the consequences of the Indian rebellion of 1857?

Answer 10

• mutineers were punished harshly
• 200 women and children were killed at Cawnpore, uprisings across North India
• EIC was replaced with the direct rule of the British government led by a viceroy
• less interference with religious ways of life
• more Indians allowed jobs in local gov.

Question 11

Name two ways in which British rule impacted India’s economic situation

Answer 11

• raw materials were taken and sold for personal fortunes
• an irrigation program was introduced
• development of coal mining
• created jobs for Indians and the British in shipping, transportation, and sales
• built roads and railways

Question 12

What is a sepoy?

Answer 12

An Indian soldier recruited by the British EIC that rebelled against the British

Question 13

Name two ways in which British rule impacted Indian society

Answer 13

• development of transportation
• introduction of the vaccine and treatment programmes –> increasing life expectancy
• improved sewage systems
• caused famines
• introduced the British legal system
• spread of the English language

Question 14

Name one economic impact of India on Britain

Answer 14

• tea trade was worth £30 million per year
• total exports were worth £140 million by 1900

Question 15

Name one social impact of the rule of India on Britain

Answer 15

• Indian soldiers fought for Britain in both world wars
• tea became a popular drink
• Indian words such as shampoo became commonly used
• the Royal Pavilion was built in an Indian style

Question 16

What is the term given to the European countries all trying to take over Africa?

Answer 16

Scramble for Africa

Question 17

Why were European countries interested in Africa?

Answer 17

• ‘cash crops’ such as rubber, coffee and timber were grown there, rich countries saw Africa as a way of getting richer
• assert power + dominance to surrounding Europena countries
• Christian missionaries felt it was their duty to convert Africans to Christians

Question 18

How much of Africa did Britain control by 1900?

Answer 18

32%

Question 19

Give an example of African resistance to European control

Answer 19

Zulu Wars

Question 20

What was the Berlin Conference?

Answer 20

In 1885, European countries gathered in Berlin, Germany to decide which nation could take which areas

Question 21

Define imperialism

Answer 21

The belief that Britain should extend its powers and influence over other parts of the world by any means possible

Question 22

Define social Darwinism

Answer 22

Using Darwin’s theory of evolution to argue that it was right for the stronger (and therefore superior) Britain to take over the weaker countries

Question 23

What actions did Cecil Rhodes take as governor?

Answer 23

• introduced an act that pushed black people from their homes
• increased black peoples taxes on their homes
• made it harder for them to vote

Question 24

What actions did Cecil Rhodes take to make money in Africa?

Answer 24

Set up diamond mines

Question 25

Why do some argue that Rhodes has been treated unfairly?

Answer 25

• set up the Rhodes scholarship
• donated to Cape town university
• was a product of his time

Question 26

How did the British gain control of the Suez Canal?

Answer 26

• bought a controlling share in the Suez Canal and subsequently gave Egypt money for the control of the trade, railways, post offices, and ports
• sent soldiers into Egypt to secure the Suez Canal

Question 27

What challenges did the British face in Sudan?

Answer 27

• uprising by religious leader called Madhi
• British had to use brutal military campaigns to put it down

Question 28

Who were the Boers?

Answer 28

Descendants of Dutch settler who had gone to southern Africa in the 1650s

Question 29

What was the outcome of the Boer wars for the British?

Answer 29

• the battle was harder than expected
• 6000 died in battle
• 16000 died from illness
• Boer states became British colonies and South Africa became a dominion

Question 30

What caused the Boer war?

Answer 30

British wanted to take advantage of the riches Boer land and use it for mining

Question 31

Why was the Boer war significant?

Answer 31

• Boer states became dominions because they were still technically colonies but were allowed to make their own decisions
• introduction of free school meals by the government because many volunteered to fight but were deemed unfit
• this also encouraged children the teaching of domestic science