Overview and Colonial Policy C1 Flashcards
What was a cause of the Indian Mutiny 1857?
- Landowners felt that their land was being stolen and redistributed by the BEIC
- Cartridges were greased with animal fat which went against religious customs.
- Grievances among soldiers regarding pay and changes to their condition of service.
- Longstanding social and cultural tensions surrounding British rule.
How was India defended after the mutiny?
The army was strengthened from 40,000 British troops to 70,000- compared to 125,000 Indians.
Indian troops were mixed by caste and religion to prevent unity.
3000 miles of railway were added for swifter deployment of troops.
What was meant by the ‘Swing to the East’?
The acquisition of trading and strategic bases along the trade routes between India and the Far East as a result of a loss of Britain’s American colonies at the end of the 18th century.
A shift in Britain’s imperial priorities, marking a desire for control through trade and economic dominance, rather than through settler colonisation.
What were the strategic factors of British expansion in Africa 1857-1890?
Coastal interests in West Africa needed defending- forts built along the Gold Coast, Sierra Leone and Gambia.
The Cape- temperate climate and deep water port, protected the sea route to the Middle East, China, Australia and India
What were the moral factors for British expansion in Africa 1857-1890?
From the 1860s, Christian missionaries saw it as their ‘moral duty’ to spread their faith to non-Christians.
Viewed the empire as a way of ‘civilising’ people.
Fame- Livingstone went to Africa in 1858 ‘to try and make an open path for commerce and Christianity’
How were individuals used in the expansion of the British Empire 1857-1890?
Merchant-imperialists (Goldie, Rhodes etc) capitalised on the new commodities and found fortune.
How were traders used in the expansion of the British Empire 1857-1890?
The key reason for British expansion, due to new routes inland and the frequent discovery of minerals and resources.
1884- ‘unlimited capacity for the production of cattle, cereals and all the usual articles of tropical trade.’
Coal, iron and timber.
Cycle of dependency- Britain exploited African resources, manufactured goods such as textiles and weaponry, and sold them back to Africa.
How were explorers used in the expansion of the British Empire 1857-1890?
By 1857, most of Africa was on European maps.
The Congo river was not charted until 1867.
Located vast reserves of gold, diamonds and palm oil (already known of by the indigenous people) to exploit.
Informal Empire in Latín América
Public capital stood at over £80 million by 1865.
Accounted for 10% of Britain’s exports and imports.
Informal Empire in the East
(Siam, Iran, Chinese Empire, Afghanistan)
Trade treaties formed with Siam and Iran.
Threatened naval power in China to disrupt the Opium trade to India including Shanghai and Hong Kong.
1863- Robert Hart appointed as head of the Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs Office.
1879- threat of full invasion of Afghanistan led to the signing of the Treaty of Gandamak.
Informal Empire in Zanzíbar
The area commanded the African coast of the Indian Ocean.
John Kirk allowed for, in 1891, a government to be established which made the Sultan’s first minister a British representative.
