Part 3: Expansion and Empire Flashcards
When was the De Beers company formed and how was it significant?
- It employed many workers in its mines and controlled 90% of the world’s diamond mines at its peak.
When was the EIC established?
1600
What were trading stations and where did the EIC set them up?
Surat, Madras, Bombay. They were large warehouses that traded in silks and spices.
When was the Battle of Plassey?
- Robert Clive then took over Bengal.
How much did Britain invest in India by 1914?
£400M
When and what was the India Act?
- It stated that the EIC and the British government would control India jointly.
When was the EIC dissolved?
1874
Give an example of a Pogrom.
1903 in Kishinev, Russia. 49 Jews died and 500 injured. Hundreds of businesses were destroyed.
How long is the Suez Canal?
164 miles long
When did Benjamin Disraeli buy a controlling share in the Suez canal and how much did it cost?
1876- after securing a loan of £4M from banker Lionel de Rothschild
When was the Second Boer War?
1899-1902
What was the scorched earth policy?
Lord Kitchener enforced this in the 2nd Boer War. Crops were destroyed and wells poisoned.
Casualties of the Boer War
6000 British deaths
35,000 Boer deaths
What was Typhus nicknamed?
The Irish Fever
When did the British invade Cape Colony?
1806
What did the Boers do after Britain invaded Cape Colony?
They went north and formed the Transvaal and Orange Free State.
What did the 1906 welfare state involve?
Free school meals
Unemployment benefits
Pensions
Medical checks
What natural resources did India have?
Iron ore, silk, copper, tea, timber, gemstones
When did Vasco de Gama discover India?
1497
How did Robert Clive affect Bengal?
He imposed unfair taxes.
He stripped them of resources which led to the 1700 Bengal famine.
10 million died.
When was the Sepoy Rebellion?
May 1857
How many died in the Cawnpore Massacre?
210 women and children
How did the British react to the Sepoy Rebellion?
Queen Victoria was horrified.
70,000 men were sent to India armed with Colt revolvers to take revenge.
How much was the tea trade worth in the 1800s?
£30M
What did the British build in India?
30,000km of railways
130,000 bridges
How did the British cause famine in India?
By forcing farmers to grow tea/cotton instead of food crops like rice and wheat.
