Political and Economic factors of the Napoleonic Wars (2) Flashcards
By 1815 how much greater was Britains trade value compared to 1793?
- Value was 6 times greater
How did the East India Company help the British war effort?
- Exported lots of British goods to India and China
- Ships brought back saltpetre, vital to gunpowder manufacture
- Swelled government coffers through payments of high duties on asian imports
- Ships were chartered to go abroad
How did the Convoy System help Britain?
- Became compulsory after 1798
- Merchant ships were protected from privateers by the RN’s warships making sure less were lost
Who was Samuel Bentham and how did he help with Shipbuilding?
- An inspector genera; of naval works
- He helped speed up the royal dockyards building and maintenance capacity
What did the six Royal Dockyards do?
- Built the largest warships which couldnt be built at private yards
- Repaired, refitted ships and acted as storage and distribution depots for equipments and raw materials
Due to the Gov being unable to manufacture ships themselves, they used private yards, how many more warships did private yards produce?
436 warships compared to the 82 of the royal dockyards
What change was made in 1804 to frigates?
- They made the ships out of fir timber
- They were cheaper and easier to construct than hardwood ships
How did Lord Melville improve repairs of ships?
- Reformed the traditional method of replacing rotten timber with new ones
- Instead he laid new timber down and put them in place with diagonal iron braces
- This worked and helped immensely during the Battle of Trafalgar
Who was Marc Insambard Brunel and what did he do?
- He designed the block mills at Portsmouth allowing mass standardised production
- After 1807 the steam driven mill could produce blocks more cheaply and faster for ships
Where were new Docks built?
- London, West India, East India
What was the Board of Ordnance?
- A board that oversaw manufacturing of munitions, e.g cannon, shot and gunpowder
- Lots of gunpowder was produced in state mills of Faversham and Waltham Abbey and was constantly improved to ensure it was better than that of the French
How did private contractors help expand war production?
- Cannons were provided by Walkers of Rotheram and then Carron Company of Scotland
- Birmingham was the chief areas for small arms manufacture and supplied over a million barrels and locks for assembly into firearms (1808-10)
How many muskets did Britain send to Prussia and Russia in 1813?
100,000
What was the Victualling Board?
- Responsible for provisioning men in the RN and BA abroad, with a variety of different professions present
- Main yard and distribution centre was in Deptford, south bank of River Thames
- The central yard provided provisions to smaller yard and naval bases at Portsmouth, Plymouth which supplied warships and army transport
Who supplied the Victualling Board?
- Private contractors provided most of there food and services
- The competitive market meant Britain had better supplies and prices and France and Spain had inferior supply chains dependant on the state
- At Cadiz Nelson was heavily supplied by these, the French and Spanish rotted in disease
What was the Transport Board?
- Responsible for chartering the merchant ships needed for overseas expeditions
- They often transported over 100,000 troops successfully and this rose after 1803
- Made sure the Gov could launch all their campaigns
What was the domestic unrest in the years 1794-1795?
- Unrest due to high food prices, King George III was jeered in Parliament and had to be rescued from a crowd of threatening troops
What 3 Acts did Pitt instate following the unrest in 1794-5?
- Treasonable Practices Act (76), expanded definition of treason to attempting to coerce parliament and attack the constitution
- Seditious Meetings Act (76), Banned lectured or meeting of more than 50 unless permitted by local magistrates
- Combinations Act, prevents strikes and illegal for workers to gather in large numbers
When did rebellion break out in Ireland and how did the Gov respond to this?
- May 1798, major rebellion broke out
- 21st June troops beat the rebels and executed loads at Vinegar Hill
Who were Luddites?
- Those who were skilled but unemployed due to the introduction of power looms in 1811-12
What did Luddites do and how were they dealt with?
- Smashed new machines and threatened mill and factory owners
- Gov passed legislation that attacking machines was a capital offence and moved troops in
- Execution of Luddites led to the end of them in 1813
