Political Impact Of The War With France

Question 1

What was the continental system?

Answer 1

A blockade of Britain inaugurated by Napoleon in the Berlin decrees issued in December 1806

Question 2

What does coalition allies mean?

Answer 2

Partners of different parties or countries (in this instance, Britain formed four coalitions with various European countries over the duration of the French wars; the 3rd and 4th coalitions were between Britain, Prussia and Russia)

Question 3

Briefly describe Horatio nelson

Answer 3

Joined the navy aged 12 and received rapid promotion because of his distinguished record in naval action during the French revolutionary wars. His greatest victory was the defeat of the French at Trafalgar in 1805, in which he lost his life

Question 4

Briefly describe Napoleon’s time in power

Answer 4

Established his military reputation during the French revolutionary wars. He overthrew the directory government in 1799 and made himself the first consul of France for life. He won remarkable victories over European enemies, but his inability to invade Britain and the failure of the continental system dented his power. His overriding ambition to dominate Europe collapsed at the battle of Waterloo in 1815, where he was defeated by a coalition of Britain and Prussia

Question 5

When was the first phase of the war with France?

Answer 5

1793-1801

Question 6

When was the first phase of the war with France?

Answer 6

1793-1801

Question 7

What brought the first phase of the war to a close?

Answer 7

The treaty of Amiens, signed in march 1802

Question 8

What prompted Henry Addington into declaring war again?

Answer 8

Napoleon breached the peace terms of the treaty of Amiens

Question 9

What did Addington do in preparation for an attack form Napoleon?

Answer 9

Built up a home guard

Question 10

Explain the levee en masse act

Answer 10

Introduced in July 1803, listing all men between 17-55 who were trained, armed and ready to fight. So many men came forward it was impossible to train them, as it was the biggest armed mobilisation attempted in British history at the time. It’s estimated there were 800,000 men under arms

Question 11

What did Addington do to prepare for war with france?

Answer 11

• introduced efficiencies in income tax collection to improve war funding
• ordered a clean up of corruption in the navy board so they could win at sea
• ordered a blockade of French ports to inhibit their trading ability

Question 12

What was Pitts doing while Addington was being criticised as indecisive and weak?

Answer 12

Making patriotic speeches

Question 13

How did things fare in the war during Pitts second term?

Answer 13

Horatio Nelson’s victor at Trafalgar in 1805 gave a huge psychological boost. However, continental conduct continued to go Napoleon’s way and Britain’s coalition allies were soon in disarray

Question 14

As the only robustly industrialised member, what did Britain have to do for its coalition allies?

Answer 14

Supply them with arms and equipment

Question 15

What did asa Briggs have to say about Pitts wartime premiership?

Answer 15

‘time had not made Pitt a great wartime minister. He was an ineffective analyst of the continental political situation and lacked the boldness of imagination to frame a comprehensive war strategy’

Question 16

What was war like under lord Grenville’s premiership?

Answer 16

He failed to establish a clear wartime strategy and the third coalition crumbled, as Britain’s former ally Russia signed the treaty of Tilsit with Napoleon.

Question 17

What had happened by 1812 in the war?

Answer 17

Napoleon’s ambition was overstretching his resources and Britain was in a strong enough position to take advantage when the opportunity came

Question 18

List the negative economic impacts of war with France

Answer 18

• Britain was not self sufficient so could be starved into surrender
• Napoleon gained control of lots of European ports and attempted to destroy British trade through economic warfare
• the Berlin decrees proclaimed Britain to be in a state of blockade and forbade European trade with Britain
• the Milan decrees meant that any ships that entered British ports could be seized by the French
• Napoleon’s decrees and the orders of the council undermined PM Grenville’s belief in free trade
• the government had to raise money at short notice
• money was borrowed in such large quantities that government stock prices fell and the BofE had to suspend payments in gold in 1797
• national debt went from 228m at the start of war, to 456m by 1801, to 876m in 1815. The interest was a burden on taxpayers
• Britain had to pay for armaments to keep their allies in the field
• the middle classes were angry with income tax, believing it to be unnecessary state interference
• merchants and manufacturers regarded the orders of the council
• the governments insistence on maintaining the orders of the council compounding the economic crisis and f 1810-11
• manufacturers overestimated how much they needed to produce to meet South American demand, leading to economic collapse
• two consecutive harvests failed
• several banks collapsed
• there was a shortage of cash
• there was an overproduction of banknotes and inflation

Question 19

What were the orders in council?

Answer 19

Orders issued by the British government to blockade France in retaliation

Question 20

What does it mean to renege?

Answer 20

Go back on one’s word. The government wouldn’t renege on the orders of council even when it was proving detrimental

Question 21

What is income tax?

Answer 21

A form of direct taxation on someone’s earnings; it has become an integral part of the British taxation system and an important source of government income since being introduced by Pitt over 200 years ago

Question 22

List the positive economic impacts of war with France

Answer 22

• Napoleon sabotaged his own blockade by allowing the export of French wheat to Britain due the harvest shortages of 1808-1810
• Napoleon couldn’t successfully seal off the entire European coast from British ships so they continued to trade through certain ports
• income tax was made more efficient by Addington in 1803
• by 1806, income tax had managed to offset some wartime costs and helped with Britain’s financial recovery
• the British economy was strong enough to deal with a long war with France
• industrialisation continued in spite of the war
• the need for armaments increased demand for coal and iron
• the need for uniforms stimulated the textile industry
• Napoleon was forced to occasionally lift his blockade for much needed supplies of British gatecoats and boots for his armies
• ## newly emerging south American countries demanded British goods

Question 23

List the positive social impacts of war with France

Answer 23

• the mass of people did not suffer nearly as much as would seem probable
• Britain was not actually invaded
• industry and commerce improved
• economic growth minimised the strain of the war
• landowners and farmers benefited from higher prices as rents and profits rose

Question 24

List the negative social impacts of war with France

Answer 24

• the poor and those on fixed incomes could not afford basic necessities and were starving
• bad harvests and high food prices added to the distress for the labouring classes
• the war prompted the development of efficient new technologies like the stock knitter and the power loom, which displaced many skilled workers. Some of the unemployed took up a violent approach, breaking the machines and disturbing the peace
• the failure to pass a minimum wage bill in 1808 led to rioting
• there was a spell of severe inflation between 1811-1814
• wages had fallen behind prices
• diets became less varied
• there was a drop in the purchase of non-food items