Roles Of Individuals At The Start Of C.20 Towards Empire In Britain Flashcards
How devoted was Joseph Chamberlain to the empire?
‘Man with a mission’ - most committed colonial secretary of the Victorian era
How was it clear that Chamberlain really wanted to be colonial secretary?
Turned down roles of Chancellor of the Exchequer and Home Secretary in 1895
How did Britain generally feel towards the empire?
That it was their ‘duty’ to spread the empire to get ‘alien cultures’ to do things in a British way
What was Chamberlain’s beliefs about the British Empire?
. An effective use of the empire could sustain British prosperity and prestige as he acknowledged Germany’s growing threat to British dominance
. Believed in a reorganised empire to be more central to Britain rather than expanding too much
. Believed imperial bonds needed reinforcing for the Empire to be preserved if Britain wanted to stay as a world power
How did Chamberlain influence attitudes to the empire?
. 1897+1902: held two colonial conferences after failure to get a colonial council in 1887 to agree on an imperial council/parliament to work for the Empire. These conferences only involved self-governing colonies and they rejected his ideas
. Promoted government investment in less profitable areas of the empire:
- promoted tropical trade (with US etc. to get more money for Britain)
- believed in an imperial duty: ‘British race is the greatest of the governing races.’
How did Cecil Rhodes’ role change in 1890?
Went from a trader to the PM of the cape colony
What were the roots of Rhodes’ imperial drive?
A belief that British civilisation and control were needed to better the world
What report scheme did Rhodes control?
Cape newspapers
What was Rhodes message to people at home and abroad?
It was both the right and duty of Anglo-Saxons to dominate Africa and beyond
What were Rhodes hopes in Africa and what were these hopes inspired by?
To establish British rule from the North to South of Africa, linking Cape to Sudan and Egypt. Inspired by his social Darwinist view that the ‘more of the world we inhabit the better it is for the human race.’
How did Rhodes take action on his plans in Africa?
1890 - sent settlers and BSAC troops to establish Fort Salisbury in the Ndebele territory, expanding into territories that became known as Rhodesia after 1899
How did Rhodes plan on outflanking the Transvaal and Germans in a rush to central Africa and how did this fail?
Was going to create a railway line from Cape through Bechuanaland and wanted to extend it along the mountains to get to the Nile = complete dominance of east-central Africa
1891 - German occupation of East Africa blocked this dream of a Cape to Cairo route
When did Rhodes resign from PM and when did he die?
1896 after the Jameson Raid, died in 1902
How did Rhodes’ life impact attitudes to the empire?
. Made a great fortune out of the empire
. His funds after his death were used to help the empire, such as the publicity work of the Round Table (imperial pressure group)
What were Alfred Milner’s roles in his life?
1889-1892: served in Egypt as administrator
1892-1897: chairman of the Board Of Inland Revenue
1897 onwards: picked by Chamberlain to be Britain’s High Commissioner for South Africa
What was Milner’s main belief?
British superiority over Africans and Boers and a need for British regional supremacy
When was Kruger re-elected as president of the Transvaal?
February 1898
What was Milner’s approach to solving the situation in the Transvaal?
‘Reform in the Transvaal’ or ‘war’ was the only way out of the ‘political troubles’ in SA - brutal views
What is Milner mainly known for and what did he do?
Mainly known for leading Britain into the 2nd Boer War:
. Demanded full citizenship rights for Uitlanders after 5 years residence and resorted to force after the Bloemfontein Conference
What were Milner’s other notable achievements for the empire?
. Founded English-speaking ‘Milner schools’ In Pretoria and Johannesburg
. Milner and Kitchener negotiated the Peace of Vereeniging and was made a viscount in 1902 for his services in the Boer War
. Made ‘Milner’s kindergarten’ after the Boer War to resettle the Boers and promote economic growth, especially in the gold mining industry
How did Milner’s role change in 1901?
Left post as Governor of Cape and administered over the newly annexed OFS and Transvaal
What is a viscount?
British nobleman ranking above a baron and below an earl.
What were Milner’s hopes in Boer territories?
Hoped to attract British settlers to former Boer territories and introduced a vigorous English language education programme there
What was the problem with Milner’s hope of attracting British settlers to Former Boer territories?
More British residents left than arrived to these territories in the depression in south Africa that followed the 2nd Boer War
How did Milner make up for the lack of British settlers in former Boer territories?
Used Chinese labourers (‘coolies’) on 3-year contracts to make up for a lack of workers in the gold-mining industry
When did Milner’s first group of ‘coolies’ reach the Rand?
June 1904
Why were the use of ‘coolies’ very controversial?
. Often flogged and racially abused by white mine managers
How was the controversy of coolies reacted to back in Britain?
. Investigation by British press
. Questions in parliament arose on whether the conditions were under the ‘knowledge and approval’ of Milner
March 1906: move to censure (formally disapprove) Milner’s use of coolies but this produced a counter-campaign by Bartle Frere who appreciated the services of Milner in Africa.
How did Milner’s mistreatment of ‘coolies’ affect politics?
Contributed to the conservatives election loss in 1906 as the Liberal government rejected Milner’s plans for the future of the Transvaal
What is Orientalism?
The way in which Western European societies perceived societies in N. Africa and Asia, particularly those that had been colonised
Who was Edward Said and what did he do?
Cultural theorist that published Orientalism in 1978
What does Said’s book say on Orientalism?
Often Western ‘knowledge’ of the East was based off of stereotypes that saw all ‘Eastern societies’ as similar and different to ‘Western’ ones
What are 3 typical stereotypes of ‘Oriental societies’?
. Static rather than progressing
. Superstitions rather than rational
. Sensual rather than civilised
Who’s books clearly represent orientalist ways of thinking?
Baring’s books on Egypt
What period of time is defined as ‘peak imperialism’?
1890-1914
When did Chamberlain resign as colonial secretary and why?
1903 due to the dragging on of the Boer war considering his hostile attitudes towards SA
How did Chamberlain fight back after being passed as prime minister by Balfour in 1903?
He conducted a campaign of tariff reform to try and convince the British public of the need for duties on all foreign goods to give colonies imperial preference and access to duty-free British market
What did Chamberlain’s tariff reform league do?
Organised the distribution of large numbers of leaflets and played his recorded messages to crowded public meetings on a gramophone
How did Chamberlain’s campaign for a reorganised empire based on imperial preference fare with the conservatives?
They never fully agreed and so the party became split and Balfour resigned
How did Chamberlain fail in his aims by the 1906 election?
The public feared the cost of living rising and weren’t convinced that Chamberlain’s reorganised empire would save them from this, even though he claimed a reorganised empire would reduce unemployment
Liberals won largest landslide since 1830s
What was Chamberlain’s confusing political view?
He was a radical liberal, then a liberal unionist opposing Irish home rule and then an imperialist working in coalition with the conservatives, ending up splitting it
