The British Empire Flashcards
What is an Empire?
A group of countries , people or land controlled and ruled by one single powerful country.
What is a colony?
A country that is part of an Empire.
What is the Commonwealth?
A group of nations with a shared loyalty or government.
How much of the world did the British Empire control at its largest?
22%, 450 million people
When did the British Empire begin?
16th century
Name 8 countries of the British Empire
Australia
South Africa
Canada
Ireland
New Zealand
Barbados
Sri Lanka
India
Jamaica
Tanzania
Malaysia
What was Australia used for?
As a location for criminals.
What were the criminals used for in Australia?
workforce, building roads, houses, shops etc
What else was Australia useful for?
A Naval base and for people to find a better life away from poverty
Give 3 crops that were grown in the warm Caribbean climate for Britain.
Sugar
Cocoa
Coffee
What happened in the mid 1800s to the crops?
Bad weather meant less was grown, less money from the area. More sugar was being grown in America too.
How did Britain use the people of Africa?
Used them as slaves, made money by selling them at auctions.
How else was Africa useful -particularly the Gold Coast?
It held lots of ivory, gold and silver which was traded for fortunes.
How was India useful to the British Empire?
India produced spices and materials which could be traded.
Name 5 ways Britain kept control of her Empire.
military force
use of locals
communication
gradual change
dealing with resistance
How did Britain use military force in controlling her Empire?
they developed weaponry such as the Maxim machine gun
How did Britain use the locals to control her Empire?
They made the local rich people feel wanted and gave them money and power.
Local people then ran the police, law courts and prisons.
How did Britain use communication to control her Empire?
telegraphs, radios and ships
How did Britain change the Empire?
they didn’t change everything at once - they gradually developed it over time
How did Britain deal with resistance to her Empire?
Protestors were immediately jailed and local armies were broken up
When and where was the Battle of Plassey?
In 1757 in India, 3000 British soldiers defeated a 40,000 strong Indian & French army. Britain won but there were many killed.
What did the British do to the indigenous people Australia and New Zealand?
They killed many of the Aborigines and the Maori people.
When did the British start a war in Zululand, South Africa?
In 1879 Britain faced one of their worst defeats. 1200 soldiers killed.
Who was Sir William McNaghten?
He was Britain’s top general who led the British army in Afghanistan in 1838. He was killed by the Afghans.
When did the protest start against tax on tea in Boston?
1773
When did America declare their independence from Britain?
4th July 1776
Britain spent 5 years trying to capture it back but didn’t win.
Can you name 5 good aspects/ benefits of the British Empire?
- A variety of foods from all over the world
- Clean water and sanitation
- British education system in the colonies
- Legal/ law system
- The colonies provided soldiers to fight in WW1 & WW2
- Raw materials traded across the world.
Can you name 5 negative aspects of the British Empire?
- Rebellion - leading to many deaths
- Britain became very rich at the expense of the colonies
- British diseases killed many colonial people with no immunity
- Christianity was often forced on local people
- Native peoples had their land forcefully taken
- Many local/ colonial people remained very poor.
What led to the fall of the British Empire?
Demonstrations started in 1920 after failed promises to Iraq and Egypt.
When did Canada, Australia and New Zealand form a new Commonwealth?
1931
Can you name some social reasons why Britain wanted an Empire?
-To spread the idea of Christianity
-To improve other societies through education, medicine, buildings
-To stop wars and bring peace
Can you name some financial reasons why Britain wanted an Empire?
-to protect trade and money coming in and out of Britain
-to dominate world trade and make Britain rich
-to control people/ workforce
How did Britain acquire an Empire?
-Through discovery (eg. Captain Cook in 1770)
-Defeating colonial armies
-British people settled overseas
-
In which year did the Norman’s conquer England?
1066
At which battle did Harold Godwinson defeat Harold Hardrada?
Stamford Bridge
When did the Battle of Hastings take place?
14th October 1066
What is the Domesday Book?
A great survey in 1085 to find out how much England was worth.
Which deadly disease arrived in England in 1348?
The Black Death
Which King made himself the head of the church in the 1540s?
Henry VIII
Which war began in England in 1642?
English Civil War
Who was the King in 1642?
Charles I
Who led the Parliamentarians?
Oliver Cromwell
Which colony was described as the Jewel in the Crown?
India
Who was given the title the Empress of India in the 1870s?
Queen Victoria
When did Christopher Columbus arrive in America?
1492
Who were the Pilgrim Fathers?
A group of people who went over to America on the Mayflower and discovered parts of America.
Summarise the transatlantic slave trade triangle.
- Europe - Africa
(goods were exchanged for slaves) - Africa - West Indies/North America
(slaves were sold to work on plantations) - Back to Britain with goods from America
What type of goods were carried on the third leg of the transatlantic triangle passage from America to Britain?
tobacco, cotton and sugar
Summarise what it was like for slaves on the ship.
no clothes, shackled, tightly packed, poor food, poor sanitation, many died/ thrown overboard, would be whipped, many died of heatstroke & dysentry
When was the slave trade abolished?
1807
When was slave ownership abolished across Britain and the Empire?
1833
Who was William Wilberforce?
Leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade.
