Trade Flashcards
What was the name of the economic theory used by Britain from the 16th-18th century and what did it believe
Mercantilism - The theory that wealth was created with a positive balance of trade, exporting more than you import.
What was the negative impact of mercantilism
It created winners and losers and as Britain was economically dominant the ‘losers’ were often their colonies like Ireland
What were the Navigation Acts and when were they introduced
Controlled trade to favour Britain by
- Enforcing that colonial goos produced for export can only travel on British ships
- European products being exported to British colonies had to pass through Britain first
Introduced in 1651 and expanded upon 1673
What book famously argued against mercantilism and who wrote it in what year
The Wealth of Nations - Adam Smith, 1776
What 2 things indicate steady economic growth in Ireland from 1750-1800
- Dublin was expanding and was the second largest city in the British Empire
- Imports had risen from £1.5m-£3.8m from 1750-1800 and its exports from £1.9m-£4.9m
Why did the Irish protest against the British in the late 1770s
Although most of the population were catholic labourers, the rich elites were protestant and these protestants discriminated against the catholic population
How did Britain react to the Irish protests in 1779
The 1779 Consultation of Smith
Adam Smith argued that mercantilism was “unjust and oppressive”, leading to free trade being introduced in Ireland in 1779
Describe the 1798 Irish Rebellion and its impact on economic activity
- Occurred from May-September 1798
- 14,000 French people were deployed to Ireland to assist with the rebellion, and 12-13,000 British soldiers were sent to end the rebellion whic they achieved
- 3000 Irishmen died
- It showed that free trade was a necessity
What were the corn laws and what was their impact
They were tariffs and other trade restrictions on imported “corn” (wheat) from 1815-46 which was designed to favour British producers often at the expense of colonies who imported them for high prices
It made supplying food expensive which led to many people in colonies like Ireland starving, especially in 1816 with the eruption of Mt Tambora which led to crop failures that year
Who could vote in 1800 and how many people was this
Wealthy Landowners - 214,000 men or 3% of the population
What were ‘Rotten Boroughs’ and what did it mean for British politics
Voting constituencies in often extremely rural areas with low populations (around 30) which meant each person there politically involved had an extortionate amount of power.
This favoured rural voters and increased political corruption
what did the 1832 Reform Act
Increased the electorate from 400,000 to 650,000 (mostly lower-middle class) and abolished rotten boroughs
This increased democracy in the UK but was not perfect as the working class and women still had no political power to vote
What was Chartism and when did it gain significance
An ideology of giving the common man more political power through giving men the right to vote and stand for election. it gained significance in 1838 with the Peoples Charter which outlined these demands
Who was Robert Peel and what was his economic ideology
He founded the Conservative Party in 1838 and was also PM
He believed in free trade and not mercantilism
How many tariffs did Robert Peel remove in his time as PM from 1842-46
1,200
When was the Anti-Corn Law League founded
1838
in 1846, what were the last 2 major protectionist laws and what was the name of the act that repealed them.
What was the impact of this repealing
- Sugar Duties
- Corn Laws
Both abolished in the 1846 Importation Act
It was very controversial and led to Peel resigning, and led to a decline in the importance of the West Indies whose economy shrunk as a result
However it allowed Britain to prioritise free trade over defence which was good as Britain at the time was unrivalled after the Napoleonic Wars and didnt need to defend themselves
What was the cause and impact of the Irish Potato Famine
The corn laws were repealed too late and alongside crop failures it meant Irish people could neither grow or afford to import their own crops which led to 1 million Irish people starving and a further 1 million emigrating
What was the outcome of the Seven Years was in 1763
The 1763 Treaty of Paris which forced the French to recognise British claims in Canada and the Caribbean and cede the Eastern half of French Louisiana to the British
Summarise the Anglo-French War
Decided to declare war on Britain in 1778 to aid the USA following American victory in the Battle of Saratoga, helping the USA gain independence in 1781. The French also fought Britain in other theatres including at Gibraltar and the Caribbean
Describe the Battle of the Saintes
9th-12th April 1782 - The French attempted to invade the Windward Islands and Jamaica, but Admiral Rodney defeated them using copper plating which gave them the technological advantage.
Why was the port of Gibraltar so important to Britain in the past
It acted as a blockade of the Mediterranean which reduced the French threat to British Atlantic Trade
Describe the 1779-1783 Siege of Gibraltar
France and Spain surrounded Gibraltar and sieged it for 4 years trying to invade it. The British were able to sneak supplies through the blockade which allowed Britain to defend it
Whats the difference between the French Revolution and the French Revolutionary Wars
French Revolution - The revolution itself
French Revolutionary Wars - Wars between France and other countries including the UK as a result of the revolution
When were the French Revolutionary Wars
1793-1802
When was Napoleon in power
1799-1814
(exiled in Elba)
then briefly in 1815
Describe Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt
France invaded Malta Egypt and Syria from 1798-1801, initially led by Napoleon
However the British defeated the French supply fleet at the August 1798 Battle of the Nile giving Napoleon no reinforcements
In 1799 he abandoned his army and returned to France
How did Napoleon impact the abolition movement in the UK
Napoleon tried to recapture Haiti during the Haitian Revolution in 1802
Due to the Revolutionary Wars the British public hated Napoleon and supported his opposition which in Haiti’s case was the slaves
This led to the British siding with the slaves in Haiti, more for political than moral purposes, but it created a rise in pro-abolition movements for British colonies
How did Napoleon raise money to fight the British
1803 Louisiana Purchase
What was the Napoleonic Code
He wanted more liberties in religion and decriminalised homosexuality, he improved the education system and aimed to remove privilege based on birth. It advocated for French nationalism and pride
Battle of Trafalgar
21st October 1805
Lord Nelson won a naval battle using revolutionary tactics which broke the enemy line against Napoleon which ended Napoleon’s hopes of invading the UK directly in 1805
What was the Continental System
Set up in 1806 by Napoleon, which used his influence over all of Europe (except Portugal and the Ottomans) to effectively blockade all British trade into Europe
Describe the Peninsular War
In 1808 Napoleon attempted to invade Portugal, and the Portuguese king fled. However, the UK led by Arthur Wellesley (later Duke of Wellington) won numerous battles, eventually freeing Portugal and Spain from French rule in 1814
Name 3 battles Napoleon lost from from 1810-1814 which led to French defeat
- Peninsular War
- Invasion of Russia
- Battle of Leipzig
These left him with generals who no longer wanted to fight for him and so he gave up in 1814
Congress of Vienna
1814-15 designed to lay out Europe after Napoleon’s exile to Elba, although it continued after his return. It was finally completed 9 days before the Battle of Waterloo.
- All major European powers denounced the slave trade
- France lost its territorial gains and other countries gained territory
- The monarchy was restored to France
Battle of Waterloo reasons for outcome and outcome
18th June 1815
Napoleon had returned from exile and was older, weaker and ill, the allied tactics had adapted and he had not
The defeat at the battle led to Napoleon being exiled to St Helena
What did the Battle of Waterloo mean for the power dynamic of Europe
France became far weaker and was unable to rival the UK in power for the rest of the empire making the British far more dominant
What were the ‘Seven Keys to World Domination’
7 ports which were cheap to maintain but allowed for the exertion of maximum power
- Dover
- Gibraltar
- Alexandria
- Aden
- Singapore
- The Cape
- Falklands
Why was Singapore acquired in 1819
- The 1813 Charter Act in India meant the EIC lost their trade monopoly over India but kept it in China creating a need for trade between the two, particularly in tea, silk and porcelain
- The only wait to China was through the Dutch controlled Strait of Malacca
- A base was needed as pirates were common in the Strait
How did Britain obtain Singapore from the Dutch
They established a colony in 1819 with the permission of the local rulers, not the Dutch
Britain invaded Sumatra from the Dutch while the Dutch were under French occupation
In 1824, the Anglo-Dutch treaty meant Britain returned Sumatra and kept Singapore in return
Why did the UK keep Singapore instead of Sumatra in the 1824 Anglo-Dutch Treaty
Singapore was cheaper to maintain and easier to defend than Sumatra and was similarly effective at protecting the Strait of Malacca
What were the causes of the Opium Wars
- Britian was only allowed to trade with China in Guangzhou and pirates made trade difficult
- China did not want Britain’s products of wool and tea so Britain traded silver and eventually opium
- Despite an imperial ban, China was importing 2553 tons a year in 1842 and 12 million Chinese people were addicted
Describe the 1st Opium War
- China blockaded ports to stop opium imports and burned 1000 tonnes of opium
- The British government dispatched a force without consulting parliament and the dominant HMS Nemesis arrived on the 7th May 1841 at Anson’s Bay and destroyed the Chinese navy and seized Hong Kong
Population of Hong Kong 1841-1900
1841 - 15,000
1900 - 300,000
Treaty of Nanking 1842 and its impacts
- £6,000,000 compensation for opium
- £12,000,000 reparations
- Hong Kong ceded to Britain
- Britain could trade up the Yangtze River
It led to 6500 tonnes traded annually by 1880 and it directly led to the Taiping Rebellion in 1850 which killed up to 30 million
What years did the construction of the Suez Canal take place
1859-69
In 1869 who owned the Suez Canal
56% French, 44% Ottoman
How much distance and time did the Suez Canal save
5150 miles aka 23 days of sailing
What % of Suez shipping was British
80%
When did the UK buy the Khedive’s shares in the Suez Canal, how much for and what were the dividends by 1900
1882 for £4,000,000 - 33% dividends in 1900
Describe British rule of Zanzibar in the 1800s
- Banned slavery there in 1873
- Carved up East Africa with Germany in 1890 without consulting Zanzibar first raising tensions
- In 1896 the pro-British Sultan died and waas replaced by a anti-British sultan
- This led to a war which lasted 40 minutes killing 500 Zanzibaris and 0 Brits
What 2 criteria would you use to assess the importance of ports to trade
- Extent to which it opened New Markets
- Extent to which is protected existing trade routes
Describe the acquisition of Ceylon
It was originally a dutch colony but when the Netherlands got invaded by France the Ceylon government ceded themselves to the UK for protection. It was valuable as it was one of the only places that grew cinnamon so Britain kept it in the Congress of Vienna 1815
Describe the acquisition of Malta
In 1798 Napoleon invaded the Order of Saint John who controlled Malta. In 1800 the British defeated the French with the support of Maltese rebels and Malta voluntarily became a British protectorate. Britain was supposed to leave the island in 1802 with the Treaty of Amiens but never did and the Congress of Vienna affirmed British ownership of Malta
Describe the acquisition and use of the Cape Colony
Acquired after the Congress of Vienna in 1815 after the Dutch were invaded by France and Britain seized the cape.
It held little economic significance but it was a vital stop-off point on the journey between Europe and India before the Suez Canal
Describe the acquisition of the Falklands and its purpose
Britain had set up a settlement in the Falklands in 1766 but abandoned in due to the AWOI. In 1828 the United Provinces (Spanish South America) claimed them but Britain took them over in 1833.
Its only valuable commodity was seals but it was a good base and fuelling point to control the South Pacific
Why was Aden of interest to Britain
It was becoming the common belief that a canal may be built at Suez and therefore Britain wanted a base along the route ships would take once the canal was built
Describe the acquisition of Aden and how successful it was
In 1837 the Duria Dowlat (British ship) was looted by the Sultan of Aden, giving the EIC a reason to invade
In January 1839 700 men and 2 frigates seized the port
It was unsuccessful economically and was £28,000 in debt by 1854 however after the construction of the Canal and the growth of Russia and Germany its military and power benefits made the economic failures worth it
Describe how the Crimean War (1853-56) impacted British strategy in battle
It showed that logistics and supply planning is paramount to victory and it also was the first major time the media got involved in war which created stronger public opinions about war. It also showed the threat of Russia to Britain as Britain could not rely on its navy to beat Russia in combat
What did PM Benjamin Disraeli do to expand British domination and reduce Russian domination (3)
1875 - Bought the Khedive’s shares in the Suez Canal
1876 - Proclaimed Victoria “Empress of India”
1877 - Supported Russian neighbours like Ottomans and Afghanistan to prevent Russian expansion
1878 - Sided with the Ottomans in the Treaty of Berlin (After 1877 Russo-Turkish War). This reduced Russian influence in the Balkans and Britain used this as leverage to otain Cyprus from Turkey
How did Britain obtain Cyprus and what is was used for
Used them helping Ottomans in Crimean War and Treaty of Berlin as leverage to pressure Ottomans into ceding Cyprus in 1878.
Britain was charged £6 million a year by Ottomans for it but they raised this through taxing Cypriots and never paid the money anyway
Cyprus was effective for reducing Russian influence in the Mediterranean showing Britain was taking territories to reduce other countries rather than improve their own trade routes
Why did Disraeli lose the election after obtaining Cyprus
The obtaining of Cyprus encouraged him to continue gaining territories but the British were massacred in Zululand in 1879 at the Battle of Isandlwana which was a major embarrassment
After 1750 the slave trade accounted for what % of the British economy
20%
What was the Somerset vs Stewart case
Somerset was a runaway slave who tried to escape his slave owner Stewart. His legal defence proved that there was no legal right to own slaves in England itself and so it was a landmark victory for Somerset, led to the freeing of about 15,000 slaves in England and led to a rise in anti-slavery activism.
Throughout the course of the Slave Trade what % of slaves died on the slave ships
14.5%
What was the Zong Massacre
29th November 1781, the crew on the Zong (slave boat) made navigational mistakes meaning they’d take too long to reach their destination and would run out of drinking water. As a result they threw 130 enslaved Africans overboard to reduce the amount of drinking water consumed
This caused infuriation and was the precedent for future legislation like the Dolbens Act and increased the abolition movement’s numbers
How many slaves did Britain transport to the Americas across the slave trade
3.4 million
How much did the average slave ship make in profit per voyage
Around £12,000 (approx. £532,000 today)
In the 1790s how many slave ships set sail from Liverpool alone
130
What and when was the Dolbens Act
1788 - Shipmasters received a £100 bonus for a slave mortality rate of under 2% - the equivalent to aound 2 years pay
What changed following the Dolbens Act and give an example
Slaves were seen as more valuable than crew members and often the crew died more than slaves
- The Lottery (ship) completed a slave journey from 1798-99 and lots 1.53% of slaves and 20% of its crew
__% of the income was linked to the slave trade in 1780
40%
Slave Trade was worth _x more than the tobacco trade
5x
Jamaica made the British how much money per year, how many slaves were there and whatwas the life expectancy of a slave there
£512,000,000 with 200,000 slaves who lived for 8 years on average
What was the average wage in Britain in 1600 vs 1819 showing the impact of the slave trade
1600 - £1200
1819 - £4400
Why would the government be more opposed to ending slavery than the typical citize
The people in government were often the rich people who made their income off of slaves
What was a group of people whos religious views made them opposed slavery and when was their first petition to end slavery
The Quakers - first petioned parliament in 1783
What 2 1806 bills together reduced the slave trade by 2/3
- Foreign Slave Trade Bill (Banned British traders selling slaves to foreign countries)
- Neutral Flags Act (Banned British ships selling slaves to other countries using an American flag - a loophole used after the first bill as non-English speakers could not distinguish between Americans and Brits)
What general election led to a rise in pro-abolition politicians and give an example of a pro-slavery politican who was voted out
1806 - politicians like Banastre Tarleton were voted out
When was the Slave Trade Bill banning the slave trade passed
1807
When was slavery itself abolished in the Caribbean
1834
What was set up in 1808 to stop slave ships transporting slaves and how many ships did they have to monitor 5000km of coastline in the following years:
- 1808:
- 1831:
- 1847:
West Africa Squadron
- 1808: 2 ships
- 1831: 7 ships
- 1847: 34 ships
Give two facts suggesting the West Africa Squadron was ineffective
- It only caught 6% of ships
- The amount of slaves moved per year increased from 80,000 to 135,000 from 1807 to 1830
What 3 reasons were there for the large gap between the ban of the slave trade and slavery
- It was still economically beneficial to the UK - there were still 800,000 slaves in the empire in 1833
- Property was sacred and therefore depriving slave owners of their ‘property’ would be unpopular
- The government needed to arrange compensation to slave owners
What was in the 1833 Slavery Abolition Act
- Abolishment in 1834
- Emancipation of 700,000 slaves
- £20,000,000 to be spent on compensating slave owners (40% of Government Spending that year)
- Formers slaves over the age of 6 were called apprentices and their ‘apprenticeships’ (enslavements) ended across 1938 and 1940
