Trade - importance of government policy in shaping changes to patterns of trade Flashcards

1
Q

When did the Seven Years War end and who won?

A

Britain in 1763

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2
Q

What % of GDP was British government debt in 1763?

A

157%

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3
Q

What % of GDP was British government debt in 1821?

A

260%

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4
Q

When did American War of Independence start?

A

1775

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5
Q

Why did American War of Independence start?

A

no taxation without representation

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6
Q

What is protectionism?

A

taxes or prohibitions on exports and imports to protect domestic producers

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7
Q

What is mercantilism?

A

government intervention to ensure value of exports more than value of imports, ie positive balance of trade

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8
Q

When was free trade granted to Ireland why?

A

1779 to prevent civil unrest

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9
Q

What and when was the Scramble for Africa?

A

Period of rapid imperial expansion 1881-1914 during which European powers divided and colonised almost whole of Africa

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10
Q

When did Quakers petition parliament for abolition of slave trade?

A

1783

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11
Q

When was Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade established?

A

1787

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12
Q

What was the Middle Passage?

A

crossing of Atlantic from Africa to West Indies frequently used by slave traders

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13
Q

What was the Triangular Trade?

A

slave trade route between Europe, West Africa and Caribbean

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14
Q

How did the Triangular Trade work?

A
  1. goods such as textiles, alcohol and firearms transported from English ports
  2. those goods traded in West Africa for slaves
  3. slaves traded for raw materials eg sugar and cotton
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15
Q

Give an example of the money to be made from triangular trade voyage.

A

In 1798, Lottery sailed from Liverpool. Ship cost £2k, carried £8k of goods to West Africa, traded for slaves, with 453 sold for £23k, so even ignoring any further profit on return goods a profit of £12k was made.

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16
Q

By 1790s how many ships per year were sailing from Liverpool on triangular trade?

A

120-130, which was majority of European slave voyages

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17
Q

How did slave trade help Britain to fight European wars?

A

Government collected taxes and tariffs then used to finance Royal Navy.

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18
Q

What did the Gentleman’s Magazine claim in 1766 re MPs?

A

That more than 40 MPs were eitehr planters or had interests in plantations

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19
Q

How did abolitionists led by William Wilberforce campaign?

A

grass-roots campaign, ie aimed at public rather than directly at MPs, with pamphlets, posters, debates and books showing evidence of horrors of slavery

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20
Q

When did French Revolution start?

A

1789

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21
Q

When was France declared a republic?

A

1792

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22
Q

When was Haitian rebellion?

A

1791 to 1804

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23
Q

How did France react to Haitian rebellion?

A

freed the slaves

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24
Q

What was Haiti called at the time?

A

Saint-Domingue

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25
Q

How did Britain react to France freeing Haitian slaves?

A

It invaded the island with aim of restoring the sugar and coffee plantations and seizing the colony, but was defeated due to disease and freed slaves fighting back.

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26
Q

What did Napoleon try to do re Haiti and how did British react?

A

Napoleon tried to restore slavery so Britain, being anti-French, now supported ex-slaves, bringing British policy in line with abolitionists.

27
Q

What happened to the 1804 bill to abolish slavery?

A

Passed by House of Commons but defeated in House of Lords (maybe not surprising given how much of the gentry was invested in slave trade either directly or indirectly through loans to traders)

28
Q

Which bill prohibited any British subjects from supplying slaves to French colonies?

A

1806 Foreign Slave Trade Bill

29
Q

What happened in 1806 to increase the number of abolitionists in parliament?

A

general election

30
Q

What bill abolished the transatlantic slave trade?

A

1807 Slave Trade Act

31
Q

What % of Bristol’s income came from slave trade in 1780s?

A

40%

32
Q

Give three reasons that abolition of slave trade was successful.

A

humanitarianism
anti-French sentiment
slave trade becoming less profitable / more uncertain finances

33
Q

When did slavery in West Indies end?

A

1834

34
Q

What compensation did government give to slave owners in West Indies?

A

£20m (40% of government spending for 1834) for loss of over 700,000 slaves

35
Q

What did Adam Smith publish in 1776?

A

An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations

36
Q

What was Adam Smith’s main argument in The Wealth of Nations?

A

That import and export tariffs prevented effective trade so reducing overall wealth.

37
Q

In 1750, which were the two most prosperous cities in the British Empire?

A
  1. London
  2. Dublin
38
Q

Why was Irish agriculture competitive?

A
  • excellent grazing land
  • large estates
  • cheap labour
39
Q

What were the value of exports and imports between Britain and Ireland in 1750 and 1790?

A

1750: exports from Ireland £1.9m, imports to Ireland £1.5m
1790: exports from Ireland £4.9m, imports to Ireland £3.8m

40
Q

What protest took place in Dublin in 1778?

A

Armed volunteers (who had protected Ireland from French invasion) hung a sign on a cannon saying “free trade or this!”

41
Q

Who did government consult about solution to Irish demands for free trade?

A

Adam Smith

42
Q

What did Adam Smith tell government about restrictions on Irish trade?

A

that they were “unjust and oppressive” amd should be removed

43
Q

Name three restrictions in place on Irish exports in 1770s.

A

They couldn’t export:
* glass or silk anywhere
* raw wool anywhere except Britain
* woollen cloth except to some designated British ports

44
Q

When were restrictions on Irish trade removed?

A

1779

45
Q

What was effect on prices for agricultural goods of the removal of restrictions on Irish trade?

A

Very little, as high demand die to wars with France

46
Q

What was impetus for Corn Laws that excluded foreign grain from Britain?

A

end of war with France in 1815, with aim of keeping prices high (as lots of landowners in parliament)

47
Q

When did Whigs win election?

A

1830

48
Q

Which parliamentary group represented progressive policies such as electoral reform, free trade and abolition of slavery?

A

Whigs

49
Q

Which parliamentary group represented traditional social values?

A

Tories

50
Q

Who founded the Conservative Party and when?

A

Sir Robert Peel in 1834

51
Q

When did Sir Robert Peel become prime minister?

A

1841

52
Q

How many import tariffs were abolished 1842-46?

A

over 1,200

53
Q

When were the Navigation Acts passed?

A

1651 and 1673

54
Q

What were the three key impacts of the Navigation Acts?

A
  • Colonial goods produced for export had to be carried on English-built and owned ships.
  • Certain goods, eg sugar, tobacco, cotton, ginger, had to be shipped to an English port even if destined for other place in Europe.
  • European imports to British colonies had to land first at English port and then be reshipped onwards.
55
Q

Define salutary neglect.

A

light-touch approach by British to Amercian government and tax collection until 1760s, with Navigation Acts not strictly enforced and local governors and assemblies tasked with local management and setting of taxes

56
Q

When did salutary neglect get abandoned and why?

A

1763, when Britain decided to increase size of army in North America to deter French but needed to raise money to pay for it

57
Q

How did Royal Navy enforce Navigation Acts?

A

Seized ships and cargos, often getting their crews to serve on naval ships

58
Q

What five key laws were introduced from 1763 to back up the enforcement of Navigation Acts in North America?

A
  • residence of custom officials in America (previously lived in Britain and delegated duties to locals in America who didn’t enforce rules)
  • Sugar Act 1764 - lowered tax on sugar from 6d to 3d but strictly enforced (when previously tended to only collect 1d)
  • Mutiny (or Quartering) Act 1765 requiring accommodation and supplies for British troops stationed there to be provided by local assemblies
  • Stamp Act 1765 (repealed 1766)
  • Declaratory Act 1766 stating that all colonies subordinate to Crown and British parliament who could make laws “in all cases whatsoever”
59
Q

What replaced many protectionist tariffs in the budget of 1842?

A

income tax

60
Q

When were sugar duties and Corn Laws repealed?

A

1846

61
Q

Why was repeal of Corn Laws helpful to Ireland?

A

potato crop failure from 1845 caused severe food shortages and this repeal meant lower grain prices

62
Q

Why did abolition of sugar duties lead to economic decline in West Indies?

A

business lost to slave-grown foreign sugar as cheaper

63
Q

How many people died in Ireland in the potato famine 1845-52?

A

more than 1 million

64
Q

How many people emigrated from Ireland in the potato famine 1845-52?

A

more than 1 million