Trade key facts for each point

Question 1

How did abolition of slave trade change the pattern of British trade? (4)

Answer 1

Strengthened commercial ties with North America
- 60% of British exports went to NA
-Boosted free trade as British traders expanded to trade with the north/ south US without restrictions

Decline in triangular trade led to the introduction of new routes, expanding free trade

Impact on pots of Liverpool, Bristol and Glasgow with the volume of trade being reduced- had to develop new harbours

Abolition reduced the available workforce on Caribbean sugar plantations which reduced its levels of production and contribution to the trade

Question 2

How did thhe abolition of slave trade NOT change patterns of British trade

Answer 2

Still invested in places where slavery remained legal
-1840’s 20% of British sugar imports came from Cuba

88% of ships participating in illegal slave trade made it through unstopped

Question 3

Impact of Adam SMith

Answer 3

Removing barriers to trade would increase wealth!

Transition to free trade
1779 Gov consulted him on how to respond to Irish demands for Free Trade
- Recommended Ireland should be allowed to trade freely- removed restrictions 1779
- Didn’t result in the collapse of prices for agricultural goods!

Led to Lord Liverpool/ Peel becoming advocates for free trade (but did little to advance it due to dominance of wealthy landowners)

Growing prosperity
- Pitt PM influenced to agree to a trade treaty with France in 1786, reducing tariffs on eg oil/ wine. textiles
Increased imports = Increased properity

Question 4

Impact of Repealing Corn laws

Answer 4

1920s merchant petition demanding reduction/ abolish tariffs to move to free trade, placing pressure on the gov to pursue free trade

Consumer demand was boosted by peels reduction and removal of over 1000 import duties in the early 1840s

Repeal increased British ships employed in foreign trade from 2.8 million tonnes to 16 million 1839-45

Value of British exports grew 53 million- 58 million 1839-44

Period of agricultural prosperity

Question 5

Impact of repeal of Navigation Acts 1849 (4)

Answer 5

Journeys shorter, saving merchants money + faster trade
Trade grew 10X
By 1913 Britain Supplied 25% of world imports

Other countries encouraged to reduce restrictions eg France 1860

Increased trade with ‘informal empire’

changed priorities in government trade policies
ie more attention to the business and industry, more focus on needs of middle & working classes (ease of cheap imports) and weakening of the influence of the landed aristocracy

Question 6

SIgnificance of Singapore 1819

Answer 6

ENtrepot meant ships of all nationalities could dock without taxes/ tarrifs- became a model for later ports and prime example of potential success of free trade

Opened trade route to CHina

Rapid growth
1819 400,000 Spanish dollars passed through, by time the Anglo-dutch treaty was finalised 1824 had increased to 11 mill

drew merchants in and goods all over south-East asia flooded into the city

Commercial growth of Singapore radically outpaces established dutch/ english colonies in the region that imposed taxes/ tariffs on shipping

Britian became the dominant commercial power in the East Indies - removing Dutch
Singapore became a crucial naval base

Question 7

Significance of Hong Kong

Answer 7

FOllowing Opium war 1839, Gunboat diplomacy
The Treaty of Nanking 1842 gave British Hong Kong + Shanghai
Opened china up to free trade via HK

HK was a deep water port and provided an ideal/ secure location for ocean-going vessels
Direct access to Chinese trade + ports

1844-61 Number of ships increased 500%

In 1840, HK handled 75% of the Indian opium crop

Britain gained positive balance of trade through selling opium

Question 8

SIgnificance of Shanghai 1842

Answer 8

British merchants could now trade with anyone rather than a Hong monopoly

Opened up interior of China that was previously inaccessible

Opium Trade boomed, imports grew reaching 6500 tonnes 1880

Taping Rebellion: British benefited as could provide modern gunboats to gov and persuaded gov to outsource the collection of customs tariffs to them
Employed 3000 people

Question 9

Significance of SUez Canal 1875

Answer 9

1870 less than 300,000 british shipping tonnage passing through by 1890 over 5 million

¾ of the trade through the Canal was on British ships (1874)
18 million tonnes of trade through the Suez by 1911

1868-74 = 178% increase in steamship traffic through the Suez → greater volume of trade.

Question 10

SIgnificance of Zanzibar 1890

Answer 10

increased its status as a valuable entreport on route between India and Europe where merchants could acquire African ivory, rubber, species etc

1859-79 grew 64 ships and 18,800 tonnes to 96 tonners and 95,000 tonnes

British East Africa associaion top counter German Trading COmpany- helped secure British interests

never made money and was set up for geopolitical reasons to establish consistent free trade.

Question 11

Significance of the Lease of Weihaiwei 1898

Answer 11

The Great Game: Political +economic rivalry between Russia and Britain for supremacy in Central Asia

Russia Acquired the Port of Arthur in CHina 1895m concerned British as Russia advanced in Great game and potential threat to British interests in CHina
Britain leased Weihaiwei to oversee russians in Port Arthur

No commercial interests, lease lasted as long as russians were there

£250,000 secured British interests in East Africa.

Question 12

Trade with the informal empire

Answer 12

As southern American countries gained independence from Spain/ Portugal, Britain intervened eg removing barriers to British trade

Made free trade treaties with Argentine 1826

1950’s South America was taking 10% british exports and accounted for 10% of British imports

Increased investment into Informal Empire - £80 million in 1865

Question 13

Trade with North America

Answer 13

1778-81 remained each others largest trading partner with average of 40% US imports coming from Britain, mostly primary produce

After end of Mercantalism, Trade w/ NA became much stronger
-Cotton from slave plantations for textiles (UK was biggest textiles manufacturer)

Interrupted by America Civil war 1860s but re-established 1870’s

Late 19h cent US began to produce higher proportion of manufactured goods and introduced some protection on home market, but britain still conducting average of 20% trade with US

Question 14

Trade with the East

Answer 14

India vital as a provider of raw materials + market for british manufactured goods

Scale of trade boosted by opening Suez Canal

Trade with Far east increased by development of Entreports

EIC expanded into China

British took advantage of acute political instability in CHina to oppose the Treaty of Nanking

Question 15

Britans Coal industry- industrial rev

Answer 15

As the British were adopting more free trade, the coal exported increased.

As steam power became vital in factories, transport demand soared

19th cent 20X increase in British output of coal and was one of Britain’s leading exports

1851 - UK produced 2/3 of the world’s coal

1790 produced 7.6 million tonnes
1913 produced 94 million tones

Question 16

Britains Textile industry

Answer 16

Mid 1830s cotton textiles more than half total value of all british foreign exports

Dependent of efficient/ cheap import of raw cot from America but
new suppliers of raw cotton were developed in Egypt and India, useful when American supplies stopped by the American Civil war 1860-65.

1913 Britain still had 70% of world trade in textile

1851 - UK 1/2 world’s cloth.

Question 17

Demographic changes leading to free trade

Answer 17

City population - 15% (1750) to 85% (1900)

Free trade made food cheaper - cheap imports

Great Reform Act (1832) - expanded electorate

Peel knew that to appeal to wider electorate, free trade must be adopted.

Question 18

Evidence for Industrial Revolution

Answer 18

Urbanisation - In 1750, 15% of British people lived in cities → by 1900, this was 85%.

The use of steamships on trade between Britain and Asia grew 178% between 1868-74, also leading to larger volumes of trade with Britain and the East Indies.

The superior technology that Britain had developed allowed them to expand trade via gunboat diplomacy - eg. use of the ‘Nemesis’ Warship in the First Opium War

The British coal trade increased 2000% in the 18th century → became one of Britain’s leading exports.

1851 - UK produced 2/3 of the world’s coal + 1/2 world’s cloth.

Standardisation of Manufactured Products → Easier for Merchants, more efficient, lower costs → British commercial dominance

Question 19

Trade with informal empire

Answer 19

As southern American countries gained independence from SPain/ Portugal, Britain intervened eg removing barriers to British trade

Made free trade treaties with Argentine 1825

1950’s South America was taking 10% british exports and accounted for 10% of British imports

Britain importantibg increasing food fom Latin america eg Frozen Beef by 1913

In the 1840s, 20% of British sugar imports came from Cuba

Question 20

End of American War of Independence

Answer 20

By 1785 British trade with America reached pre-war levels

Value of exports doubled 1783-92 showing trade could prosper if it didny follow mercantilsm

Ireland became a free trade colony which allowed British to export more grain

60% of Trade from Britain was with America

Question 21

Great Reform Act

Answer 21

Whig gov lisened to views of manafacturers/ consumers and were against mercantile policies

Organised ANti-corn league 1838- v effective

Tory party needed to appeal to new noters to stag in power