Unit 3- Britain- Royal Navy and Trade Flashcards
What are the 3 major main features of the Royal Navy and Trade section?
1) 1815- Britain being the only global maritime power when the Battle of Waterloo ended- power was only challenged at the end of the 19th Century
2) The acquisitions
3) Slave trade and navigation acts
Britain at the start of the 19th Century vs at the end of the century
Britain sat at the centre of the global network of strategic ports and trade routes through which immense wealth flowed into the country
In contrast to the increased government debt
GDP: 1763- 157% 1821- 260%
2 power stand- Destruction of the Franco-Spanish fleet at Trafalgar in 1805- supremacy was unchallengeable by other European rivals
Mid 19th Century- naval warfare was dominated by cannon-firing sailing ships AGE OF SAIL
Start of 20th Century- AGE OF STEAM
John Fisher- 1904- was appointed 1st sea lord of the Admiralty
The Royal Navy and ships were seen as outdated so Fisher produced his modernisation programme which included scrapping up to 154 old warships and replacing them with more powerful ships. Britain wanted to secure its position as a two power stand- powerful than the next two largest navies combined and prioritised its as a pre-eminent naval power
Acquisition of Ceylon- 1815
Provided a fine naval base at Colombo and promoted control in an area of growing commercial importance to Britain
RN needed to decisively destroy European rivals i.e France
Ceylon was one of the only producers of cinnamon in the world
The coastal region was originally occupied by the Dutch however in 1793 they were invaded by the French causing the Dutch royal family to flee to Britain where they had to surrender all their colonies for ‘protection’. In rebuttal, the French set up a puppet government and ordered the Dutch to surrender their colonies to them
This was a difficult decision by the governor however he ultimately surrendered to the British- British sent HMS Suffolk and an accompanying frigate to go and capture Ceylon
Kandyan Convention agreed signed by the British and Chiefs of the Kandyan Kingdom in Sri Lanka for the deposition of rule of the king
Was also a profitable venture
Acquisition of Zanzibar- 1890
Economic and strategic base
The city of Zanzibar was an entrepôt model where goods were being bought- the British saw the major influence Zanzibar had in East Africa so they began to intervene
Royal Navy squadrons had an intimidating presence so they were able to influence the local rulers
It was valuable for its ivory and rubber
Shipping dock grew to 96 ships and 96,403 tons
City had grown in wealth and importance
Acquisition of Aden (1839)
Strategic base
Purchase of the Suez Canal to Acquisition of Cyprus (1878)
Changes from economic benefits to protectionism
Aden- Red Sea increased importance- after the steamship Hugh Lindsay sailed from Bombay to the Suez isthmus in 1829, stopping at Aden with the sultan’s consent to resupply with coal
Although cargo was still carried around the Cape in sailing ships, a steam route to Suez would provide a much quicker option for transporting officials and important communications
Grant felt that armed ships steaming regularly between Bombay and Suez would help secure British interests in the region- East India Company approved the purchase of two steamers in 1837
Aden was a logical extension of the acquisitions of naval bases- the British Empire in particularly the East India Company was already a profit-making enterprise- so the New bases had little to offer economically
Purchase of the Suez Canal
(1875)
Economic and strategic base
to Acquisition of Cyprus (1878)
Changes from economic benefits to protectionism
Largely invested in by French entrepreneur named Ferdinand de Lesseps. He was keen to attract international investment but bankers in Germany, Britain and America were not willing to commit to such a large costs. The Suez separated the Red Sea from the Mediterranean Sea had been of strategic military interest for many countries.
Napoleon attempted to build a canal in 1798- as he saw this as a economic advantage and had invaded Egypt with the specific objective of attacking British commerce
Many political concerns over the lack of British influence over the opposition- there was a great opportunity to acquire influence
Heavily indebted Khedive was forced to sell his shares so Disraeli borrowed £4 million from the Rothschild as an investment
This was all without government bonds or even informing Parliament
Disraeli’s intention was to advance Britains geopolitical interests
He didn’t see it as a commercial investment instead as a way to ‘secure a highway to our Indian Empire and expert British dominance internationally’
Acquisition of Cyprus (1878)
Strategic base
Changes from economic benefits to protectionism
New way of thinking- seize of territory was justified by the need to protect existing territory rather than seek additional profit
The acquisition of Cyprus was seen as an important milestone for the development of the Empire
The growing power gap between major European imperial powers and other countries was clear; the Ottoman Empire was helpless to prevent Britain and Russia acquiring large tracts of its territory
Mainstream in the Conservative Party- Palmerston’s brand of imperialism characterised by PM’s Disraeli & Lord Salisbury wanted increased naval power and territorial expansion- GEOPOLITICS OVER ECONOMICS
Liberal Party- Gladstone committed to less gov. expenditure and minimal overseas involvement
Repeal of the Navigation Acts (1849)
Key point in changing patterns of trade- series of laws that restricted the use of foreign ships for trade between every country except England
Passed between 1651-1773
Helped reduce the cost of maintaining Labour power through cheap foreign imports and marked the end of mercantilism and protectionism and free trade was now dominant- large growth of Britain’s industrial base and increased the quantity of goods for export
Suppression of slavery and piracy
1806
Political imperative- there was a divide in political opinion about the abolition of the slave trade in 1806
People who agreed: argued that the slave trade was a ‘nursery’ for the Royal Navy in terms of recruiting more sailors.
However people who were against: such as abolitionist Thomas Clarkson argued that out of 5000 Englishmen who went on slaving voyages, only 2329 men came back; a majority dying due to various illnesses
Royal Navy had to adapt to Britain new laws taking on a new role and circulating the waters to find any rebels who still participated in slavery- able to free 150,000 slaves
Due to the Napoleonic Wars, the Royal Navy was overstretched so they had to work harder
The number of ships crossing the Atlantic rose from 80,000 in 1800 to 135,000 in 1830
