Why did the British become empire builders?
- Created by: freyawoolley
- Created on: 04-05-14 16:43
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- Why did the british become empire builders?
- Power
- The British government became rich by taxing the profits of the British traders
- The British thought they were morally superior to the natives
- Britain wanted to rule the world
- The colonies had to buy their goods
- There was much pride in Britain's achievements and empire
- Religion
- The African's were godless and many carried out strange (to whites) ceremonies.
- Christian missionaries were sent out to every part of the empire
- "Go ye therefore and teach all nations" this is what most Christians believed
- Education
- Many Brits wanted and felt there was a need to civilise the native people
- Britain wanted to export its language, laws and customs for economic, religious and cultural reasons
- Botanists and explorers were supported by the Royal Geographical society
- Exploration
- Many young men were bored with the daily grind in Britain and were keen to travel.
- The empire was exciting and interesting with new lands, people and cultures
- Captain Cook wanted to discover new lands
- Employment
- Britain had 6,000 traders and 10,000 seamen
- Australia and Canada would be useful in solving the unemployment problems in Britain
- Some imports from the colonies started new industries in Britain eg coffee, chocolate industries
- Military
- The empire could provide ports for the Royal Navy
- The population of the empire could provide for thousands of men for the British army
- The Royal Navy was the largest in the world
- The Indian civil service and the army provided plenty of job opportunities
- Trade
- Britain was the workshop of the world producing most of the goods needed and desired by the western world
- Raw materials from the colonies could be processed in Britain
- Britain was a net importer of food by the eighteenth century
- Colonies offered cheap natural resources. Britain owned both the land and resources from it
- Meat, wool, silk, spices, gold, rice, chocolate, diamonds were all produced by different parts of the empire
- Sugar could be imported from the Empire and then sold to Holland and Germany
- British merchants were importing goods from all over the world
- Britain exported £141 million worth of goods in 1842
- Lancashire cotton mills depended on the Indian market
- Power
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