The governance and administration of the Empire
Key issue(s)
The Empire in 1857
The Empire in 1857
The changed situation of the British Empire (BE) and how its relationship with the global trading system underwent a pivotal change. In the years leading up to 1857, the BE had been at the peak of its mercantilist strength (which saw a close relationship between military power and interventions to maximise trade and production in its sphere of influence).
Key example of this in Asia: the Opium War (1839-42) – but also reliance on outspending its rivals to acquire strength and dominance. Peak of this seen in victories against France (played out in North America, India and Europe). Relied on massive increases in war expenditure.
Key example of this in Asia: the Opium War (1839-42) – but also reliance on outspending its rivals to acquire strength and dominance. Peak of this seen in victories against France (played out in North America, India and Europe). Relied on massive increases in war expenditure.
Internet Resources Opium War
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From 1840s, mercantilism increasingly discredited. Shifting to Free Trade had a huge impact on domestic politics (Repeal of the Corn Laws, etc), and the East India Company became a particular focus of free trader lobbying. Abolition of Navigation Acts in 1849.
The Repeal of the Corn Laws and Repeal of the Navigation Acts Both of these provide context but information about them will be readily available in domestic history text books for earlier periods Anti-mercantilist and free trade lobby – meanings for imperial expansion. |
Internet Resources A good text to highlight the changing attitude to imperial expansion on the basis of military expenditure and dubious economic benefit is found in a pamphlet by Richard Cobden, How Wars Are Got Up In India: The Origins of The Burmese War. This was a harsh critique of the ways in which local officials justified the extension of imperial control into a new zone of influence on the flimsiest of justifications. Secondary reading: The Oxford History of the British Empire: Volume III: The Nineteenth Century, edited by Andrew Porter– See Chapter 9, ‘British Policy, Trade, and Informal Empire in the Mid-Nineteenth Century’, by Martin Lynn. See also this brief summary of ‘drivers of empire’ debates from BBC. |
The Indian Rebellion – 1857
This can be used to highlight key debates about the development of British imperialism in India under the EIC – but it is also an increasingly important issue for discussing more general historical debates about empire, representations of opposition and the social underpinnings of the conflict. However, for the purposes of this breadth study, the main focus should be on the changes in governance and administration that were ushered in after the rebellion – and to connect these to the other domestic and international pressures, which means that we can see 1858, and the end of the EIC, as a pivotal date in the history of the British Empire.
More in Depth Study: British India
This can be used to highlight key debates about the development of British imperialism in India under the EIC – but it is also an increasingly important issue for discussing more general historical debates about empire, representations of opposition and the social underpinnings of the conflict. However, for the purposes of this breadth study, the main focus should be on the changes in governance and administration that were ushered in after the rebellion – and to connect these to the other domestic and international pressures, which means that we can see 1858, and the end of the EIC, as a pivotal date in the history of the British Empire.
More in Depth Study: British India
Internet Resources
Maps showing British Empire at different time periods to explore how the nature and extent of possessions had changed up to c.1815:
Useful resources for general topics on British Empire
Maps showing British Empire at different time periods to explore how the nature and extent of possessions had changed up to c.1815:
- The Penguin Historical Atlas of the British Empire (Penguin Reference) Paperback – 25 May 2006 by Nigel Dalziel (Author), Haywood and Hall (Editor), John Mackenzie (Introduction).
- Atlas of British Overseas Expansion Hardcover – 12 Sep 1991 by A.N. Porter (Editor).
- Britain's Empire in 1815 (BBC) has some good comparative maps/infographics showing the extent of British imperial possessions in c.1815.
Useful resources for general topics on British Empire
- A free MOOC: Empire: the Controversies of British Imperialism (Exeter University).
- Blog: Imperial and Global Forum (Exeter University).
- The National Archives Educational portal: British Empire.
- The British Empire and Commonwealth Collection, now housed in the Bristol Museum, covers a wide range of material relating to the countries of the British Empire and the Commonwealth.