Imperial Reform in Britian from 1815 to 1870 The period 1815 to 1870 was characterized by radical change in the character of the British Empire, to the extent that, by the end of the period, the empire consisted of two distinct parts: one made up of ‘dependent’ colonies, experiencing direct formal rule; and the other made up of self-governing ‘settlement’ colonies. This development occurred as a result of a series of social, political and economic reforms. In order to judge whether economic factors dominated imperial reform during this period, an assessment of the causes and nature of reforms is necessary. However, while imperial reform was multicausal, great weight can be given to the argument that underlying economic factors which stimulated initial social reform and change, which in turn propagated political reform. One of the earliest reforms was the dismantling of the slave system, initiated by Britain in 1807 through the end to British involvement in the transatlantic slave trade, and again in 1834 through the abolition of colonial slavery. The abolition can be seen as a result of a combination of economic, social and political factors. The economic decline of the British Caribbean and other regions, due to foreign competition, may have rendered the slave system unsustainable, contributing to the need for abolition. However, a more dominant reason for the abolition can be found in the work of anti-slavery pressure groups which pushed for governmental reform. Moreover, this was assisted by 19th century industrialisation and urbanisation which caused the emergence of an alternative middle-class mindset that viewed slavery as... ... middle of paper ... ... powers. Owing to her superior position in industry and trade, Britain tended to benefit from the introduction of free trade and end of protectionism. Thus, these reforms were stimulated chiefly by economic advantages. Therefore, all forms of imperial reform in the 19th century were influenced by economic factors to an extent. Underlying economic factors contributed to social and political change which resulted in the abolition of slavery and the granting of self-government to settlement colonies. Moreover, economic benefits of the free trade reforms directly stimulated them. Thus, while not all of the reforms were a direct result of economic factors, underlying economic reasons influenced all the reforms to a certain extent, often producing the social and political factors which eventually stimulated reform.
J.A. Hobson, a wealthy liberal who sought to initiate economic and social reform, was strongly averse to the British imperial system because he viewed it as a corrupt scheme meant to deplete Britain’s national resources and secure more profits for the individual benefit of British elite classes. Hobson saw that imperialism facilitated conservative capitalism by “securing private material benefits [for entrepreneurs]...at the public cost,” consequently allowing business owners to advance to higher social positions (Hobson 2). By promoting entrepreneurs further up the social hierarchy ladder, imperialism widened the social division between elite business holders and proletariat workers As a liberal, Hobson was naturally opposed to such divisions between social classes: he protected the working class and sought to promote equality among the various classes. Since imperialism promotes divisions between social classes, Hobson was instinctively opposed to Britain’s imperial system.
At the end of 1800s and early 1900s, U.S start taking control and expand all over the
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The State of Britain in 1815 After the end of the Napoleonic wars between France and England, which had lasted about a quarter of a century, England was the most powerful country in the world. This had come about because of many changes throughout Britain in Industry, Agriculture, Society, and Politics and also because of International incidents. The culmination of all these changes was that Britain had changed dramatically and had become a much more 'modern' state. In this essay I will be exploring the changes and what effects they had. From about 1750 the Industrial Revolution had begun in Britain, this was the transition from an essentially land based economy to an industrial one with high levels of services industries and manufacturing.
These tangents alone can develop to a state of modernity but individually they do not amount to modernity. The effects of the Atlantic slave trade were a feature of modernity although it did not affect all aspects and in some case such as technology there is an argument for regression. Ideological advances particularly in the contrasting way slaves were viewed at the start and end of the Atlantic slave trade show a definite transformation towards modernity. The view of slaves as free humans and not animals was a contemporary idea which gained popularity and brought about the end of slavery. The slave trade did contribute to economic growth but the size of this contribution is questionable. Some people such as Inikori believe that the role of the slave trade was such that the British economy may have stagnated without it (Inikori cited in Waites et al, 2011 p.66). However, despite its undoubted impact to the economy there is statistical data to suggest that exports of slave manufactured commodities were minimal and that the so call ‘industrial revolution’ would have happened either
One of the most significant catalysts of the system was the growth of the Atlantic slave trade. The success sugar plantations of the West Indies and the colonial expansions in South America would not have been possible without African slave labor. Although African slaves were expensive, approximately equivalent to 6.5 thousand USD in today’s currency , compared to natives or indentured servants from Europe, they were seen as a better investment. The mercantilist policies of European states such as England and the Netherl...
A point of synthesis is feudalism. Some colonists came over by the join stock companies, which a person was given a charter by the king to establish settlements to help bring wealth to Great Britain. Feudalism works in a similar way, the king owns the lands and people will work to gain wealth for the king. Both are a way to gain wealth for the king. The development over slavery grew slowly between 1607 and 1750. The main causes of an increased amount of slavery is because of indentured servants, cash crops, and religion.
As the United States grew in power, so did her ideas of expansion. The foreign powers were beginning to move out of their continents and seek land in other countries. The United States soon followed. They followed in their founder’s footsteps and tried to occupy lands in the far seas. However, in the beginning, this need for more land was called Manifest Destiny. This idea claimed that God was forcing them to occupy the new western lands. The expansionism that occurred in the late 1800’s was not a result of Manifest Destiny, and thus this "new" idea of expansionism was different from the expansionism ideas of early America. For the most part, the United States’ need for more land was primarily to keep other nations (mainly European powers) out of the western hemisphere. However the United States began to see reason behind change towards the "new" expansionistic ideas.
The 1840s was a time of slavery, new inventions, expansion and war throughout the U.S. Slavery was filled throughout the southern states while the north opposed it. There were many arguments debating whether new states admitted to the union should be able to have slavery or not. Both the Northern and Southern states were adamant on their views toward the slavery issue.
The rise of Great Britain began in the early 16th century and lasted until the mid-19th
The British Empire was a period of , but it was only this way due to their imperialistic views and the exploitation of people within the Empire. Even though the British Imperialism of the late 19th century/early 20th century brought great wealth, knowledge, and technological advancements, but at the expense of others. Britain had to find a way to justify their ‘superiority’ over these other countries….. Scientists and social scientists created many sciences, including social Darwinism, eugenics, phrenology, and polygenism. Many historians have argued whether or not these sciences were proposed in order to justify the British Empire or not. These pseudo-sciences were constructed to rationalize the imperialism during the 19th century. This paper
Imperialism differed in perspectives depending on which P.O.V it came from either, the imperialist of the colonized. During the late 1800s and early 1900s several societies around the world, especially Europe, were affected by imperialism. Imperialism is a situation in which a country expands their power and influence through negotiation or military force. The imperialist might see this as an advantage while the colonist might see this an invasion. The view on imperialism was obviously not seen eye to eye between imperialists and colonists.
A new era was dawning on the American colonies and its mother country Britain, an era of revolution. The American colonists were subjected to many cruel acts of the British Parliament in order to benefit England itself. These British policies were forcing the Americans to rebellious feelings as their rights were constantly being violated by the British Crown. The colonies wanted to have an independent government and economy so they could create their own laws and stipulations. The British imperial policies affected the colonies economic, political, and geographic situation which intensified colonists’ resistance to British rule and intensified commitment to their republican values.
The British Empire is the largest empire ever seen on the face of this planet. The empire was divided into two. The first part of the empire revolved around the British colonies in America that were popularly known as the thirteen colonies. These gained independence from Britain in 1783. The second part of the empire, which developed from the first empire, came later. It started during the Napoleonic wars and survived throughout the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century. In fact, the British withdrew from its last colony, Hong Kong, in 1997; indeed the empire lasted for a long time. It developed from India and spun to regions of Africa and Australia. The influence and the power of the empire spun around the world shaping it in different ways. This influence is still evident in many places that fell under its control (Ferguson, 2004). To many people the world is the way it is due to the effects of the British Empire. Certainly, this empire just like other numerous empires before it and after it had triumphs and humiliations; however, the fact that this empire had numerous good effects cannot be overemphasized. The empire impacted positively on Britain and the colonies.
...ian colonies had become an economic burden and ceased to yield revenue for Britain. It is evident therefore that these conditions had forced Britain to eradicate the slave trade in 1807 and grant emancipation in 1833.