- In the first 1/2 of the 19th century, how did Britain respond to Empire?
- In mid-19th century, British government didn’t pursue an active role due to poor communication, long distances involved and lack of institutions to deal with Empire.
- The Empire was source of pride however, trade and access to markets was biggest concern.
- 1870’s saw a shift in intensity around Empire. Central to this was concern about other imperial powers. Other nations began to grow industrially increasing competition with Britain. Tariffs in US and Europe prevented British goods from flooding market. Britain had to look elsewhere.
- How did the British public get information?
- Growing popular press publicised stories of heroism.
- 1857 – press had shown power to influence public in reporting of Indian Mutiny. British horrified by stories of massacres and tortures, e.g. at Cawnpore and thrilled by those of brave soldiers, such as Major-General Havelock who recaptured Cawnpore. Press turned him to hero and statue of him was erected in Trafalgar Square.
- 1882 – Arabi Pasha’s revolt in Egypt well reported, gazettes wrote of ‘Moslem mob’ killing ‘all the Christians they could find’
- Education Act of 1870 had increased national literacy rates and extension of the vote in 1867 and 1884 Reform Acts (under Disraeli and Gladstone respectively) made public more politically aware.
- Imperialist literature such as H. Rider Haggard’s ‘She’ in 1887 led to pride.
- How did this shape their opinions?
- Helped reinforce the idea of Victorian benevolence. Jingoistic attitudes prevailed.
- British saw Empire as an ‘empire of races’ and believed themselves infinitely superior to indigenous peoples in everything from religion and morals to laws and political institutions. Accompanied by belief that bringing people into Empire could ‘civilise’ indigenous peoples, leading them away from ‘savage’ existence and turning them it hard-working, law abiding citizens – this however was rarely the case.
- Publications like Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species in 1859 led to belief of white superiority → theories of natural selection soon applied to humans. Quasi-scientists justified views by pointing to the eradication of Plains Indians, Maoris and Aboriginals in Australia.
- What were ‘Imperial Exhibitions’?
- Exhibition was held in 1851 and 1862 in South Kensington, featuring over 28,000 exhibitors from 36 countries. Represented wide range of industry, technology, arts and displayed 7000 exhibits from India alone.
- In 1877, a Nubian village, featuring animals and humans, were collected from Sudan and put on display at London’s Alexandra Palace.
In 1886, Colonial and Indian Exhibition held in South Kensington to ‘give the inhabitants of the British Isles, to foreigners and to others, practical demonstration of the wealth and industrial development of the outlying portions of the British Empire.’ In this exhibition, Indians were brought over as ‘living exhibits’.