the british empire

The extension of settlement, including the effects of contact between European settlers in Australia and Aboriginal and

Torres Straight Islander peoples.

On your own, research and write down a definition for the following words:

Empire

Colony

5 mins!

Australia! New ZealandCanadaIndiaSouth Africa EqyptIrelandThe pacific islands

Overseas colonies offered cheap natural resources.

E.g. When Britain colonised south Africa, they gained access to some of the best diamond mines in the world.

West Indies = SugarEqypt = CottonIndia = Tea Australia = Wool

They also gained many other resources including meat, wool, silk, spices, gold, rice, cocoa, rubber and palm oil.

Britain set up sugar and tobacco plantations in the Caribbean and in North America

They realised they needed labourers to work on the plantations; so began trading slaves

It wasn’t just a one-way deal

Britain exported thousands of different good that the colonies needed

Such as: nails, buttons, buckets, axes, saddles, textiles, clocks, coaches and firearms.

Tools and other machinery that contributed to the increasing civilisation of these countries

Some Christian saw the process of building an empire as a way of spreading Christianity around the world

Matthew Ch28 v19-20 says:

“Go to all the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptise them in the name

of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you”

The people responsible for expansion of the British Empire where also keen to introduce their way of living to the countries that they claimed as part of the empire

They felt that their way of life was superior to the native people of these countries who they considered ‘uncivilised’, ‘barbaric’ ‘savages’

They introduce the British language, sports, foods, alcohol, tools, social systems and religious beliefs.

Britain was a small island nation with a relatively small military

Prolonged conflict between European rivals who provided competition for lands e.g. France

Colonisation of overseas nations expands and strengthens the empire’s armed forces and provides global politcal and military prowess

At the dawn of world war I, the British colonies supplied a major proportion of the British forces.

James Morris describing some of the impacts on Sri Lanka after being colonised by the British:

“Over the next 80 years the British built 2300 miles of road and 2900 miles of railway. They

raised the area of land for farming from 400000 acres to 3.2 million acres, the livestock from

230 000 to 1.5 million, the post offices from 4 to 250, the telegraph lines from 0 to 65, the

annual amount of goods shipped abroad from 75 000 tons to 7 million”

If you were living in Britain during this time, and there was a boat leaving for a country on the other side of the world, that promised sunny beaches and large open spaces, would you go?

Think of reasons why people may have volunteered to migrate to Australia.

Write them down.

Conditions in England during this time:OvercrowdedCrime ridden (theft) Jails were over overflowing

Place to send convicts http://www.australianhistory.org/who-convicts

ReligionWay of LifeCivilise the ‘savages’ that inhabited the land

Sound familiar?