What raw materials did the British Empire?
Raw materials from colonies across the British Empire fuelled the Industrial Revolution. These materials included wool and gold from Australia; cotton, sugar and tobacco from the Americas; gold and diamonds from Africa; and spices, fabric and tea from India.
Where did the British Empire stretch from?
The British Empire is a term used to describe all the places around the world that were once ruled by Britain. Built over many years, it grew to include large areas of North America, Australia, New Zealand, Asia and Africa, as well as small parts of Central and South America, too.
Was Britain an empire in the 1700s?
It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts established by England between the late 16th and early 18th centuries. At its height it was the largest empire in history and, for over a century, was the foremost global power.
What did the British do specifically to tighten their grip on the colonies?
The British government tightened control by not allowing the settlers to move west So they were kept in a smaller place. Also the British government made the quartering act that made the colonists house redcoats in their homes.
What goods were traded in the British Empire?
They traded sugar cane, tea, silk, paintings, art, jewels, sugar,cotton, perfumes and tobacco. The British Empire grew the British economy, it traded their goods and all profits were sent to Britain.
What raw materials did Britain take from India?
As the East India Company expanded, its political control increased. The Company introduced raw materials such as tea, jute and rubber to the UK, which were essential to Britain’s development as an economic powerhouse.
What happened to the British Empire in 1787?
As part of the agreement however Britain retained imperial control in the West Indies and Canada. 1787 – The British politician William Wilberforce, a member of the Clapham Sect, began his campaign to end slavery in British colonies. This led to a free colony being established in Sierra Leone.
How far did the British Empire stretch?
It covered around 25% of the world’s land surface, including large swathes of North America, Australia, Africa and Asia, while other areas – especially in South America – were closely linked to the empire by trade, according to the National Archives.
When did British Empire start and end?
Others say the start date should be the 1490s, while other historians date the empire from the early 1600s. The end of the empire came in the years after World War 2, with most of Britain’s colonies ruling themselves independently by the late 1960s.
What made the British Empire so powerful?
It used its wealth, its armies and its navy to defeat rival European countries and to conquer local peoples to establish its empire. However, the empire did not just rely on force. In most of the empire Britain relied heavily on local people to make it work.
In what ways did the British try to strengthen their control over the colonies after the French and Indian War?
Following the French and Indian War, Britain wanted to control expansion into the western territories. The King issued the Proclamation of 1763 prohibiting settlements beyond the Appalachian Mountains. Colonists who had already settled on these lands were ordered to return east of the mountains.
Why did the British seek to tighten their control over the colonists in North America after the French and Indian War?
British leaders also felt the need to tighten control over their empire. To be sure, laws regulating imperial trade and navigation had been on the books for generations, but American colonists were notorious for evading these regulations.
What was the British Empire like in the 17th century?
Fundamentally, however, it was prosperous, cohesive, and already a leading European and imperial power. Abroad, Britain’s involvement in the War of the Spanish Succession had been brought to a satisfactory conclusion by the Treaty of Utrecht (1713).
How was the British Empire linked together by cables?
By 1902, the British Empire was linked together by a network of telegraph cables, called the All Red Line. The East India Company drove the expansion of the British Empire in Asia.
What did Britain look like in the 1740s?
The miserable, that really pinch and suffer want. From 1700 to the 1740s Britain’s population remained stable at about seven million, and agricultural production increased.
How did the British Empire take shape?
The British Empire began to take shape during the early 17th century, with the English settlement of North America and the smaller islands of the Caribbean, and the establishment of joint-stock companies, most notably the East India Company, to administer colonies and overseas trade.