british imperialism: links to the 19th & 20th century british empire and imperial influence   

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1. Growth of the British Empire
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Imperialism Go to the casahistoria imperialism home site  for sections on the Theory & Practice of imperialism; Continental European Imperialism; The European experience in Africa; Gunboat Diplomacy.

 

Case studies (for original documents)
1. N America
2. Africa
3. India
4. Australia

Background information
1. N America
2. Africa
3. India
4. Australia

  • Rewriting the history of the British Empire by Keith Windschuttle who provides in this review article a thorough overview of the imperial period and its demise.
  • This Sceptred Isle: Empire - A 90-part history of the British Empire, by Christopher Lee.  The web site to accompany the series includes many interactive maps and timelines as well as bios and images of key players. Excellent resource.

The impact of the Slave Trade

  • Slave-related trade & Profit margins. Two articles from the BBC's Abolition of the Slave Trade site that show how the Slave trade helped to provide the money to pay for Britain's early industrialisation as well as its first key overseas markets.

Slavery For extensive links to the British involvement in the Slave Trade from Africa go to the young casahistoria Slavery site.

 

 
N A M Rodger: Command of the Ocean.
A Naval History of Britain, 1649-1815


This is the second volume in the naval history and is very valuable, not just for its account of how the Royal Navy grew into the premier seafaring force of its time but also for placing this in a general political & economic context. Different sections on politics and society as well as naval technology and management styles show very clearly the emergence of Britain as the key imperial power. It reads easily and appears thoroughly researched. Hardly surprising it became a (surprising) bestseller in the UK. I look forward to Volume 3.


 

 



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2. Living in the Empire

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Case studies (for original documents)
1. The British view
2. Australia
3. Africa
4. India
5. North America
6. Migration

Background information
1. The British view
2. Australia
3. Africa
4. India
5. North America
6. Migration


  • Colonial & Empire Also from the UK National Archive. Excellent selection of images, posters, adverts, photos, documents from the imperial period
  • Empire Women BBC item about the  British Empire and Commonwealth Museum which has recorded the memories of nearly a thousand people who lived and worked across the Empire, including hundreds of British women. Many had no idea what to expect, like Elizabeth Christie, who arrived in Bengal as a young bride in 1934. Others like Phyllis Tanner and her daughter Jill found themselves separated when their children were sent home to be educated. Isobel Eaton talked to museum historian Dr Katherine Prior and listened to the stories in the archive. Begins with Susan de Hevingham Baekland, who in the nineteen forties became the first female political officer in Aden where she earned the name by which she would be known throughout her remarkable career.
Imperial Miscellany.
  • Sgt Bayes won the King's medal for the Best Shot of the Indian ArmyBritish Imperialistic Anthems Textual reprints and Real Audio selections of famous British anthems that explicitly or implicitly promote the righteousness and necessity of British imperial power.
  • The British Empire in Maps From Stephen Luscombe's excellent British Empire Site. Shows the expansion of the Empire very clearly in a series of geographical maps. For a simple chronological expansion overview, click here.
  • Imperial Airways: An interesting, and imaginative look at how the Empire was held together by the Airline in the early 20th century. (The route through cigarette cards is especially worthwhile!)
  • How Britain Denies its Holocausts - Why Do So Few People Know About The Atrocities Of Empire? By George Monbiot; 2005 Review article of three recent books - Britain's Gulag by Caroline Elkins, Histories of the Hanged by David Anderson and Web of Deceit by Mark Curtis that highlight the negative aspects of British imperialism






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3. Britain: territories & regions of influence

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Click on one of the casahistoria sites below to go to one of our pages on the British Empire:

 

  Africa: The European experience in Africa
  Australia:  Case Study: Australia go to the casahistoria site 
  British India:  See Section 4 below: British India  
  China:  Impact of the West go to the casahistoria site 
  Falklands/Malvinas:  Malvinas/Falklands go to the casahistoria site 
  Ireland:  Ireland and the British these casahistoria pages include: Plantation, Control, Rebellion & Famine;  Home Rule, Easter Rising & Partition; The Troubles in the North, 1921-1998
  Latin America:  British involvement in Latin America - the casahistoria site 
  Middle East   Mesopotamia/Iraq go to the casahistoria site. Sections on:
19th c: Ottoman collapse; British Mandate, 1918-32; British invasion, WW2; The Oil factor; British-US rivalry, & cooperation 1918-73; Independence & continued intervention; Iraq, Hussein, the West & War (links to a separate page).
Palestine Mandate go to the casahistoria site. Sections on:
 
World War 1, Palestine & Origins of Mandate; The Palestine Mandate; Living under the Mandate; The British in Palestine; The End of the Mandate; Zionism; Jewish immigration; Land Question; Zionist resistance to British & growing violence; Failure of the Mandate; Documents & Key Resources
 
 
       South East Asia

       Emigration to the Empire and beyond

 

Emigration For extensive links to the history of emigration during this period go to the casahistoria subsite. Also includes specific sites on immigration to: USA,   Argentina and Australia







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4. British India

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Documents

  • The Western Intrusion Documents from the  Internet Indian History Sourcebook
  • Lady Canning, the Viceroy's wife, goes out to sketch, 1861Raj Images of India and Pakistan and movies of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka before Independence in 1947. Lush production from the excellent Harappa site
  • The Story of the (Malakand) Guides by Colonel G. J. Younghusband. The Gutenberg edition of the 1908 military history of the British on the north west frontier in the 19th century.
  • British Voices from South Asia Very useful witness accounts placed in a well supported and visual context. This site reproduces an exhibition which was held in Louisiana State University in 1996. The materials presented here focus on British India as a colonial subculture and on some of the cultural implications of the British-Indian connection
  • Family Histories - Family History in India / Families in British India Society  UK based society devoted to India and surrounding areas. This site now includes Cathy Day's work previously on her own website. Excellent Resource. Essentially information regarding British, European and Anglo-Indian family history in India, Burma, Pakistan and Bangladesh. However very good for research into specifics such as occupations, army regiments, life in general
  • Images of India Excellent set of photos of British India taken 1903-8 from Unique Tour company. Images are described as they were originally. Good on native Indian photos.

Early involvement

The 1857 Indian Mutiny      The Raj
  • British India Well supported and set out site from the Indian Manas site. Use the many links to find the aspect of British India you need.

       Society

       Army

  • Sahib, the British Soldier in India, 1750 - 1914 Podcast of well known military historian Professor Richard Holmes examining Indian soldiering in peace and war. He addresses the experience of ordinary soldiers, why they joined up, how they got to India and what they made of it when they arrived
  • The army history forgot Detailed article by the respected BBC India correspondent, Mark Tully, on the role of the Indian soldiers who fought in the British Army. Despite being hampered by antiquated equipment and Winston Churchill's prejudice, they helped inflict a crushing defeat on the Japanese.

       Industry

  • Indian railways: Early Days. Excellent, well produced and extensive resource from the Indian Railways Fan Club. Descriptions, detailed chronology, documents, maps, images and a vast number of articles, many on aspects of Indian railway history.
  • Jute mills in British India. Useful site into the economic value of India includes maps, photos and records of output. From Dundee University.
  • The Jute Wallahs Online Exhibition from Dundee University. Focus is on the Jute industry where so many Dundee managers went out to work. Good visuals and primary resources of all aspects of the Indian workforce, the industry and the British. See also the linked Dundee and India: Roots, Rivalry and Interdependence 2005 lecture by Professor Christopher Whatle.
       Legacy
  • The Colonial Legacy - Some Myths and Popular Beliefs Literacy in British India in 1911 was only 6% in 1931 it was 8%, and by 1947 it had crawled to 11%. The 1931 census revealed 74 per cent of Bombay's population lived in one-room tenements - with one-third living more than 5 to a room. After the Second World War, 13 per cent of Bombay's population slept on the streets. 10-15 tenements typically shared one water tap. Life expectancy in India had fallen to 23 in 1931! In the 50 years prior to independence, the Indian economy experienced zero growth. Committed article from South Asian History

Tracing Family links with British India

  • India Genealogy Links Excellent and very thorugh site for those seeking to research settlement in India
  • Family Histories - Family History in India Cathy Day's excellent Resource. Essentially information regarding British, European and Anglo-Indian family history in India, Burma, Pakistan and Bangladesh. However very good for research into specifics such as occupations, army regiments, life in general.
  •  §
  • Families in British India Society Organization devoted to members with an interest in researching their ancestors of British and European origin in India and Southern Asia.

  







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5. General  sites for information on the British Empire
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the casahistoria imperialism core sites:
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  Imperialism home
  British Imperialism
  USA & Japan, the latecomers
  The native experience   
  The anti colonialists 
  European Emigration 
  Decolonisation







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  v09.11



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