British Militarism By: Ayah Hamad & Amira Salah
The sun never sets on the British empire
Why was Britain the most powerful nation during the 1700s-1900s? I. Advanced nation during the industrial revolution II. Leading nations to go overseas to control politics economy and life of other countries. III. The British empire was the largest recorded empire in history, and for over a century, was the leading global power. IV. They controlled other countries primarily with military force, referred to as Imperialism. The British Empire was the world's leading Imperialistic nation in the late 1800's to the early 1900's.
What On Earth Is imperialism? Imperialism is the policy of extending a nation's authority by territorial acquisition or by the establishment of economic and political influence over other nations. Countries took over other nations using military. Therefore, British imperialism wouldn t have been possible if it wasn t for Britain's strong army.
The Industrial Revolution also helped give Britain the ability to colonize: It led to the inventions of many advanced weapons, therefore strengthening their army force. railroads, steamships, and the telephone allowed for easy communication between the colony and the controlling nation.
Industrial revolution Weapons Railroads Telephone To fight battles To travel on to the places they conquered Communicate With outer colonies Colonization
1 st India But,why? I II III Natural Recourses Agriculture Strategic location
India has a rich amount of natural resources which made it very valuable. Its natural resources earned it the name Jewel in the Crown because it was that important to the British Empire. Minerals: Iron ore, Coal, Chrome, Copper, Gypsum, Limestone, Magnetite, Sulfur, Zinc, Silver, and Gold. Gems: such as Diamonds, Rubies, Emeralds, and Sapphires. Wood: such as Cedar, Redwood, and Teak trees. Fresh water and fish: such as Sal and Carp.
Agriculture Half of India s land was very fertile and was useful for growing many different types of crops. What about their location, did that help? I. India was in the middle of the old world. Location is very important for trade, which increased the British economy. II. Location is also very important when it comes to wars and battles. III. The geography of India included long mountain ranges which offered protection and shores which offered exposure to any incoming battleships.
Britain's involvement in India Competition between France and Great Britain for commercial interests in East India in the early 18 th century Great Britain won, due to strong military support Control over commercial and political dominance Between the 1760s and 1858 the main component of British power was the British East India Company. As the company established a monopoly over the opium trade and salt production, it brought more Indian territory under its control by forcing India to accept its protection and authority.
Britain Also helped India Improved transportation by railroads Educated Indian People Advancement in technology Communication infrastructure By telegraph networks
2 Egypt nd But, why? I. Location II. Natural Resources III. Agriculture
Natural resources included; Petroleum, Natural Gas, and Oil. Minerals such as: Iron ore, Copper ore, Gold, Silver, Iron, Manganese, and Phosphate rock. Wood: timber, paper pulp, and firewood.
Agriculture Corn, potatoes, rice, sugar cane, tomatoes, wheat, apples, bananas, grapes, oranges, watermelons, and dates. Livestock such as Goats and Sheep are raised for meat, milk, and wool. Cattle and water buffaloes are kept as work animals. Chickens are raised for chicken and eggs.
Egypt provided the quickest way of maintaining communications between Britain and India. It required a brief overland journey, but it was still quicker than circumnavigating Africa. The Suez canal provided one of the most important trade routes between Europe, Asia and Africa. Location
History of British s involvement in Egypt I. It was the strategic foresight of Napoleon that first pointed out the importance of Egypt to Britain. I. In 1798, he had the audacity of landing an army in Egypt that defeated the Mameluke Army at the Battle of the Pyramids. All of a sudden, the British realised that their profitable Indian Empire was under direct threat. II. Fortunately, the Royal Navy destroyed the French Fleet at the battle of Aboukir Bay. A British Army was landed and defeated the remnants of the French force at the Battle of the Sphinx. The French surrendered in 1801. III.At this point, it seemed as if the British forces would remain in place and Egypt would just remain under British control.
To be continued.. VI. Unfortunately for the British, in 1805 a forceful Egyptian leader came to the force, known as Muhammad Ali. He took control of the Mameluke army and defeated the British in 1807. This setback forced them to withdraw from Egypt. The British would not formally return for another 75 years. VII. British interest in Egypt developed again during the American Civil War (1861 1865). At this time, British mills were starved of cotton. Alternative sources had to be found and one such source was to be Egypt whose cotton was actually a particularly good quality product. British companies began investing heavily in the production of cotton in Egypt.
Yet to be continued.. VIII. After WWI, the United Kingdom maintained strategic interests in the Mediterranean and Middle East. The main reason for this was to provide a safe sea and air route between the U.K. and India, but control of oil supplies and national interests were also factors in this policy. IX. Egypt was an interesting situation in that the United Kingdom maintained a significant measure of control of what was in theory an independent country. Indeed, Egypt housed the largest British Army presence outside of the United Kingdom and India. The main reason for this was the presence of the Suez Canal, the key artery that facilitated sea access between the U.K., India and the Far East.
The Crimean War It was a conflict between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. Outcome of the contest to acquiring the most European power
The Crimean War found its roots in the so-called "Eastern Question," or the question of what to do with the decaying Ottoman Empire. The Crimean War was provoked by Russian tsar Nicholas I's continuing pressure on the dying Ottoman Empire, and by Russia's claims to be the protector of the Orthodox Christian subjects of the Ottoman sultan. Britain and France became involved in order to block Russian expansion and prevent Russians from acquiring control of the Turkish Straits and eastern Mediterranean, and to prevent Russia from upsetting the European balance of power.
The Crimean War is considered one of the first "modern" wars and it introduced a number of "firsts" to warfare. The Crimean War marked the first time railroads were used tactically to transport troops and to transport goods to troops over vast distances. The War also marked the first time steam powered ships were used in war. Additionally, new weapons and techniques were used, including breechloading rifles, which loaded from the rear, artillery, and the deployment of trenches. The telegraph was used for the first time as well, allowing for the first "live" war to be broadcast in the press.
The Outcome of the war The Crimean War was managed and commanded very poorly on both sides. Disease accounted for a disproportionate number of the approximately 250,000 men lost by each side The war did not settle the relations of the powers in eastern Europe. It did awaken the new Russian emperor Alexander II to the need to overcome Russia s backwardness in order to compete successfully with the other European powers. Austria, having sided with Great Britain and France, lost the support of Russia in central European affairs. Austria became dependent on Britain and France, which failed to support that country, leading to the Austrian defeats in 1859 and 1866 that, in turn, led to the unification of Italy and Germany. The Ottoman Empire was kept intact, and it would continue to decline until World War I.