Britain 1750-1900

Events and ideas

If people living in Britain in 1750 had been transported forward in time, they would hardly have recognized Britain in 1900. Many places which had earlier been just villages or small towns were now bustling cities with what seemed to be huge populations. The ways that the people got from place to place had also changed. The way goods were made and the way land was farmed were very different. During this period, Britain began to change from an agricultural country to one which earned its living through selling manufacturing goods.

Trade, the force for change?

The driving force behind many of the trades from 1750 onwards was trade. Trade made money. Britain expanded its trading powers, fought to defend them, and acquired an empire. It was important to make cheap goods to trade. Machines were invented and constantly improved to make this possible. Factories were built in towns to make production easier. It was important to move trade goods around quickly and cheaply. Roads were improved, canals dug, and railways built at an amazing rate. Much of the money put into these developments came from merchants who would benefit from them

Industrialisation

One of the most obvious changes that took place was the shift in the way work was done. In 1750, most work was done by small groups of people using simple equipment. Most people lived in the countryside and worked on land. By 1900, a great deal of work was done by machines and many of them in big factories and in large towns. Many more people lived in towns to be close to work. Others were put out of work on the land because of changes in farming.

Leaving the country

Between 1750 and 1900, about 14 million people emigrated. Many went to live in the USA. Most of the rest went to live in British colonies. Some of these were sent there, transported as criminals, rather than living on their own free will. But others left because their lives in Britain were so miserable that they wanted to make a new life. Many were encouraged to emigrate by landlords who no longer had to work for them. Despite this huge drain of people, there were over five times as many people living in Britain in 1900 as there had been in 1750.

More people, living longer

The population of Britain went up sharply for many reasons. By 1900, many towns had better water supplies and sanitation. This kept people healthier. Medical care was better and vaccines had been discovered to fight disease. People were generally healthier, so lived longer. Babies were less likely to die as soon as they were born.

Colonies

As Britain became more powerful, it began to acquire colonies abroad, for example, America and India. These colonies helped produce raw materials for British industries and provided places to sell manufactured goods. Not surprisingly, other countries also wanted colonies, and this led to clashes. Britain and France, for example, were great rivals and frequently went to war over control of colonies.

Unrest at home

This was also a time when many working people began to fight for their rights. Britain watched uneasily as other countries in Europe were rocked by discontent among the working people. In France, this erupted into a successful revolution and the execution of the French King. British workers, made uneasy by poor living and working conditions and the growing use of machinery to their jobs, were also restless. They wanted better working and living conditions, the right to form unions, even the right to vote. The government and factory owners were unwilling to change, but they were shaken by outbreaks of violence around the country. They made just enough changes to calm things down.

Britain gains an empire

In 1750, Britain was a major trading nation. Its goods were traded across the world by companies such as the East India Company and the Hudson’s Bay Company, but at this time Britain did not actually own large areas of land abroad (with the exception of America, which was to win its independence from Britain in 1783). By 1900, things had changed. Britain had a huge empire which covered a quarter of the world’s landmass. Queen Victoria was recognised as ruler by people as far afield as Canada, Trinidad, and Australia.

Reasons for growth of the empire

During the 18th century, most British politicians thought that having an empire was not a good idea. Running colonies abroad would be very expensive, and they would require a large, expensive fleet to protect them. Also, politicians feared that having an empire might lead to war. But in the second half of the 19th century, these attitudes began to change, and as the benefits of controlling land overseas became more apparent, the trading posts which British merchants controlled in 1750 provided good opportunities to sell British goods abroad and to buy raw materials such as cotton and tea. If Britain owned more places, it would have been easier to export the raw materials and could be bought more cheaply.

The spread of beliefs

There were many britons who believed that their country had a duty to spread its beliefs throughout the world. Britain was the world's most powerful country and the people of Africa, Asia, and other areas of benefit under British control. When they could learn about Christianity and modern developments in science, technology, and medicine, so men such as Cecil Rhodes and David Livingstone went to Africa believing that it was their duty to civilize the local population and teach them the benefits of the British way of life.

The spoils of war

In some ways, the British Empire was gained almost by accident. Between 1700 and 1850, Britain won a number of wars which brought colonies as prizes for victory. For instance, Gibraltar was won in the War of Spanish Succession. After defeating France and Austria in the Seven Years' War, Britain gained Canada and parts of India. When the French Emperor Napoleon was defeated in the Napoleonic Wars in 1815, Britain gained Sri Lanka and parts of South Africa. Hong Kong became a British possession when China was defeated by Britain in the Opium Wars of the 19th century.