Empire 2 Timeline

Trade and Commerce - Flashcard 1

1. 1890s: General assumption that Empire makes Britain wealthy; 50% merchant shipping.

2. 1893: Disbandment of the Imperial Federation League.

3. 1894: Dependency on non-imperial wheat (Canada provides only 3.6m out of 64m cwt).

4. 1896: Britain's total trade valued at £745 million; Empire trade accounts for only £183 million.

5. 1897: Tropical Africa accounts for only 1.2% of total British exports.

6. 1899–1900: Colonial Loans and Colonial Stocks Acts facilitate rail infrastructure in Nigeria and Kenya.

7. 1900–1913: British overseas investment doubles from £2 billion to £4 billion.

Trade and Commerce - Flashcard 2

1. 1902: J.A. Hobson publishes "Imperialism," arguing the Empire is a "capitalist plot."

2. 1902: London Colonial Conference held to discuss an Imperial Customs Union.

3. 1903: Joseph Chamberlain resigns to lead the Tariff Reform League (Imperial Preference).

4. 1906: Liberal landslide victory rejects Chamberlain's tariffs to protect food prices.

5. 1908: Global adoption of the gold standard by most nations (except China and Persia).

6. 1910: Germany produces first synthetic rubber, signaling a threat to colonial markets.

7. 1913: Empire countries account for 24.9% of British imports and 37.2% of exports.

Trade and Commerce - Flashcard 3

1. 1914: India becomes Britain's primary market, consuming 20% of total exports.

2. 1900–1914: Six-fold increase in Canadian land dedicated to wheat production.

Imperial and Colonial Policy - Flashcard 1

1. 1883–1907: Baring effectively rules Egypt as a "veiled protectorate."

2. 1890: Failed Egyptian withdrawal agreement with the Sultan; British remains as occupiers.

3. 1892: Indian Councils Act introduces a limited degree of Indian representation.

4. 1898: Fashoda Incident; diplomatic standoff between Britain and France over the Nile.

5. 1899–1905: Viceroyalty of Lord Curzon in India focuses on administrative efficiency.

6. 1900: Russian pressure on Afghanistan causes alarm for British defense planners.

7. 1901: Curzon creates the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) to protect the border.

Imperial and Colonial Policy - Flashcard 2

1. 1902: Aswan Dam completion irrigates half a million acres of Egyptian desert.

2. 1903: Curzon dispatches a military expedition to Tibet to counter Russian influence.

3. 1904: Entente Cordiale settles colonial disputes with France (recognition of Egypt/Morocco).

4. 1905: Partition of Bengal into two provinces sparks massive protests and boycotts.

5. 1906: Denshawai Incident in Egypt; clash over pigeon shooting fuels nationalism.

6. 1906: All India Muslim League formed to safeguard Muslim rights.

7. 1907: Triple Entente formed; Russia recognizes Afghanistan as a British sphere.

Imperial and Colonial Policy - Flashcard 3

1. 1909: Morley-Minto Reforms allow 27 Indians to be elected to provincial councils.

2. 1911: Delhi Durbar; partition of Bengal reunited and capital moved to Delhi.

3. 1911: Agadir Crisis (Second Moroccan Crisis) nearly leads to war with Germany.

4. 1911: Imperial Conference on Defence; Dominions agree to support Britain in war.

5. August 1914: Outbreak of WWI; India declared at war without consultation.

6. December 1914: Britain formally declares Egypt a Protectorate, ending Ottoman sovereignty.

British Expansion in Africa - Flashcard 1

1. 1890: Strategic treaty with Germany (Heligoland for Zanzibar and Uganda).

2. 1890: BSAC fort established at Salisbury in Mashonaland.

3. 1891: Nyasaland (modern Malawi) established under BSAC rule.

4. 1893: Matabeleland incorporated into BSAC territories following local defeat.

5. 1894: Uganda declared a formal British Protectorate.

6. 1895: South Zambesia renamed Rhodesia; Kenya (BEA) becomes a Protectorate.

7. 1895: Jameson Raid; failed attempt by Rhodes' agents to topple the Transvaal Boers.

British Expansion in Africa - Flashcard 2

1. 1896: Sierra Leone becomes formal protectorate; Ashanti King Prempeh is deposed.

2. 1896: Sudan Campaign begins under General Kitchener to destroy the Mahdist state.

3. 1896: Zanzibar Bombardment; shortest war in history (38 mins) to install pro-British Sultan.

4. 1898: Battle of Omdurman decisively destroys the Mahdist state.

5. 1898: Fashoda Incident; French withdrawal secures British dominance on the Nile.

6. 1899: Anglo-Egyptian Sudan established as a "condominium."

7. 1899–1902: Second Boer War (South African War) fought at a cost of £250 million.

British Expansion in Africa - Flashcard 3

1. 1900: Direct British administration replaces Royal Niger Company rule in Northern Nigeria.

2. 1901: Southern Rhodesia officially established as a Protectorate.

3. 1902: Treaty of Vereeniging ends Boer War; republics integrated into the Empire.

4. 1902: Ashantiland formally incorporated into the Gold Coast Colony.

5. 1906: Southern Nigeria established as a formal colony.

6. 1910: Union of South Africa (Cape, Natal, Transvaal, Orange) achieves Dominion status.

7. 1914: Unification of Northern and Southern Nigeria into a single colony.

Relations with Indigenous Peoples - Flashcard 1

1. 1890s: Nationalist newspapers like Kesari (Tilak) voice Indian hostility to British rule.

2. August 1896: Zanzibar bombardment ends Khalid bin Barghash's challenge to British authority.

3. 1898: Sierra Leone "Hut Tax" Rebellion met with a "scorched earth" military policy.

4. 1898: Battle of Omdurman; reassertion of control in Sudan (population declined by 50%).

5. 1899–1902: Boer War; British use concentration camps leading to 20,000+ deaths.

6. 1900–1913: Sayyid Hassan (the "Mad Mullah") resists British authority in Somaliland.

7. 1902: Treaty of Vereeniging; Boers accept British sovereignty with promise of self-rule.

Relations with Indigenous Peoples - Flashcard 2

1. 1903: Founding of Abhinav Bharat (Young India) revolutionary organization in India.

2. 1905: Partition of Bengal sparks the Swadeshi (boycott of British goods) campaign.

3. 1906: Denshawai Incident; public floggings/executions in Egypt fuel nationalism.

4. 1908: Two British women killed by bomb; police investigate Anushilan Samiti.

5. 1909: Assassination of Sir William Curzon Wyllie in London by an Indian activist.

6. 1910: Union of South Africa constitution ensures a "whites only" vote in most states.

7. 1911: Gezira Scheme initiated in the Sudan to provide cotton for British textiles.

Individual Influence - Flashcard 1

1. 1890: Cecil Rhodes becomes Prime Minister of the Cape Colony.

2. 1895: Joseph Chamberlain appointed Colonial Secretary (1895–1903).

3. 1895: Jameson Raid; failed attempt by Rhodes' agents to topple Boer government.

4. 1897: Alfred Milner appointed High Commissioner for Southern Africa.

5. 1899: Lord Curzon appointed Viceroy of India (1899–1905).

6. June 1899: Milner attends Bloemfontein Conference; makes war with Boers inevitable.

7. 1901: Curzon creates North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Imperial Cadet Corps.

Individual Influence - Flashcard 2

1. 1901: Milner becomes Governor of the annexed Orange Free State and Transvaal.

2. 1902: Chamberlain presides over the London Colonial Conference (Customs Union).

3. 1903: Curzon holds an elaborate Delhi Durbar and dispatches expedition to Tibet.

4. 1903: Chamberlain resigns as Colonial Secretary to lead the Tariff Reform League.

5. 1904: Curzon adds 6,000 miles of railway track during his Indian viceroyalty.

6. June 1904: First Chinese laborers (coolies) arrive in South African gold mines under Milner.

7. 1905: Curzon resigns following massive protests over the partition of Bengal.

Individual Influence - Flashcard 3

1. 1906: British Parliament censures Alfred Milner for the use of "the lash" on labourers.

2. 1907: Evelyn Baring (Lord Cromer) retires after nearly 25 years in Egypt.

3. 1908: Baring publishes his two-volume work, "Modern Egypt."

4. 1910: Baring publishes "Ancient and Modern Imperialism."

5. 1913: Milner publishes "The Nation and the Empire."

Attitudes towards Imperialism - Flashcard 1

1. 1890s: Rise of "New Imperialists" (Curzon, Milner) arguing for racial "duty."

2. 1896: Launch of the "Daily Mail" (yellow press) reaching a mass audience of 1 million.

3. 1896: First Empire Day celebrated (May 24th) to instill imperial mission in youth.

4. 1897: Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee celebrated as a massive military spectacle.

5. 1899: Publication of Rudyard Kipling’s poem, "The White Man’s Burden."

6. 1899–1902: Boer War triggers "Khaki Election" (1900) amid intense jingoism.

7. 1901: Emily Hobhouse report on concentration camps shocks the British public.

Attitudes towards Imperialism - Flashcard 2

1. 1902: J.A. Hobson’s "Imperialism" argues Empire is a plot to enrich financiers.

2. 1902: Education Act passed to improve "national efficiency" against rivals.

3. 1903: Formation of the Victoria League for closer imperial union.

4. 1906: Liberal landslide victory; government more critical of aggressive imperialism.

5. 1906: Launch of HMS Dreadnought symbolises push for naval supremacy.

6. 1908: Founding of the Boy Scouts as a military-style youth organisation.

7. 1909: Round Table Movement founded to promote union with self-governing colonies.

Attitudes towards Imperialism - Flashcard 3

1. 1911: Coronation of King George V and Festival of Empire at Crystal Palace.

2. 1912: Founding of the Girl Guides.