WHAT HAS THE BRITISH EMPIRE STOOD FOR SINCE 1900

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WHAT HAS THE BRITISH EMPIRE STOOD FOR SINCE 1900?

• Interpretations of the Empire

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AIMS

• To examine the different interpretations of the
  British Empire.
• To begin to understand why there are different
  interpretations of the Empire.
• To begin to evaluate these interpretations.

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STARTER QUIZ

• How many countries can you think of that play
  cricket?
• How many countries can you think of that speak
  English?
• Can you match the following flags to the correct
  countries?
• What do the flags have in common?

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Australia
New Zealand
Hawaii
Canada (this is their old flag)
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WHAT DO THESE COUNTRIES HAVE IN COMMON?
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HOW DID THE VICTORIANS VIEW THEIR EMPIRE?

• Queen Victoria celebrated her Diamond Jubilee in
  1897.
• She was leader of Britains Empire.
• Look at the following sources how did the
  British view their Empire?

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When Britain first at Heav'n's command, Arose
from out the azure mainThis was the charter of
the land, And guardian angels sang this
strainRule, Britannia! Britannia, rule the
waves Britons never shall be slaves. The
nations not so blest as thee, Shall in their
turns to tyrants fallWhile thou shalt flourish
great and free, The dread and envy of them
all.Rule, Britannia! Britannia, rule the waves
Britons never shall be slaves.Still more
majestic shalt thou rise, More dreadful from each
foreign strokeAs the loud blast that tears the
skies, Serves but to root thy native oak.Rule,
Britannia! Britannia, rule the waves Britons
never shall be slaves. Thee haughty tyrants
ne'er shall tame, All their attempts to bend thee
downWill but arouse thy generous flame, But
work their woe, and thy renown.Rule, Britannia!
Britannia, rule the waves Britons never shall be
slaves.To thee belongs the rural reign, They
cities shall with commerce shineAll thine shall
be the subject main, And every shore it circles
thine.Rule, Britannia! Britannia, rule the
waves Britons never shall be slaves.The Muses,
still with freedom found, Shall to thy happy
coast repairBlest Isle! With matchless beauty
crowned, And manly hearts to guide the
fair.Rule, Britannia! Britannia, rule the waves
Britons never shall be slaves.
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This plate was produced to celebrate Queen
Victorias Golden Jubilee. On your copy show all
the positive points it makes about the Empire.
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CHANGING VIEWS

• The Empire disappeared as countries began to gain
  their independence.
• Look at the following sources.
• Why might people have been thinking differently
  about the British Empire by the 1970s?

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"Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and
now the time comes when we will redeem our
pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very
substantially. At the stroke of the midnight
hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to
life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but
rarely in history, when we step out from the old
to the new, when an age ends and when the soul of
a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance ....
We end today a period of ill fortune, and India
discovers herself again."          - Jawaharlal
Nehru (Speech on Indian Independence Day, 1947)
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In the twentieth century, and especially since
the end of the war, the processes which gave
birth to the nation states of Europe have been
repeated all over the world. We have seen the
awakening of national consciousness in peoples
who have for centuries lived in dependence upon
some other power. Fifteen years ago this movement
spread through Asia. Many countries there, of
different races and civilisations, pressed their
claim to an independent national life. Today the
same thing is happening in Africa, and the most
striking of all the impressions I have formed
since I left London a month ago is of the
strength of this African national consciousness.
In different places it takes different forms, but
it is happening everywhere. The wind of change
is blowing through this continent, and whether we
like it or not, this growth of national
consciousness is a political fact. We must all
accept it as a fact, and our national policies
must take account of it. Harold Macmillan,
British Prime Minister, 3rd February, 1960
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VIEWS TODAY

• How do people view the British Empire today?

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• The British Empire should be seen in a positive
  light. It introduced
• The rule of law.
• Trading links between many countries.
• Investment.
• Cooperation and friendship.
• Schools set up by Christian missionaries.

The British Empire should be seen in a negative
light. It held back the development of many
countries. Resources were stolen by Britain.
People were kept in poor conditions and this has
persisted to the present day.
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TASK

• You have looked at a number of different
  interpretations of Britains Empire.
• You have explored the reasons for these different
  interpretations.
• Now you must come to your own conclusion what
  is your interpretation?
• Design your own Empire plate and use it to put
  across your own interpretation.