BRITAIN FROM THE NINETEENTH CENTURY TO NOW
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What are the two main assumptions of the Industrial Revolution concept?

  • It was a gradual process and it only occurred in Britain
  • It was a development from a pre-industrial to an industrial society, and a fundamental break with the past (correct)
  • It was a global phenomenon that occurred simultaneously everywhere
  • It only involved economic developments and not social ones

    • What was the primary focus of the Agricultural Revolution in the late 17th and 18th centuries in England?

  • To abolish the slave trade
  • To enclosure small individual parcels of land into larger fields (correct)
  • To develop new technologies for industrial production
  • To increase trade and commerce with the Americas

    • How did the build-up of an Empire contribute to the Industrial Revolution in Britain?

  • It made new technologies available
  • It provided a large workforce
  • It helped accumulate capital for investment in industrial production (correct)
  • It reduced trade and commerce

    • What was the source of energy in the early stages of the Industrial Revolution?

    <p>Water</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the cultural component that contributed to the Industrial Revolution?

    <p>The focus on commerce and trade</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Who invented the spinning jenny?

    <p>Hargreaves</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the time period during which the Industrial Revolution took place in Britain?

    <p>From 1780 to 1830</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the significance of the 'triangular' trade with the Americas?

    <p>It contributed to the accumulation of capital for industrial investment</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the main focus of the initial phase of industrialization during the Industrial Revolution?

    <p>Textile industry</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the main source of energy during the 'age of iron'?

    <p>Coal</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which region emerged as a centre for coal production during the Industrial Revolution?

    <p>Wales</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What led to the end of Britain's century of industrial dominance?

    <p>The advent of World War I</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was a major social consequence of industrialization during the Industrial Revolution?

    <p>Appalling living conditions for the new working classes</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What position did Britain achieve during the Industrial Revolution?

    <p>The World's pre-eminent Great Power</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the peak of British pre-eminence during the Industrial Revolution?

    <p>The 1850s and 1860s</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was a major consequence of the unification of Germany in 1871?

    <p>A race for colonies among European Great Powers</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the result of the British Empire by the end of the century?

    <p>It covered a quarter of the Earth's land mass and contained about 1/5 of the world's population</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the result of demands for political reform in the late 18th century?

    <p>Government repression and opposition</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the main consequence of the Great Reform Act of 1832?

    <p>The electorate increased from about 14% to 20% of adult males</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Who was the mastermind behind the Second Reform Act of 1867?

    <p>Benjamin Disraeli</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the result of the party-political and tactical manoeuvrings within Parliament during the second half of the 19th century?

    <p>The Second Reform Act of 1867</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the result of the Redistribution of Seats Act, 1885?

    <p>The establishment of constituencies of roughly equal size</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was Queen Victoria's reign roughly coincided with?

    <p>The emergence of industrialised Britain and Britain's hegemonic position in the world</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the 'Woman Question' in the Victorian Age?

    <p>Separate roles for men and women</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the result of the unification of Germany in 1871?

    <p>The Great Power rivalry in Europe intensified</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the consequence of the naval race between Britain and Germany?

    <p>An arms race began across all of Europe</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the purpose of the Schlieffen plan?

    <p>To avoid a two-front war</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the result of the forming of alliances in Europe before World War I?

    <p>A climate of hostility and insecurity</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the event that triggered World War I?

    <p>The assassination of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the outcome of the Schlieffen plan?

    <p>It bogged down in trench-warfare on the western front</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the main purpose of the British blockade during World War I?

    <p>To prevent Germany from trading with other countries</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What event marked the turning point in the war in favor of the Allies?

    <p>The entry of the USA into the war</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the outcome of the Hundred Days Offensive?

    <p>The German army was defeated and the war was over</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the main goal of the Peace of Versailles?

    <p>To punish Germany for causing the war</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the consequence of the immense costs of the war for Britain?

    <p>Britain went from being a creditor to a debtor</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the consequence of the war for the British Empire?

    <p>The Empire reached its greatest expansion in the 1920s</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the reaction to the war and the militarism that led to it?

    <p>A focus on international cooperation and armament control</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the main consequence of the appeasement policy towards Nazi Germany?

    <p>The Munich agreement and the seizure of the Sudetenland</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What event in March 1939 led to the abandoning of the policy of appeasement?

    <p>Hitler's occupation of the rest of Czechoslovakia</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the result of the British campaign in Norway in 1940?

    <p>Unsuccessful land-campaign, with many German warships sunk</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the significance of the evacuation of British Expeditionary Force (BEF) from Dunkirk?

    <p>A successful rescue of over 300,000 men</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the main reason for the British victory in the Battle of Britain?

    <p>British advantage in fighting over home ground</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What event in June 1941 lifted pressure on Britain?

    <p>German invasion of the Soviet Union</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the significance of the El Alamein battle in 1942?

    <p>A symbolic victory that tied up significant German troops</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the outcome of the German defeat at Stalingrad in 1943?

    <p>The outcome of the war was more or less given</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the significance of the D-Day landings in Normandy?

    <p>The opening of the Western Front</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the significance of the fall of Singapore in 1942?

    <p>A crushing defeat for British forces</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What led to Japan's quick surrender in August 1945?

    <p>The American atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the consequence of Britain's unsuccessful attempt to maintain a separate nuclear deterrent?

    <p>Britain had to rely on American technology</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the outcome of the Suez Crisis for Britain?

    <p>Britain's status as an independent great power ended</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the main reason for the decline of British industries in the 1950s and 1960s?

    <p>The failure to invest in new equipment and technology</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the result of the 'Winter of Discontent' in 1978-79?

    <p>A period of industrial action and conflict</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the outcome of Britain's attempt to continue trade relations with former colonies through the Commonwealth?

    <p>It gradually lost importance as British trade shifted to the EEC</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the social consequence of the decline of traditional heavy industries?

    <p>Rising unemployment and social problems</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the impact of World War 2 on social cohesion?

    <p>It forged an unprecedented cross-class solidarity</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why did British manufacturers struggle with standards of quality?

    <p>Due to the old equipment and facilities</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the result of Britain's decision to join the European Economic Community (EEC)?

    <p>Britain's trade shifted towards the EEC</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the consequence of the 'feel-good attitude' after the war?

    <p>British industries flourished and became competitive</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the outcome of the general election of 1945 in Britain?

    <p>Landslide victory for the Labour party</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the main reason for Churchill being thrown out of office in 1945?

    <p>He was perceived as the 'right man' for war, but not for peace</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the main goal of the Labour party's economic planning in post-war Britain?

    <p>To implement Keynesian economics and stimulate economic growth</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the main feature of the 'Era of Consensus' in British politics from 1945 to roughly 1970?

    <p>Agreement between the two parties on major policy issues</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the primary focus of the British government's foreign policy in the immediate post-war period?

    <p>Retaining great power status alongside the USA and Soviet Union</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the main goal of the National Insurance Act of 1946?

    <p>To provide unemployment benefits to those in need</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the main feature of the National Health Service introduced in 1948?

    <p>'Free' healthcare for everyone, regardless of income</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the result of the nationalization of industries and businesses in post-war Britain?

    <p>Transfer of ownership from private to communal ownership</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Who was the leader of the Labour party that implemented the comprehensive welfare state and nationalization policies?

    <p>Clement Attlee</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the 'mixed economy' referred to in the context of post-war Britain?

    <p>State-owned enterprises alongside private businesses</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    The Nineteenth Century

    • The Industrial Revolution:
      • Transformation from a pre-industrial to an industrial society
      • Fundamentally changed society and economy
      • Took place in Britain from 1780 to 1830
    • Reasons for the Industrial Revolution in Britain:
      • Availability of labor due to the Agricultural Revolution
      • Availability of capital for investment in industrial production
      • Availability of technology and energy (water and coal)
      • Cultural component: developing a capitalist culture

    The Industrial Revolution: Three Phases

    • 1780-1830: Initial phase, focusing on textiles, cotton, and iron
    • 1830-1870: Emphasis on iron production, peak of Britain's industrial might
    • 1870-1914: Late industrial age, diversification of industrial production

    Social Consequences of Industrialisation

    • The "Condition-of-England" question:
      • Debate about whether industrialisation meant progress or decline
      • Appalling living conditions for the working class in cities
      • Child labor and long working hours were common
      • Improved living standards from the 1850s onwards

    Consequences for Britain's Position in the World

    • Industrial Revolution led to Britain becoming a Great Power
    • Pax Britannica: Britain's dominance in the world, protected by the Royal Navy
    • Peak of British pre-eminence was in the 1850s and 1860s

    Political and Constitutional Reform in the 19th Century

    • Demands for reform began in the 1760s, influenced by the French Revolution
    • Reform Acts of 1832, 1867, and 1884:
      • Abolished rotten boroughs and redistributed seats
      • Increased the electorate from 14% to 60% of adult males
      • Redressed imbalances in national distribution of seats
    • Key figures: William Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli

    Victorian Age and the "Woman Question"

    • Queen Victoria reigned from 1837 to 1901
    • The "Victorians": Conservative or forward-looking and progressive?
    • The "Woman Question":
      • Separate roles for men and women or equality between sexes?
      • The Suffragettes campaigned for women's right to vote

    World War I and II

    • Build-up to armed conflict, 1870-1914:

      • Great power rivalry in Europe
      • Race for colonies and an arms race
      • Growing nationalism and militarism

    • World War I, 1914-1918:

      • Tense situation escalated into global conflict
      • Germany's Schlieffen plan and the war of attrition
      • War at sea and the blockade of Germany
      • Aftermath: Treaty of Versailles and reparatory payments

    • World War II, 1939-1945:

      • Europe: German aggression, appeasement, and the Phoney War
      • Battle of Britain, evacuation of Dunkirk, and the Blitz
      • Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and the US entry into the war
      • D-Day landings, Soviet victory on the Eastern Front, and German defeat

    • Post-war Britain:

      • Labour party's landslide victory in 1945
      • Building the Welfare State and economic planning
      • Nationalisation of key industries### Era of Consensus

    • Agreement between Conservatives and Labour on main policies from 1945 to roughly 1970

    • Conservatives accepted the Welfare State, full employment, mixed economy, and decolonisation

    • Labour accepted social democracy and gradual reforms, giving up socialism

    Governments after 1945

    • Labour: Attlee (1945-51), Wilson (1964-70, 1974-76), Callaghan (1976-79)
    • Conservative: Churchill (1951-55), Eden (1955-56), Macmillan (1957-63), Douglas-Home (1963-64), Heath (1970-74), Thatcher (1979-90), Major (1990-97)
    • Coalition: Cameron (2010-2015), Cameron (2015-2016), May (2016-2019), Johnson (2019-2022), Truss (2022), Sunak (2022)

    Foreign Relations

    • Victorious in WWII, one of the 'Big Three'
    • Aimed to retain great power status alongside the USA and Soviet Union
    • Massive military expenditure, including a large standing army and nuclear deterrent
    • 'Special relationship' with America, joining and supporting the US in the Cold War
    • Founding member of NATO
    • Failed to maintain independence from US support

    Decolonisation

    • 1947: British India gained independence, divided into Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan
    • 1956: Suez Crisis, British attempt to regain control over the Suez Canal failed
    • 2nd stage of decolonisation: most of the British Empire was gradually liquidated, replaced by the Commonwealth
    • Britain reduced to her 'island home'

    Economic Development

    • Feel-good attitude after WWII, industries less damaged than in continental Europe
    • British industries did well in the 1950s, but underlying structural problems not addressed
    • From the late 1950s, British industry gradually sank into crisis, losing competitiveness
    • French referred to Britain as the 'Sick Man of Europe' by the 1970s
    • Industry was largely intact after the war, but became obsolete
    • Complacency towards renewal, poor industrial relations, and struggles with quality control contributed to decline

    Social Development

    • Economic problems led to social problems: decline of traditional heavy industries, rising unemployment, and social problems
    • Growth in the service sector led to increasing wealth for the middle classes, emergence of consumer society
    • Impact of WWII:
      • Removed some class antagonism, forged cross-class solidarity for the post-war Welfare State
      • Unleashed forces that undermined social cohesion, led to individualism, consumerism, and fragmentation
    • Emergence of a multicultural society in Britain through large-scale immigration from former colonies
    • By 2005, 4 million or 7% of the British population described themselves as belonging to a 'non-white ethnic group'

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