How did Britain's empire make her more powerful?

Answer 1

Britain's empire greatly facilitated the country's economic development by providing her with secure sources of raw materials and with export markets for the products of British industry. Britain was the first country to undergo the industrial revolution and as a result underwent a massive rise in population and increasing urbanisation. This became most pronounced from the 1820s onwards. As a result the country became more and more dependent on imported raw materials to supply its industry and on imported foodstuffs, for example Malayan rubber, West African vegetable oils, tin from the tropics, Australian wool and Canadian timber, sugar and, or course, tea.

India was of enormous importance as a trading partner with Britain, particularly as a source of raw materials. The country was brought under the rule of the British East India Company in stages from the 1750s onwards. Her trade with Britain had grown to £62.4 million by 1901; whereas in 1815 her total world trade had stood at only £8 million.

The level of trade with colonies of white settlers in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Africa became even more impressive, amounting to £118 million by 1901. Between 1815 and 1901 the population of settlers in these areas had increased more than twenty-fold from 550,000 to 11.5 million people, a staggering increase. In Africa indiginous peoples were driven from their lands, often violently, to make way for white settlement.

However Britain's demand for primary products and markets was not satisfied by the empire alone. The tariff policy of imperial preference that had favoured trade with British colonies was therefore abandoned from the 1840s in favour of free trade with all comers. This should caution us against seeing Britain as merely a parasite feeding off the colonies (which arguably was very much the case with the earlier Spanish and Portuguese colonial empires). It was certainly the case that, for example, India supplied Britain with vast tax revenues and an enormous army of natives. However more importantly formal empire gave a rapidly-industrialising Britain access to much-needed trade with a large number of other countries.

The fruits of trade and industrialisation made British ruling class very rich. Meanwhile the populations of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland remained poor. In the Irish potato famine of the 1840s thousands died. This took place even as the empire expanded its territory in India, Africa, Canada and elsewhere and established systems of informal empire, for example in China and Argentina.

They were forced or "pressed"into service in the Royal Navy and army.

Long term damage was caused by Britain in its greed to govern the world and reward itself with riches.