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Imperial consolidation and Liberal rule, c1890-1914: Attitudes towards…

- - - - New form of cheap, populist newspaper in 1896
      - Aimed at 'lower-middle class' market sold at low retail price
      - Boer War 1899-1902 sold over 1 million copies a day (stories of war, unashamedly damning Boers and Kruger and praising heroism British troops)
      - 'Crude sensationalism'- J.A. Hobson (1902)
      - 20th century: vitriol against Germans portrayed posing threat to Empire
      - Serialised patriotic books: The Riddle of the Sands/ The Enemy in Our Midst
  - - - Contemptuous of politicians, intellectuals, stuffy civil servants/ critical of imperial administrators
      - Shaped attitudes of British public towards empire before 1914
      - Religious belief in empire
      - References to Britain's 'higher goals'
      - E.g. 'The White Man's Burden'
    - - Emigrated Rhodesia 1900
      - Produced 20 novels based lives/ loves of settlers
    - - Committed colonialists e.g. missionaries, civil servants, scientists
    - - Maud Diver: accounts of British romance/ heroism
  - - - Worked with librettist William Gilbert
      - Series of 'Gilbert and Sullivan' operas
      - Conveyed patriotic/ imperialist message in humorous way
    - - 'Imperial' composer
      - Stimulate his listeners' emotions/ create mental images which captured 'the nobility of empire'
      - 'Imperial March' for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee
      - 'Caractacus' cantata containing military march music
      - Inspired by Gordon's 'last stand' write choral work 'The Dream of Gerontius'
    - - Sheffield choir on musical tour of Dominions in 1911
    - - Repertoire of Elgar songs
      - Performed in Australia, New Zealand and Canada
  - - - Boy's Own Paper
      - Girl's Own Paper
      - Readership of 1/4-1/2 million in 1890-1914
      - Read in schools, church halls
      - Popularity on promotion/ celebration of military and missionary activity
    - - Alternative Boys of the Empire
      - Boys of Our Empire magazine
      - Boys' Empire League- 7000 members 1900
      - Annual book focusing on colonies
      - Exam set with first prize £25 and offer free passage to one of the colonies
    - - 'Hero' of Boer War
      - Boy Scout movement 1908
      - Girls Guide 1912
      - Military cadet force
      - Designed to train defenders of empire through competitive challenges bringing chance earn badges
      - Handbook: Scouting for Boys members to 'be a friend to all the world'
      - Mobilise young people behind imperial themes and extended to other countries of Empire
    - - Nonconformist Boys' Life Brigade
      - Anglican Church Lads' Brigade 1890s
      - The Girls' Friendly Society- 200,000 members 1914 / colonial emigration secretary Ellen Joyce (encourage girls consider emigration to improve themselves)
    - - History and Geography books used in state elementary schools emphasised glories of empire/ presented explorers and missionaries as heroes
      - Simple reading books contained imperial themes e.g. Mary Frances Ames' ABC for Baby Patriots 1899
- - - - Boer War 1899-1902
      - British forces- 'khakis' due to uniforms (dull brownish-yellow color merge with terrain)
      - Victory war government called election exploit public approval
    - - Look beyond Conservative support for good government/ 'white rule'
      - Aimed at 'education' and improvement of colonies and people- objective of ultimate self-rule
      - Reluctant to bring an 'end' to empire
      - Liberals/ growing Labour party (20th century) preferred freedom 'through' empire to freedom 'from' empire
    - - Real 'imperialists'- enthusiasts for empire rather than simply accepting it on radical right of party
      - Conservative ascendancy: 1895-1905 supporters of Prime Minister, Lord Salisbury (moderate imperialist) embraced imperialist cause
      - Creation of stronger/ more closely united empire
      - Territorial expansion e.g. Africa/ northern India
      - Schemes that would bind the empire together in trade/ government
      - Correct policies could benefit British society/ turn Empire into economic superpower
    - - Empire as a sort of racial duty
      - 'There has never been anything so great in the world's history than the British Empire, so great an instrument for the good of humanity'- Lord Curzon
      - Lord Alfred Milner (High Commissioner for South Africa 1897-1905): every white man of British birth should feel equally at home in every state of the Empire
      - 'High-imperialists' wanted stronger empire BUT empire ruled by white people
      - Service in colonies made men stronger
      - Non-white peoples Empire: rank of 'subjects'/ citizens with rights but not capable controlling own destinies
      - Sought 'colonial development' beyond white colonies/ India and favored policy of 'imperial preference' (tariff reform)
      - Economic benefits of empire
      - Joseph Chamberlain (Colonial Secretary)
        
        'National crisis' (industrial/ military development other powers) only Empire could solve
        
        Re-organised empire would enable industrial recovery/ provide employment
        
        Generate wealth to fund social reforms e.g. pensions/ strengthen moral fiber of British people
        
        Educating the public about the values of empire saw promised benefits way winning loyalty of working class
        
        Forward imperialist desire for union between Britain and colonies of settlement for purpose of defence and trade (pooling of sovereignty an imperial parliament)
      - Lord Meath (diplomat)
        
        Social terms
        
        Argued that state-organised emigration/ colonization essential check the expansion British cities and simultaneously strengthen the Empire
    - - Proliferated the early 20th century
      - Royal Colonial Institute
        
        Founded 1870
        
        Meeting place for those interested in colonial and Indian affairs
      - Victoria League
        
        Founded in 1901
        
        Non-political organisation
        
        Founded by women to promote closer union between different parts of the then British Empire through 'hospitality, fundraising, friendship and education'
      - Round Table Movement
        
        Founded in 1909
        
        Idea of Lord Milner
        
        Promote closer union between Britain and its self-governing colonies
        
        1910-11 Round Table groups formed in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Canada
      - Empire Day movement
        
        Lead of Lord Meath in 1896
        
        Celebrated in 1902/ recognised Parliament in 1916
        
        Day of festivities intended reinforce imperial unity/ celebrate image of motherly Queen Victoria (Empress of India)
        
        Imperialist drive to educate the British public about Empire
    - - Represent Empire to British people
      - 'Imperial family'
      - Propagating imperialist values
  - - - Economist/ wrote Imperialism (1902)
      - View catalysed by Boer War
      - Imperial expansion driven by search for new markers and new opportunities for rich capitalists of Britain to make profits through investment
      - Capitalists were a small and powerful elite whose political power and connections enabled them to shape imperial policy
      - Boer War: been fought to secure the gold resources of South Africa for rich entrepreneurs and the mining interests
      - Imperial expansion was a 'capitalist plot'
      - View provoked debate and fed into socialist anti-imperialism
    - - Welfare campaigner
      - Government enquiry into conditions in British concentration camps
      - Tarnish allure of imperialism and supposed civilizing mission
    - - Diplomat/ poet
      - 'The white man's burden, Lord, is the burden of his cash'-1899
    - - Influential philosopher
      - Criticized Victorian enthusiasm for colonial acquisitions of colonies
    - - Radical left-wing lawyer/ historian
      - Believed imperialism to be unethical
    - - Writer/ propagandist who served in India
      - Set up Indian Political and General Agency in London
      - Raise awareness about Indian grievances in British Parliament/ press 1888
    - - Arts and Crafts designer/ children's book writer/ socialist
      - Used design skills to produce anti-war illustrations to encourage those on the left to embrace anti-imperialism
    - - Liberals dissociate from colonial conflict/ excessive imperialism of right-wing Conservatives (continuation empire not questioned)
- - - - Sought to raise school standards/ led opening of 1000 secondary schools over following decade
    - - Committing to new class of battleship- Dreadnought
      - First launched 1906 (wake German naval laws/ expansion of the German fleet)
    - - London in 1907
      - Entitled 'Imperial College'
    - - Free school meals (1906)
      - School medical inspections (1907)
      - Children's welfare charter (1908)
      - Old age pensions (1908)
      - Trade boards act (1909)
      - Unemployment and health insurance (1911)- right to free medical treatment
      - Leaders of 'New Liberal' philosophy
        
        David Lloyd George (Chancellor of the Exchequer 1908-15)
        
        Winston Churchill (President of the Board of Trade 1908-10/ Home Secretary 1910-11)
        
        Prime Minister Herbert Asquith
      - Campaign and reforms to improve national efficiency collectively a means addressing internal shortcomings/ showing ideas of high imperialists were unnecessary for successful continuation of empire and strengthening Britain to improve capability to run and defend Empire