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Why did the British become empire builders (Competition with other…
Why did the British become empire builders
Competition with other countries
To stop The French getting their land in Asia (such as Burma (had a rich wood supply) and India) that is partly why they invaded Australia
To stop the French taking over India which regarded as the "jewel in the crown" as the British defeated the French at the battle of Plassey to drive them out of India in 1757
To gain more land then other European powers such as (Belgium, Germany and France) this would prevent them becoming more powerful than you (e.g the scramble for Africa: Rhodesia, Sudan and Nigeria and others)
trade
They used the empire to protect trade for example the east India company (which traded in spices, cotton and tea) took over land to protect their businesses and resources.
In 1858 the British opium trade exported 4,480 tonnes of opium into China this would have made huge profits and the opium trade accounted for 40 percent of the Indian governments wealth.
Raw materials from the colonies were used to make goods in British industry and then sold back to the colonies when they were finished to make a profit (e.g India and Egypt) this fueled British industry
Power
To control large portions of the globe (Colonies in Africa and Asia) so Britain won most of the wars they fought in
Colonies all over the globe allowed Britain to fight battles everywhere using native armies (for example Britain used India to help them fight the second opium war against China)
To control more people: Each country in the empire had a population that could be used as workers or soldiers
Economic
In North America they have tobacco, wheat and barley all of which are cash crops by the end of the seventeenth century England was importing around 20 million pounds of tobacco a year
The empire allowed Britain access to the slave trade which would give them cheap labour to support the industrial revolution back home.
In Africa (E.g South Africa and Egypt) they had raw materials such as gold and diamonds could support industrial revolution
Introduction
overall argument
explanation for the overall argument's main reason
identify reasons
Conclusion
re-states argument
sums up points/ideas
reason for argument