British Empire

Front 1

Which conflict marked the zenith of the British Empire

Back 1

o World War I

Front 2

At the height of the British Empire, the sun literally did not set on it. Why:

Back 2

Because it spanned the entire globe from England to Australia, and thus when it was night in one country it would always be day in another

Front 3

• Know the definition of Imperialism and Nationalism

Back 3

o imperialism- a policiy in which a strong nation seeks to dominate other countries politically economically and socially had to overcome: (because other countries had to obey the king)
o nationalism- the belief that people should be loyal mainly to their nation- that is, to the people with which they share a culture and a history, rather than a king or a ruler

Front 4

• Know the different motivations for imperialism

Back 4

o Motives:
• Realistic:
 Political influence
 Military Power
 Economic Growth
 Deny other countries resources of colonies
 Survival among great powers and empires

• Idealistic:
 National prestige/image
 Destiny
 Paternalism
 Trustee model
 Superiority complex
 Ego of the crown/aristocracy

Front 5

• Be familiar with the details regarding Prince Philip vs. Elizabeth I and the defeat of the Spanish Armada

Back 5

Until 1585, King Philip II of Spain and Queen Elizabeth of England had co-existed. Sir Francis Drake started raiding the Spanish coast while England landed 4,000 troops in Holland in support of Dutch rebels. Philip II intended to invade England with 125,000 troops supported by 510 ships. There ended up being 130 ships and 19,000 troops that left Lisbon on 30 May 1588. Many of the Spanish ships were not designed for naval battles at a distance, the crew was drafted. The ships authority was divided as some were naval and some were army commanders. Cannons were operated by Army artillery officers. The Spanish ships doubled up as cargo and war ships, and hence were big targets and not maneuverable. The English naval force totaled 105 ships- 24 newly constructed race galleons, specifically designed to fight intense ship-to-ship battles. Fast and small. They had superior leadership because of the professional officer corps and specialized crews. They were disciplined and trained together constantly.

Front 6

• Reason for British victory:

Back 6

King Philip did not act decisively and instead decided to split his forces. When the Marquis de Santa Cruz died unexpectedly, Don Alonso Perez was put in charge of the armada preparations. Spanish fought sea battles like land battles as they tried to put the boats together and board the enemy boats. Sir Francis Drake attacked staging area at Cadiz, burning or capturing 36 Spanish ships. Drake went onto raid the Spanish Azores, delaying the invasion until Spring. They chose to fight the main battle in the English Channel which they knew very well. They used fire ships to break up the armada and they leveraged speed and maneuverability.

Front 7

• Know why the rise of trade and trade routes were important to the rise of the British Empire

Back 7

o The Royal Navy grew along with the Engliosh merchant marine
o Britain’s lifeline was the sea routes that allowed it to import food and goods and export finished goods for revenue. Unlike other empires, Britain focused on raw materials vs precious metals/gems, needed this because was a small island

Front 8

• Be familiar with the conflict with Napoleon and the Battle of Trafalgar

Back 8

o In the Spring of 1805 Napoleon planned to invade Britain but need the English channel to be clear of Naval Warships. The plan was for a combined Franco-Spanish fleet of 33 to pin down a smaller British fleet of 27. Lord Admiral Nelson, commander of the British fleet, had been chasing his French counterpart Count Pierre Villeneuve around the West Indies and places before. This was part of the plan to get the british fleet away but failed. Villeneuve hated Napoleon and feared Nelson and thus did not heed Napeleon’s advice of uniting with a larger fleet because he feared the British knew where they were going, instead sailing south. The French and Spanish captains had no confidence in him, although both the French and Spanish crews fought ferociously and gallantly, he hoped to be killed but lived. The battle of Trafalgar was on the 21 October 1805 and the Brits were led by Nelson. Under him had well-disciplined officers and crews who trained together. Used unconvential tactic of British ships charging into the combined fleet in 2 columns. Nelson orders guns to be double-shotted, and Nelson was killed by a sniper and ies at the end of the battle. This battle was during the war of the third coalition and was part of the Napeleonic wars which lasted from 1803-1815.
o It was important because Nelson becomes a national hero and Napoleons invasion is called off- Spain never again regains its position as global empire… Nelson’s victory ushers in a spell of unrivalled power navy for the English.

Front 9

• How did the British communicate with the different parts of its empire?

Back 9

o The British instilled 97,000 miles of steel telegraph cables laid on the ocean floor to communicate and could communicate around the world in a matter of hours. Gave then insurmountable advantage.

Front 10

• Know the details and importance of HMS Dreadnought and British Naval Doctrine

Back 10

o HMS Dreadnought- launched in Dec 1906 and had a 18,120 ton displacement and was 527 feet in length. Was first with 4 shaft turbines- 21 knots speed. Had 10 12-inch guns 23, 12 pound guns and 5 ,18 inch torpedo tubes. Revolutionary warship that caused all other capital ships to be obselete overnight. The British naval doctrine was that the british navy had to be equal or superior to the next two navies combined. British navy would lead all others in armament, munitions and tech, Britain would maintain a network of bases to support sustained global naval operations. Britain would possess sufficient global resources to sustain its colonies.

Front 11

• Be familiar with the challenges posed by Kaiser Wilhelm II, Adm. Alfred von Tirpitz, and the German naval buildup prior to WWI

Back 11

o Last german emperor and king of Prussia. Development of powerful navy was a priority, appointed von Tirpitz to head Imperial Naval Office. 1906-14- naval expansion caused severe economic strains.

Front 12

• Be familiar with the Battle of Jutland and its importance to the British Empire, Germany, and the outcome of WWI

Back 12

o British Grand Fleet, Admiral Sir John Jellicoe led it and was said to be ‘the only man who could lose the war in an afternoon.’ German High Seas Fleet, Admiral Reinhard Scheer planned to destroy the British fleet piecemeal. Was larges naval battle of WWI and the largest among capital ships in history. Germans had more accurate guns and inflicted more damage- 14 british ships were lost only 11 German. British lost 2ce the number of sailors. German high fleet never sailed again however

Front 13

• What was the role that submarines or U-Boats played in WWI?

Back 13

o Failure of the high sea fleet led the germans to pursue undersea warfare against Britain. U-Boat, or underwater boat, was heavily armed. 105mm cannon with 300 shells. 6 torpedoes with bow and aft tubes

Front 14

• Be familiar with the details of the Washington Naval Treaty

Back 14

o 1921-22- Washington Naval Treaty- British Empire, US, Japan, French and Italy.
o Modified twice with the London Naval Treaty of 1930
o Second London Naval Treaty of 1936
o Japan pulls out of treaty and Italy secretly ignores the terms of the treaty at this point.
o Washington naval treaty reduced British naval power to equality with USA- Capital Warships treaty was costing the countries an increasing amount of GDP and the only country that could afford it was the US, but there isolationist policy meant that they didn’t use it. No single ship could exceed 35,000 tons.
No gun larger than 16 inches
Limit of 2 aircraft carriers over 27,000 tons
No new bases or fortfications outside home nation

Front 15

• Why were the interwar years (between World War I and II) so disastrous for the British Empire?

Back 15

o Global depression of the 20s and 30s increased the budgetary pressure on the British Empire
o Colonies around the world were no longer profitable; in fact, were costly for British Empire. Budgetary pressure forced the Brits to embrace the Washington Naval Treaty. Global depression led to rise of fascism. The eve of WWII came at a bad time because trade routes were vulnerable. The royal navy was at a low state of preparedness, Britain had low gold reserves and significant budgetary problems.

Front 16

• Know the countries and the leaders of the Axis and Allied Powers

Back 16

o Germany- Hitler
o Italian- Mussolini
o Japan- Hirohito

Front 17

• What was the flaw in British defense strategy in the early years of WWII?

Back 17

o Depended on French as equal partner (French failed, as usual). Britain were meant to only contribute some land forces but primarily naval.. and the French provide the land defence (Maginot Line). As the French are useless and fell in 6 week like the wimps they are, Britain was now alone

Front 18

• What was Winston Churchill’s Grand Strategy?

Back 18

o He wanted to cultivate relationship with FDR and keep the states as an ally, continual flow of arms from the states. Hold on until the US enters the war, Battle u-boats etc

Front 19

• Know the details of “The deadly stroke”

Back 19

o the location was Mers-el-Kebir in French Algeria on 3 July 1940
o Many French warships escaped to England. British Navy task force attacked and destroyed much of the French fleet to keep it from falling into the hands of the Nazis. Bold move convinces Americans that the British were serious about staying in the war.

Front 20

• Know the details of The Atlantic Charter

Back 20

o 14 August 1941- Agreement that serves as a blueprint for the post WWII- United Nations, General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, Postwar independence of British and French colonies. Seen as changing of the guard from Britain to the states as world dominant power

Front 21

• When were the United Kingdom’s WWII debts finally paid off?

Back 21

o December 2006