Hi there, I'm Mr. Roberts.

And thanks for joining me for today's history lesson.

Where my job will be to guide you through our history resources.

I'll be making sure that by the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to securely meet our lesson objective.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to explain that the British government produced imperial propaganda to maintain British support for the Empire's expansion.

There are three key terms which we need to make sure we're comfortable with before we move on with our lesson today.

Imperial refers to anything relating to empire.

Civilising refers to the view that colonisation is justifiable because it involves bringing cultural, political, and scientific advancement to colonies.

And propaganda is the circulation of one-sided or misleading information usually to promote a political cause.

Our lesson on Imperial propaganda is separated into three learning phases.

And the first one revolves around Britain's motivations for imperial expansion.

The expansion of the British Empire brought significant financial benefits to Britain, particularly during the height of colonialism in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The acquisition of territories across the globe provided access to valuable resources such as minerals, spices, and raw materials.

These resources fueled Britain's industrial revolution and its associated economic growth and increase in living standards.

Colonies served as good places for goods made in Britain to be sold, creating lucrative trade networks that enrich British merchants and investors.

The establishment of plantations and resource extraction industries such as coal or diamond mines in colonies generated substantial profits for British companies and investors.

The Empire's vast territorial holdings also provided strategic advantages, facilitating control over key maritime routes and promoting Britain's influence on the world stage.

Alongside economic motivations, Britain justified its imperial expansion through the ideology of a civilising mission.

This belief was rooted in Social Darwinism, notions of racial superiority and a patronising attitude towards non-European peoples.

British politicians and academics argued that it was Britain's duty to bring civilization, progress and enlightenment to the different peoples within the British Empire whom they deemed to be in need of guidance and civilising.

This ideology was often used to justify colonial interventions, including the imposition of British legal and administrative systems, the promotion of Christianity and efforts to modernise local societies through infrastructure projects and educational reforms. However, this civilising mission also served to rationalise and reinforce colonial domination, and it provided a moral justification for British rule and exploitation of colonial subjects.

So before we move on again, let's just check the following.

Complete the sentence on the screen.

Britain belief it had a duty to, a, civilised, b, enslaved, or c, weaken people within the Empire.

Pause the video while you decide on the correct answer and then press play when you are ready for the answer to be revealed.

Welcome back.

And well done if you identified the correct answer as A.

Britain believed it's had a duty to civilise people within the Empire.

Next, let's try this one.

True or false.

The expansion of the British Empire created huge financial benefits for Britain.

Pause the video while you come to a decision and press play to continue.

Welcome back.

And well done if you said the answer is true.

Now, let's justify that statement.

Which of the following provides the accurate justification for this? A, Britain now had valuable resources like minerals, spices and raw materials, which fueled Britain's industrial revolution.

Or b, Britain now had valuable resources like vegetables, herbs and livestock, which help to feed British people every day.

Pause the video while you come to a decision on the correct justification.

And then press play to continue with our lesson.

Welcome back.

And well done if you said the answer was A.

The expansion of the British Empire creates huge financial benefits for Britain as Britain now had valuable resources like minerals, spices and raw materials, which fueled Britain's industrial revolution.

Next, I'd like you to list the economic benefits of imperial expansion for Britain as well as Britain's ideological justifications for expansion.

Pause the video while you complete this task using your learning so far, and press play when you are ready for some suggestions.

Hello, again.

And well done if you included any of the following benefits of empire expansion for Britain.

Access to valuable resources such as mineral, spices, raw materials.

That expansion fueled Britain's Industrial Revolution and increased economic growth and living standards.

That expansion provided captive markets for British manufactured goods.

And it profited from plantations and resource extraction, and provided strategic control over maritime roots, and enhanced influence from Britain on the world stage.

And well done, if you managed to identify any of the following, ideological justifications for Britain's Empire expansion.

A paternalistic attitude towards non-European peoples, an ideology of civilising mission rooted in Social Darwinism, the promotion of Christianity, notions of racial superiority, and justified the imposition of British legal and administrative systems. With that task complete, we can now move on to the next phase of our learning today.

But we'll be looking at Britain's imperial propaganda.

The British government employed propaganda as a tool to gain support for the expansion and maintenance of the Empire.

And newspapers, posters and speeches gave the overwhelming impression that the empire was a force for good.

These propaganda efforts aimed to cultivate patriotic feelings amongst the British people and justify imperial expansion as a noble endeavour, attempting to spread British values and ideals across the globe.

In addition, the promotion of imperial imagery and memorabilia played a significant role in shaping public perceptions of the Empire.

Many consumer products were decorated with images glorifying the achievements of the Empire from tea sets, featuring colonial landmarks like the Taj Mahal, to commemorative plates showing victorious battles.

In 1887, as part of Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee celebrations, a range of imperial souvenirs which produced celebrate the occasion and showcase the grandeur of Empire.

These souvenirs were both mementos of imperial pride and at the same time tools of propaganda reinforcing the idea of Britain's imperial greatness and fostering a sense of national unity and identity.

Through the ready availability of this empire themed merchandise, the government sought to instil a sense of loyalty to the Empire among the British public, thus theoretically ensuring continued support for Empire.

Next, let's try this question.

True or false? The British government to use propaganda to increase support for the Empire so it could continue expanding.

As ever, pause the video while you come to the decision and press play to continue.

Welcome back.

And well done if you said the answer is true.

Now let's justify that statement.

Which of the following provides the accurate justification? A, newspapers, posters and speeches gave the impression that other countries wanted Britain to expand its empire.

Or b, newspapers, posters and speeches gave the overwhelming impression that the Empire was a force for good.

Pause the video while you come to a decision on the correct justification and then press play to continue with our lesson.

Welcome back.

And well done, if you said the correct answer was B.

Newspapers, posters and speeches gave the overwhelming impression that the Empire was a force for good.

Before we move on again, I'd like you to complete the following task.

Complete the sentences on the screen using just one word.

Pause the video while we do this and press play to resume our lesson.

Welcome back.

And well done, if you identify the missing word as Empire, so that your sentence sounds like this.

"Empire-themed imagery and memorabilia played a significant role in shaping public perceptions of the Empire.

Many consumer products were decorated with images glorifying the achievements of the Empire, from tea sets featuring colonial landmarks to commemorative plates depicting victorious battles." And now for our second written task today.

I'd like you, using your learning so far, to answer the following questions.

Number one, how did the British government use propaganda to increase support for the Empire and to justify its expansion? And number two, why were many products covered in images of the Empire and other imperial souvenirs produced? Pause the video while you complete this task and then resume the video when you're ready for a model answer in response to each question with which you can compare yours.

Welcome back.

And well done, if you managed to include any of the following in your first answer.

"The British government used newspapers, posters and speeches to portray the Empire as a force for good, fostering patriotic feelings and justifying imperial expansion as a noble mission aligned with British values.

This propaganda aimed to secure public support by highlighting the Empire's role in spreading progress and stability globally, as well as its economic benefits like access to resources and markets." And well done, if your second answer sounded anything like this, "Many products were adorned with images of the Empire to serve as propaganda tools, reinforcing the perception of British greatness and cultivating national pride tied to imperial achievements.

These items not only celebrated the Empire's landmarks and victories but also economically benefited British industries by promoting consumerism and supporting cultural influence, as seen during Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887 when imperial souvenirs were prominently featured." Really well done there.

And that moves us on to our final learning phase of our lesson today.

Where we'll be learning about British accounts of overseas wars.

Books and newspapers played a pivotal role in shaping public perception of overseas wars within the British Empire.

Through detailed accounts and vivid narratives, these publications provided a window into the military campaigns and conflicts waged in far-flung corners of the Empire.

War correspondence and journalists dispatched to places of conflict within the Empire documented the triumphs and challenges faced by British forces.

Offering readers back home a firsthand glimpse into the realities of imperial warfare.

These accounts often portrayed imperial conflicts as heroic struggles against barbarism and tyranny, framing British military interventions as noble endeavours to bring order and civilization to so-called uncivilised territories.

This shows how books and newspapers served as imperial propaganda that often justified the use of military force.

Articles within these newspapers also extolled the virtues of imperialism portraying these overseas wars as necessary measures to safeguard British interests and uphold the values of civilization.

Overseas wars were seen as moral crusades against threats to British values and ways of life, and books and newspapers that pushed this view were often very successful in securing the British public support for these wars.

Sensationalised accounts of battles also aim to glorify the efforts of the British soldiers involved creating a sense of national pride and unity amongst British readers.

Ultimately, through books and newspapers, the British government and media work together to cultivate a favourable image of the Empire and perpetuate the idea of British imperial greatness.

Now, I'd like you to answer the following question.

Which of the below is the correct definition of propaganda? A, the creation of any type of media for any cause.

B, the circulation of one-sided or misleading information used to promote a political cause.

Or C, the publication of two-sided balanced information used to promote a political cause.

Pause the video while you work out the correct answer and press play when you are ready to continue.

Welcome back.

And well done, if you said B.

The correct definition of propaganda is the circulation of one-sided or misleading information used to promote a political cause.

Now, please consider the following, which two were effective pieces of propaganda that allowed Britain to perpetuate a positive view of its actions? A, magazines, b, newspapers, or c, television.

Pause the video while you work out the correct answers.

When you're ready to continue, press play.

Welcome back.

And well done, if you said A, magazines and B, newspapers.

They were both effective pieces of propaganda that allowed Britain to perpetuate a positive view of its actions.

And for our final written task today, I'd like you to complete the following task.

Explain Britain's portrayal of overseas wars within the context of the British Empire.

Think about books and newspapers, Britain's so-called civilising mission.

And pause the video while you complete this task and press play when you are ready for a model answer.

Welcome back.

And well done, if your answer included any of the following.

"Books and newspapers were pivotal in shaping public perception of overseas wars within the British Empire.

Narratives by war correspondence provided insights into military campaigns portraying them as heroic struggles against barbarism and tyranny.

These accounts framed the British as noble in bringing civilization to so-called uncivilised territories, justifying military force.

They depicted wars as necessary to safeguard British interests and uphold civilization, securing public support by presenting them as moral crusades.

Sensationalised battle reports glorified British soldiers, fostering national pride and unity.

Ultimately, this created a favourable image of the British Empire and perpetuated the idea of imperial greatness." Really well done today.

Because with that task finished, we've arrived at the end of our lesson.

The following is a summary of our key learning points.

And it would be useful if you could remember these moving forward.

Firstly, the expansion of the British Empire brought significant financial gains to Britain.

And the British held the belief that they had a responsibility to civilise the inhabitants of their empire, a concept referred to as a civilising mission.

To sustain and further their expansion efforts, the British government employed propaganda to bolster public support for the Empire.

Numerous products featured images of the Empire, and in 1887, a variety of imperial souvenirs were created.

Books and newspapers provided detailed accounts of the Empire's overseas wars.

Thank you so much for joining me for our lesson today.

It's been a pleasure to guide you through our history lesson resources.

And I very much look forward to seeing you again in the future, where we'll be looking at the impact of the first and second world wars on the British Empire and migration.