New
New
Year 10
AQA

The impact of imperial propaganda in the 19th century

I can explain that the British government produced imperial propaganda to maintain British support for the Empire's expansion.

New
New
Year 10
AQA

The impact of imperial propaganda in the 19th century

I can explain that the British government produced imperial propaganda to maintain British support for the Empire's expansion.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The expansion of the British Empire created huge financial benefits for Britain.
  2. Britain believed it had a duty to 'civilise' people within the Empire, which is known as a civilising mission.
  3. The British government used propaganda to increase support for empire so they could continue expanding.
  4. Many products were covered in images of the Empire and in 1887 a range of empire souvenirs were produced.
  5. Books and newspapers gave positive accounts of overseas wars in the Empire.

Common misconception

The British public uniformly supported imperial expansion and wars.

British public opinion was not monolithic; there were varied reactions to imperial policies and military actions, including support, indifference and opposition.

Keywords

  • Imperial - relating to empire

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

  • Propaganda - the circulation of one-sided or misleading information usually to promote a political cause

Ensure students are comfortable with the term 'propaganda' and know its purpose and how it can present itself in myriad ways.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which word describes Indian sailors and soldiers who migrated to Britain?
Correct Answer: lascars
Q2.
Why did some Britons migrate to India in the late 18th and early 19th centuries?
India offered exposure to diseases.
Correct answer: India offered a sense of adventure.
Correct answer: India offered economic and social advancement.
India offered political unrest.
Q3.
Where did Britons settle in India?
palaces
Correct answer: ports
Correct answer: countryside
desert
Q4.
Complete the sentence: labourers from India moved to Kenya to build railways.
Correct Answer: Indentured, indentured
Q5.
Where did Indian sailors and soldiers often settle in Britain during the late 19th and early 20th centuries?
Portsmouth
Manchester
Correct answer: London
Correct answer: Liverpool
Correct answer: Cardiff
Q6.
Where did Britain encourage Indian people to migrate to from the 1860s to the early 1900s to address labour shortages?
North Africa
West Africa
East Africa
Correct answer: South Africa

6 Questions

Q1.
Which word means relating to empire?
Correct Answer: imperial
Q2.
Which word describes the circulation of one-sided or misleading information usually to promote a political cause?
Correct Answer: propaganda
Q3.
Which of the following are examples of consumer products that were decorated with images glorifying the achievements of the Empire?
Correct answer: commemorative plates showing victorious battles
speeches cultivating patriotic feelings
Correct answer: tea sets featuring colonial landmarks
newspapers reporting on the EIC's stocks
Q4.
Complete the sentence: Britain justified its expansion of the Empire through the ideology of a ‘ ’.
civilising quest
civilising mission
civilising assignment
civilising expedition
Q5.
Who offered readers back home in Britain a first-hand glimpse into the realities of imperial warfare?
East India Company soldiers
Queen Victoria
Correct answer: journalists
Correct answer: war correspondents
Q6.
Which of the following were colonial interventions that the British justified using the 'civilising' ideology?
promoting Islam
Correct answer: imposing British law
Correct answer: promoting Christianity
Correct answer: reforming education
imposing British food

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