YEAR 5:HOW THE BRITISH

EMPIRE WAS RULED (6 lessons)

Contents Include:

Growth of Empire

Indian Mutiny

British Raj

Scramble for Africa

Boer War

Suggested Teacher Resources:

The Young Oxford History of Britain & Ireland , pages 250-321.

The National Archives has an excellent set of resources on the British Empire.

Clips from films , e.g. Zulu (1964), Ghandi (1982), and Mangal Pandey (2005).

Clips from BBC series Empire by Jeremy Paxman are available on their website, as

well as some articles about aspects of Empire.

Lesson 1. Spread of the British Empire

Pupils should be familiar with the British Empire’s emergence during the eighteenth century from Year 5. During the nineteenth century, the British Empire

continued to grow. At its greatest extent in 1922, the British Empire encompassed a quarter of the world's landmass and one fifth of the population. It

became known as ‘the empire on which the sun never sets’. Having begun its life as a trading empire, the British Empire increasingly sought to have political

power over its territories. This caused two of the great crises of the British Empire: the Indian Muntiy in 1857 and the Boer War in 1899.

See page 146 of What Your Year 6 Child Needs to Know.

Learning Objective Core Knowledge Activities for Learning Related Vocabulary Assessment Questions

To find out how far the British Empire spread around the world.

During the nineteenth century, the British Empire grew at a rapid rate, and Britain was seen as the world’s unrivalled superpower.

By 1900, British rule stretched over one-quarter of the world’s landmass, and governed one fifth of the world’s population.

The British Empire was known as ‘the Empire on which the sun never set’.

With a large A3 map of the world, shade in pink or red the major territories that were at one point part of the British Empire. Also, label each with the dates of their entry to and exit from the British Empire (resource 1 and 2). Pupils could then decorate the map in the style of the 1886 ‘Imperial Federation’ map.

Explain to pupils what was meant by ‘the empire on which the sun never set’. At its greatest extent, it was always daylight in some part of the British Empire. In addition, the saying implied that the British Empire would never end, so had a double meaning.

New World colony empire trade

What countries were part of the British Empire?

How did Britain rule her colonies?

Why was the British Empire known as ‘the empire on which the sun never set’?

1. The extent of the British Empire

Any country that was once a part of the British Empire, shade red or. These were the traditional colours for marking the British Empire. Then, neatly label

each country with date that the country first became a part of the British Empire, and when it finally left.

2. East India offering its riches to Britannia

Nation From Until

American Colonies 1607 1776

Australia 1788 1942

Burma 1824 1948

Canada 1763 1931

Egypt 1882 1954

Hong Kong 1842 1997

India (inc. Pakistan

and Bangladesh) 1609 1947

Ireland 1600s 1922

Jamaica 1655 1962

Kenya 1888 1963

Malaysia 1786 1957

New Zealand 1769 1947

Nigeria 1901 1960

Sri Lanka 1815 1948

Somaliland 1884 1960

South Africa 1815 1931

Sudan 1898 1956

Uganda 1888 1962

Zimbabwe 1890 1965

Lesson 2. The Indian Mutiny

After the Battle of Plassey in 1757, British power spread through India. The Mughal Empire, which had previously ruled the Indian subcontinent, was fading,

and in its place the British Empire rose. Officially, this power was exercised by the British East India Company, and they became far more than just a

company. They amassed political and legal power in India, and started to impose western ideas and customs upon the Indian people. In 1857, Indian soldiers

in the British army rebelled against an insensitivity towards their religious customs, and this mutiny turned into a nationwide rebellion against British rule.

See pages 147-148 of What Your Year 5 Child Needs to Know.

Learning Objective Core Knowledge Activities for Learning Related Vocabulary Assessment Questions

To understand how British rule in India led to the Indian Mutiny in 1857.

British rule in India strengthened after the Battle of Plassey, but in 1857 the India soldiers employed by the British army rebelled.

One of the major causes of the rebellion was the fact that British rule in India did not respect local customs and traditions.

The Indian mutiny lasted for a year, and was inspired by the refusal of Indian troops to use ammunition packs sealed with animal fat.

Compile a list of all of the reasons the Indians had to be angry with British rule. Then, write a secret pamphlet as an India sepoy (soldier) encouraging other Indians to revolt against British rule. Explain why you dislike British rule, and what you plan to do to gain independence.

There are some excellent sources and resources on British rule in India on the National Archives website.

Watch clips from the Bollywood epic Mangal Pandey (2005), a sepoy whose actions first sparked the Indian Mutiny.

suttee missionaries sepoys mutiny

Why was India such a precious colony for the British?

Why were the Indian people dissatisfied with British rule?

What started the Indian Mutiny?

How was the Indian Mutiny dealt with by the British?

Lesson 3. The British Raj

By 1857, the British had put down the Indian Mutiny. However, the experience made them realise that they had to change the way in which India was ruled.

Therefore, the East India Company was disbanded, and in its place India was ruled by a viceroy. In 1876, Queen Victoria was made Empress of India. This new

system was known as the ’British Raj’, and it tried to be more considerate to the Indian people. The British empire promoted, and celebrated Indian culture,

and Indians were given the chance to gain promotion in the British army and Indian government. Money was also invested in India’s infrastructure.

See pages 148-149 of What Your Year 5 Child Needs to Know.

Learning Objective Core Knowledge Activities for Learning Related Vocabulary Assessment Questions

To understand how the British responded to the Indian Mutiny by establishing the British Raj.

After the Indian Mutiny, the British Raj was established to replace the East India Company. It tried to show greater respect for Indian customs. Indian customs were celebrated by the British Empire, and Indians were able to gain promotion into the higher ranks of the army and civil service in India. There was much investment in India’s infrastructure, in particular the Indian railway.

Study two different images of the British Raj, both taken from 1877. The images show very different depictions of how the Raj operated. One is an image of the Madras famine, one is an image of an Imperial Durbar. Annotate the images, and then write a short paragraph comparing the different interpretations. Compile a chart of the benefits and sufferings caused the British Raj. Resource 3 could be used as a card sort to do so, and lead into a question over whether the British Empire in India was a ‘blessing or a curse’.

The British Raj Empress

What did the British do in response to the Indian Mutiny? How was the British Raj different to the East India Company? Did the British do anything to enough to ensure that India benefitted from Empire?

3. Blessing or a Curse?

Irrigation schemes were developed, to

allow more crops to be farmed. Between

1880 and 1900, the amount of irrigated

land in India doubled.

Blessing

The British built 24,000 miles of railway

track in India up to 1904, much of which

is still used today.

The 300 million population of India was

ruled by only 20,000 British troops and

officials, suggesting there was little

opposition to their presence.

The 300 million population of India was

ruled by only 20,000 British troops and

officials, suggesting there was little

opposition to their presence.

The British Empire opened India up to

trade networks with the rest of the

world, increasing the money that could

be made for the country.

Indians were given significant roles.

Indian princes kept power in their

regions, and Indians could gain

promotion in the army and government.

Although India’s economy grew under

British rule, it did not grow as quickly as

Britain’s. Much of its wealth was

extracted by the British.

Curse

India was hit by numerous famines

during British rule. During the Great

Famine of 1876, around 10 million

Indian people died.

During the Great Famine, the British

continued to export Indian crops,

instead of leaving them for the Indian

people to eat.

The British ensured that they could rule

India by setting off different parts of

Indian society against each other, a

policy known as ‘divide and rule’.

Wealthy Indians approved of British rule,

because the British gave them more

power. However, the poor of India were

kept poor and oppressed.

Britain used Indian soldiers to fight wars

all over the world, such as the Boer war

in South Africa from 1899-1902. 40% of

India’s wealth was spent on the army.

Lesson 4. The Scramble for Africa

Starting around 1870, European powers such as the Britain, France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium and Germany all colonised large parts of Africa. They saw the

continent as a large, untapped source of trade and profit, and this process was known as the ‘Scramble for Africa’. Britain focused on the North-East of the

continent, where the very profitable Suez Canal ran through Egypt, and also the south of the continent around South Africa. One of the most famous

characters of the Victorian period was a Scot named Dr Livingstone, who mapped out much of the continent, and tried to locate the source of the Nile.

See pages 149-151 of What Your Year 5 Child Needs to Know.

Learning Objective Core Knowledge Activities for Learning Related Vocabulary Assessment Questions

To understand why the British were interested in gaining colonies in Africa.

During the 1870s, the European powers took a great interest in Africa. This period was known as the ‘Scramble for Africa’. The British focused their attention on the northeast of Africa, around the Suez Canal, and the south of the continent, known as Cape Colony. One of the most famous individuals of the Victorian period was David Livingstone, an explorer who mapped out much of the African continent.

Read the story of Dr Livingstone, and create a story board about his life (see pages 150-151). Resource 4. Study a map of British colonies in Africa, and consider the tactical importance of each area that the British colonised. Examples would be – land surrounding the Suez Canal; control of the Cape of Good Hope; attempt to link a stretch of land from the north to the south of the continent; control of Nigeria to check French and German power, and prevent reprisal of slave trade. For a wider picture, look at the colonisation of the entire continent by different powers here.

Suez canal scramble Cape of Good Hope

What parts of the African continent did the British come to control? Why were the British particularly interested in the land around the Suez Canal? Who was David Livingstone? What did he achieve?

2. ‘Dr Livingstone, I presume’

Read the story of Dr Livingstone, on pages 150-151 of What Your Year 5 Child Needs to Know. Tell the story of his life in six stages, with a picture

and short description for each.

2. ‘Dr Livingstone, I presume’ (complete)

Read the story of Dr Livingstone, on pages 150-151 of What Your Year 5 Child Needs to Know. Tell the story of his life in six stages, with a picture

and short description for each.

Dr Livingstone was born in Scotland, to a

poor family. He worked in a cotton factory.

Livingstone saved up enough money to

study medicine at Edinburgh University.

He wanted to travel the world, so he left for

Africa to help end the slave trade.

He was the first European to see many

amazing locations, such as Victoria Falls.

Nobody heard from Livingstone for years,

until he was found by Henry Stanley.

Henry Stanley greeted him in Tanzania, with

‘Dr Livingstone, I presume?’

Lesson 5. The Boer War

The Boer War is seen by many as one of the most shameful episodes in the history of the British Empire. Bordering on the border of the British Empire were

two independent states called Transvaal and the Orange Free State, populated by farmers descended from Dutch farmers (known as ‘Boers’). When gold and

diamond mines were found in these states, the British launched a war against the Boers, trying to expand their power. The British were ruthless in defeating

the Boers, destroying their livestock, farms and crops, and imprisoning Boers and black Africans in concentration camps. The war caused a public outcry.

See pages 149-151 of What Your Year 5 Child Needs to Know.

Learning Objective Core Knowledge Activities for Learning Related Vocabulary Assessment Questions

To understand the reasons for, and the consequences of the Boer War.

The Boer was fought between the British army and Boer farmers, who were descended from Dutch settlers in Africa.

The war began because the British wanted to expand their control over the Transvaal and the Orange Free State, where a lucrative diamond trade had been established.

The war dragged on for years, and the British notoriously invented the concentration camp in an attempt to end the war.

Study the character of Cecil Rhodes, who was one of the most important figures in the growth of the British Empire. This cartoon sums up his ambitions for British control in Africa.

This is a clip about the Boer war. Many images of the concentration camps exist, but may be too disturbing for pupils.

Write a letter to the British Prime Minister at the time, the Marquees of Salisbury, demanding an end to the Boer War. For more information about the atrocities in the concentration camps, look at the career of Emily Hobhouse, a campaigning journalist who worked alerted the British public to about the tragedy that was taking place.

Boer Transvaal Orange Free State commando concentration camp

Who were the Boers?

Why did the Boer War start?

Why is the Boer War seen as such a shameful episode in British history?

Lesson 6. Remembering the British Empire

The legacy of the British Empire remains the subject of ongoing debates. Some believe that it was motivated by greed, and oppressed foreign populations to

make Britain wealthier. Others argue that the British Empire spread technology and civilisation across the world, and helped other countries advance into the

modern age. Perhaps the most well known current defender of Empire is Niall Ferguson, who argues that developing countries benefited from British rule.

Coming to an opinion on this debate is a question of weighing up the many atrocities of the British Empire with the benefits which it also bought.

See pages 149-151 of What Your Year 5 Child Needs to Know.

Learning Objective Core Knowledge Activities for Learning Related Vocabulary Assessment Questions

To consider how the British Empire should be remembered.

For all of the abuses of the British Empire, the nineteenth century did experience no large global wars. This is sometimes put down to the Pax Britannica (British Peace).

Aspects of British culture were spread by the British Empire such as banking, legal systems, and industries. Most famously, the sports of rugby, cricket ad football spread around the world.

Many countries resented being ruled by the British, and they almost all gained independence during the 20th century.

Do a brainstorming session with the pupils covering everything that has been learnt about the British Empire, both positive and negative. Then complete a chart writing down the five most positive things about the British Empire on one side, and the five most negative things on the other.

The BBC series ‘Empire’ has some excellent clips addressing this question. This one in particular asks ‘Was the British Empire a force for good?’

This would be good preparation for a piece of extended writing on the question, ‘How should the British Empire be remembered?’

Pax Britannica Commonwealth

What were the worst aspects of the British Empire?

Is there anything that colonies gained through being ruled by the British Empire?

How would the world be different if the British Empire had not existed?