EMPIRE: HOW BRITAIN MADE THE MODERN WORLD

PROGRAMME 1: WHY BRITAIN?

In this programme we learn about the origins of the British empire in the 17th century and how its foundations were laid, not by a grand political strategy but by British pirates, especially in the Caribbean. The British economic style of reinvesting in places like Jamaica led to commercial success as its raw materials – sugar, tobacco and coffee – were in huge demand back at home in Britain.

Seventeenth-century India was a rich nation, producing a quarter of the world's output, so it is no surprise that the major nations fought over it. The British won the seven-year war with France over supremacy in the colonies, thanks to its superior warships and much stronger finances, which left Britain as the controlling force in India.

We get a glimpse of how the British lived in India, the central role played by the East India Company, and how a commercial base developed into political control.

PROGRAMME AIMS

• To explain the origins of the British empire and why Britain was more successful than other leading nations
• To explore the commercial basis of the early empire
• To illustrate how the demand for goods at home fuelled the empire
• To explore how India became a British colony
• To discuss how the British empire changed from a purely economic entity to a political issue.