The Great Exhibition and the British Empire
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain what the Great Exhibition is able to tell us about British attitudes towards empire.
Key learning points
- The use of gunboat diplomacy in the Don Pacifico Affair increased the British conviction in empire.
- The Great Exhibition was opened in 1851 to showcase the best of British design and manufacture.
- The Great Exhibition showcased goods from Britain's colonies and the wider world.
- The Great Exhibition aimed to demonstrate the importance of the Empire to British supremacy.
Keywords
Empire - an empire is a group of countries or provinces ruled from the centre by another person or group of people
Gunboat diplomacy - gunboat diplomacy is foreign policy that is supported by the threat of military force
Supremacy - supremacy is the state or condition of being superior
Exhibition - an exhibition is a public display of works of art or items of interest
Common misconception
The Great Exhibition was located in the Crystal Palace.
The Great Exhibition, which became known as the Crystal Palace, was located in Hyde Park.
Teacher tip
In the second learning cycle, you can help convey the size of the Crystal Palace by highlighting that at 563 metres long, it was over five times as long as the the recommended length of a football pitch, which is 105 metres.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.__________ is when a country extends its control and power over other countries, often by taking over their land and making them part of its empire.
Q2.In which of the following countries was the Morant Bay rebellion?
Q3.Which theory of Charles Darwin was used to justify imperialism?
Q4.What was the year of The Indian Rebellion?
Q5.Match the following words with their definitions.
Supporting the interest of one's own nation
believing that colonising other nations will lead of their advancement
The process in which living organisms adapt to their environments
Q6.A group of countries or provinces ruled from the centre by another person or group of people is known as an...
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1. diplomacy is the name given to the foreign policy that is supported by the threat of military force.
Q2.In which country was David Pacifico's house sacked and looted?
Q3.This keyword is the state or condition of being superior
Q4.Which one of the following statements is not correct?
Q5.Approximately how many people visited the Great Exhibition?
Q6.Which one of the following were not exhibits at the Great Exhibition?
To help you plan your 9 history lesson on: The Great Exhibition and the British Empire, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 9 history lesson on: The Great Exhibition and the British Empire, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 history lessons from the Interpreting the British Empire: how has it been commemorated and contested? unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.