New
New
Year 9

Gunboat diplomacy and the British Empire in East Asia

I can explain the importance of gunboat diplomacy for the expansion of the British Empire in East Asia.

New
New
Year 9

Gunboat diplomacy and the British Empire in East Asia

I can explain the importance of gunboat diplomacy for the expansion of the British Empire in East Asia.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Britain had no colonies in East Asia in the early 19th century.
  2. A lack of Chinese interest and restrictions imposed by the Qing Empire limited British trade with China.
  3. The Opium Wars between Britain and the Qing Empire are an example of gunboat diplomacy.
  4. Britain expanded its formal empire by gaining control over Hong Kong.
  5. Growing British influence in the Qing Empire helped it develop an informal empire after the Opium Wars.

Common misconception

British victory in the Opium wars allowed it to conquer large areas of China and establish many new colonies.

Hong Kong was gained as a new British colony but Britain used its victory in the Opium Wars to force the Qing empire to change its behaviour, rather than to create new colonies.

Keywords

  • Merchants - merchants are people whose job is to buy and sell goods

  • Opium - opium is an addictive drug

  • Gunboat diplomacy - when countries try to achieve their foreign policy aims by using the threat of military force, this is called gunboat diplomacy

  • Treaty - a treaty is a written agreement between two or more countries, approved and signed by their leaders

  • Customs - customs are taxes paid on trade

Invite students to discuss what benefitted more from Britain's use of gunboat diplomacy in East Asia: the formal empire or the informal empire. This will help pupils appreciate the growing diversity of the British Empire in the mid-19th century.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
  • Depiction or discussion of mental health issues

Supervision

Adult supervision required

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.
Write the missing word (it starts ab). To something means to officially get rid of it.
Correct Answer: abolish
Q2.
Why was theft widespread in Jamaica in the early 1860s?
Correct answer: extreme poverty
lack of punishments
racial discrimination
Q3.
Which statement about George William Gordon is most accurate?
the leader of the Morant Bay Rebellion
he participated in the Morant Bay Rebellion
Correct answer: he had no involvemnet in the Morant Bay Rebellion
Q4.
Write the missing word. Jamaica became a Colony in 1866.
Correct Answer: Crown, crown
Q5.
Identify which developments occurred in Jamaica in the years immediately after the Morant Bay Rebellion.
Correct answer: House of Assembly abolished
Significant reduction in black poverty
Correct answer: Less racial discrimination from judges
Black Jamaicans gained political power
Q6.
Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into chronological order.
1 - slavery abolished in Jamaica
2 - average wages in Jamaica fall by 25%
3 - Morant bay Rebellion breaks out
4 - 439 black Jamaicans killed
5 - Jamaica becomes a Crown Colony

6 Questions

Q1.
Match up each of the keywords with their correct definitions.
Correct Answer:colony,countries which are ruled by another country

countries which are ruled by another country

Correct Answer:informal empire,made up of areas heavily under the influence of a particular country

made up of areas heavily under the influence of a particular country

Correct Answer:imperialism,the control of one country over others and the extension of its rule

the control of one country over others and the extension of its rule

Correct Answer:gunboat diplomacy,using the threat of force to achieve foreign policy aims

using the threat of force to achieve foreign policy aims

Q2.
Who ruled China at the start of the 19th century?
British Empire
French Empire
Mughal Empire
Correct answer: Qing Empire
Russian Empire
Q3.
What was the main item sold by British merchants in China?
Correct answer: opium
railway track
tea
textiles
Q4.
Write the missing word. British trade with the Qing Empire as a result of the Opium Wars.
Correct Answer: increased, grew, rose, expanded
Q5.
Which example best demonstrates British informal imperialism?
Britain asked China to increase its trade in 1790
The Nemesis was more technologically advanced than Chinese ships
Britain gained official control over Hong Kong
Correct answer: the Chinese Maritime Customs Service was led by British officials
Q6.
Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into chronological order.
1 - opium is banned in the Qing Empire
2 - the Qing Emperor rejects Britain's offer to increase trade
3 - First Opium War
4 - Hong Kong officially becomes a British colony
5 - Second Opium War

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