The impact of imperial propaganda in the 19th century
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain that the British government produced imperial propaganda to maintain British support for the Empire's expansion.
Key learning points
- The expansion of the British Empire created huge financial benefits for Britain.
- Britain believed it had a duty to 'civilise' people within the Empire, which is known as a civilising mission.
- The British government used propaganda to increase support for empire so they could continue expanding.
- Many products were covered in images of the Empire and in 1887 a range of empire souvenirs were produced.
- Books and newspapers gave positive accounts of overseas wars in the Empire.
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
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.
Teacher tip
Ensure students are comfortable with the term 'propaganda' and know its purpose and how it can present itself in myriad ways.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which word describes Indian sailors and soldiers who migrated to Britain?
Q2.Why did some Britons migrate to India in the late 18th and early 19th centuries?
Q3.Where did Britons settle in India?
Q4.Complete the sentence: labourers from India moved to Kenya to build railways.
Q5.Where did Indian sailors and soldiers often settle in Britain during the late 19th and early 20th centuries?
Q6.Where did Britain encourage Indian people to migrate to from the 1860s to the early 1900s to address labour shortages?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which word means relating to empire?
Q2.Which word describes the circulation of one-sided or misleading information usually to promote a political cause?
Q3.Which of the following are examples of consumer products that were decorated with images glorifying the achievements of the Empire?
Q4.Complete the sentence: Britain justified its expansion of the Empire through the ideology of a ‘ ’.
Q5.Who offered readers back home in Britain a first-hand glimpse into the realities of imperial warfare?
Q6.Which of the following were colonial interventions that the British justified using the 'civilising' ideology?
To help you plan your 10 history lesson on: The impact of imperial propaganda in the 19th century, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 history lesson on: The impact of imperial propaganda in the 19th century, 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 4 history lessons from the Britain: Migration, empires and the people - c790 to the present day unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.