Account for the aims of British foreign & imperial policy from 1856-1902

Authors Avatar

Josie Frodsham

Account for the aims of British foreign & imperial policy from 1856-1902

One of the main aims of British foreign & imperial policy was to uphold the balance of power. For Britain, this was done through the balance of power. One of the main reasons for this was because a stable Europe enabled the expansion and protection of the British Empire. This was effective – from 1856-1902, Britain was involved in no European Wars. It was founded upon Britain’s economic priorities. Peace time was cheap, the cost of Wars were funded through taxation and government borrowing. Diplomacy was a cheaper & easier way of protecting Britain’s interests, when economic growth was of great importance to the British ruling class and its entrepreneurial supporters. A stable Europe also made trade with North America, Africa and the Pacific (all the main areas of investment, at this time) much easier and contributed to Britain’s prosperity. &, any change in the distribution throughout Europe could have threatened Britain’s status as a great European power.  Although the Concert of Europe wished to mainly use diplomacy to maintain peace, it was also agreed that sometimes aggressive tactics could be used, such as alliances being formed between the Great Powers in order to restrain other countries. Britain also wanted to retain its international status. This was not necessarily to be achieved through the preservation of the map of Europe fixed in 1815. The key principle underlying Britain’s policy was that any changes in the territorial balance should not result in a relative decline in Britain’s international status.

Join now!

In order to protect the balance of power, Britain knew it had to protect trade routes to India. A lot of money was made through exports to India. The Indian Mutiny, 1857-1858, was when there was an uprising of dissatisfied soldiers in India, and the British troop’s recon quested. The British took savage reprisals for the massacres perpetrated by the rebels. This benefitted Britain by making it more powerful, and also maintaining India as a vital trade companion.

Another of Britain’s main aims was protecting overseas trade and the economy. Between 1851 and 1873, Britain’s economy increased dramatically. Between 1845 ...

This is a preview of the whole essay