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Britain and Latin America

Alan Knight

in The Oxford History of the British Empire: Volume III: The Nineteenth Century

‘Informal empire’ was a two-way street, a construction of peripheral as well as metropolitan interests. There was also more to British imperialism than the official mind. Successful collaboration was ... More

‘Informal empire’ was a two-way street, a construction of peripheral as well as metropolitan interests. There was also more to British imperialism than the official mind. Successful collaboration was vital for British interests to prosper; but collaboration did not require regimes or practices modelled on metropolitan lines, whether in Latin America, West Africa, or the Malay states. As British trade and investment grew, British interference and intervention declined. ‘Business imperialism’ or Latin American ‘dependency’ advanced, but the advance owed more to peripheral transformation than to metropolitan threats. The British economic presence in Latin America was important for Britain and crucial for Latin America. By 1914, Britain faced serious challenges to her established position in Latin America. In Latin America, as in her domestic industrialization, Britain enjoyed the temporary advantages of forwardness; but, having helped make Latin America stable, capitalist, and productive, Britain had no political monopoly on the fruits of those advances — which, by 1914, were increasingly being contested by both vigorous foreign competitors and nascent Latin American nationalists.Less

Latin America

ALAN KNIGHT

in The Oxford History of the British Empire: Volume IV: The Twentieth Century

The history of the Latin American political economy in the first half of the 20th century was strongly conditioned by three external shocks: the two world wars and the Great Depression. Together, ... More

The history of the Latin American political economy in the first half of the 20th century was strongly conditioned by three external shocks: the two world wars and the Great Depression. Together, these dealt drastic blows to Britain's position of pre-eminence which, even before 1914, was fast eroding as a result of German and United States competition as well as internal economic and political challenges. After 1945, there was no British trade offensive as there had been after 1918. A massive informal empire had been peacefully relinquished, its assets devoted to the prosecution of two world wars; but a generation later the erstwhile collaborators — both sorely reduced in relative wealth and power, influenced by old atavisms, and desperate for domestic political advantage — fell to fighting over a vestigial speck of formal empire.Less

From Slaves to Subjects: Envisioning an Empire without Slavery, 1772–1834 1

Christopher L. Brown

in Black Experience and the Empire

Emancipation mattered to the black experience in the British empire because it reordered relations between captive Africans, colonial elites, and the British state. It established the metropolitan ... More

Emancipation mattered to the black experience in the British empire because it reordered relations between captive Africans, colonial elites, and the British state. It established the metropolitan government as the ultimate arbiter of social and labour relations in the colonies. Emancipation has sometimes been characterized as an instance of British humanitarianism. And there can be no doubt that the abolitionists believed themselves to be acting in the best interests of enslaved Africans. Yet the emergence of an emancipationist ethos depended as much upon a metropolitan reconsideration of imperial interests as a deepening concern with the situation of enslaved men and women. That reassessment — and its characteristic preoccupation with the promotion of imperial power, authority, and the rule of law — conflicted with the more restricted interests of the slaveholders who, in their dominions, saw themselves as rulers not colonists, and their labourers as chattel slaves not British subjects. As early as the era of the American Revolution, a small circle of thinkers interested in imperial questions had described the ways that gradual emancipation might serve the broader end of enhancing state power. This chapter focuses on the origins, character, and legacy of these ideas.Less

The Industrial Front and Trade Unionism

Geoffrey G. Field

in Blood, Sweat, and Toil: Remaking the British Working Class, 1939-1945

The chapter discusses British industrial mobilization and the introduction of a framework of manpower controls by Ernest Bevin, Minister of Labour. While limiting the freedom of workers, the controls ... More

The chapter discusses British industrial mobilization and the introduction of a framework of manpower controls by Ernest Bevin, Minister of Labour. While limiting the freedom of workers, the controls also constrained the freedom of employers and gave impetus to a rapid spread of trade unionism and structures of joint consultation between the state, labour, and business, which also included plant-level joint production committees. Full employment and the growing power of trade unionism boosted workers' collective power and status within the nation's war effort. Though strikes were officially banned, an increasing number took place; the chapter examines the reasons for this, focusing on the engineering and coal-mining sectors. The war had a profound effect on the trade unions and industrial relations, but it also reinforced the system of voluntaristic wage-bargaining and placed obstacles in the way of trade union reform and more dirigiste forms of state economic planning.Less

“We took man, woman, and child”

Audra A. Diptee

in From Africa to Jamaica: The Making of an Atlantic Slave Society, 17751807

This chapter focuses on the experiences of captive men, women, and children during the process of enslavement in Africa. It outlines differences in the captive experience in the three key areas of ... More

This chapter focuses on the experiences of captive men, women, and children during the process of enslavement in Africa. It outlines differences in the captive experience in the three key areas of provenance—the Bight of Biafra, the Gold Coast, and West Central Africa—for the enslaved sent to Jamaica in the final decades of the British slave trade. It emphasizes that at the point of capture, the practicalities of slave raiding did not allow captors to discriminate by age and sex as they selected their victims. In addition to the capture of men and women in the prime of their lives, children and the elderly were also readily made captives. African traders sometimes tried to sell such captives to the ship captains. Indeed, when the ship captains were anxious to leave the African coast quickly, the elderly and those children considered “too young” were often purchased.Less

The Atlantic Crucible

Audra A. Diptee

in From Africa to Jamaica: The Making of an Atlantic Slave Society, 17751807

The history of the Atlantic slave trade is a history of human encounters. Relationships between blacks and whites under slavery may have been defined by “race” and “power,” but it was also defined by ... More

The history of the Atlantic slave trade is a history of human encounters. Relationships between blacks and whites under slavery may have been defined by “race” and “power,” but it was also defined by perception. In the final decades of the British slave trade, captive Africans not only made it onto British ships but also arrived in Jamaica in numbers unmatched in previous years. The expansion of the Jamaican plantation economy, for which the Haitian Revolution was a catalyst, required that more captive men, women, and children were to be caught, captured, and even killed if the increased demand for enslaved labor in Jamaica was to be met. Unfortunately, during this period, trading mechanisms on the African coast were already well established and easily facilitated the increased numbers of captives shipped to Jamaica.Less

The Slave Trade, Quakers, and the Early Days of British Abolition

James Walvin

in Quakers and Abolition

This chapter assesses the Quaker impact on the early British anti-slave trade campaign and, in particular, the influence Quaker writings and networks had on the early career of Thomas Clarkson. ... More

This chapter assesses the Quaker impact on the early British anti-slave trade campaign and, in particular, the influence Quaker writings and networks had on the early career of Thomas Clarkson. Clarkson pioneered the abolitionists' research into the slave trade and the slave ships. It was his empirical investigations among slave captains, sailors, and slave ship rosters that teased out the hard facts and figures about life—and more important, of death—on board the slave ships. In the wake of his pioneering investigations, discussion about the slave trade switched to a detailed analysis of the data. Clarkson and subsequent abolitionists ensured that the debate about abolition was not merely a recitation of moral outrage or religious disapproval but more about the facts. And once those facts were rehearsed in public, they proved irresistible. It was the hard evidence, culled from the belly of the slave ships, that both shocked and persuaded.Less

A New Spirit of Engagement

in Steam-Powered Knowledge: William Chambers and the Business of Publishing, 1820-1860

The American book trade had a long history of engagement with British trade, but the reverse was not necessarily true. The slow progress of the negotiations between William Chambers and Gould showed ... More

The American book trade had a long history of engagement with British trade, but the reverse was not necessarily true. The slow progress of the negotiations between William Chambers and Gould showed how correspondents learned to make the best use of the new steamship service. British fiction appeared to have suffered more from unauthorized reprinting than nonfiction in America due to its greater marketability. American reprinters had always been dependent on the British trade, even through the years of depression after 1840. But it is shown that from 1846 onward, American publishers and importers worked harder to promote their works in London; British publishers began to import and reprint American works; and other British publishers responded to the efforts of American auctioneers and transatlantic shipping companies to solicit their business.Less

Trust

in ‘Merely for Money’?: Business Culture in the British Atlantic, 1750–1815

This chapter examines the issue of trust in British Atlantic trade during the period from 1750 to 1815. It considers the emotive nature of trust and discusses the distinction and interconnections ... More

This chapter examines the issue of trust in British Atlantic trade during the period from 1750 to 1815. It considers the emotive nature of trust and discusses the distinction and interconnections among personal trust, institutional trust (assurance) and general trust (confidence). The analysis indicates that during this period, personal trust was extremely important, whether ascribed or process based. This chapter also suggests that the institution of the business culture, straddling the boundaries of personal and institutional trust, allowed the British-Atlantic trading community to keep functioning.Less

Reception at Constantinople

William St. Clair

in Lord Elgin and the Marbles

In November 1798 when the notion of establishing an embassy was initially discussed, the fundamental cause was clear as General Koehler was in charge of helping the Turks by land while Sir Sidney ... More

In November 1798 when the notion of establishing an embassy was initially discussed, the fundamental cause was clear as General Koehler was in charge of helping the Turks by land while Sir Sidney Smith was to be responsible for those at sea. Also, Elgin was to have established a formal treaty of alliance. In January 1799, however, the joint British Ministers — which included Spencer Smith and his brother — were already able to achieve that goal. As such, Elgin's purpose shifted to ratifyiing the treaty and to convincing the Turkish government to allow British trade and shipping in the Black Sea. Again, Elgin was outran by Spencer Smith. Sir Sidney Smith thus wrote to Lord Grenville regarding Spencer Smith's position. This chapter explores how the news of Elgin's new appointment at the Porte was received.Less

Obligation

in ‘Merely for Money’?: Business Culture in the British Atlantic, 1750–1815

This chapter examines the issue of obligation in British Atlantic trade during the period from 1750 to 1815. It describes how merchants fulfil their obligations in their daily business procedural ... More

This chapter examines the issue of obligation in British Atlantic trade during the period from 1750 to 1815. It describes how merchants fulfil their obligations in their daily business procedural norms, payment, and what contemporaries called ‘indulgence’. It analyses the obligatory relationship of elite merchants with the state and the wider community in which they worked. This chapter suggests that obligations were an important part of the business culture in this period and presents a story which highlighted the fact that obligations involved far more than one-to-one reciprocity.Less

Introduction

Audra A. Diptee

in From Africa to Jamaica: The Making of an Atlantic Slave Society, 17751807

This book traces the historical trajectory of the men, women, and children forcibly transported to Jamaica in the last thirty-two years of the British slave trade. It looks at the dynamics that ... More

This book traces the historical trajectory of the men, women, and children forcibly transported to Jamaica in the last thirty-two years of the British slave trade. It looks at the dynamics that shaped their lives as well as how they interpreted and sometimes even forced change on the Atlantic system that wrenched them from Africa. The link between Africa and Jamaica was, of course, the trans-Atlantic slave trade. It was the system that facilitated the killing, capture, and sale of men, women, and children who were to be shipped across the Atlantic to provide forcibly their labor. The history of this system is, first and foremost, then, about lives lived and lives lost. The history of these lives has been told many times, in many ways; with each retelling, efforts have been made to move one step further from “silencing the past.”Less

Worlds Collide

in Black Salt: Seafarers of African Descent on British Ships

This chapter describes the British slave trade. The slave trade directly or indirectly led to the initial interaction between Africans and the British Navy. The trade was a ready source of future ... More

This chapter describes the British slave trade. The slave trade directly or indirectly led to the initial interaction between Africans and the British Navy. The trade was a ready source of future black sailors, both free and un-free. In the years of the British slave trade, many other un-free black sailors would serve Britain in their master's name. Enslaved seafarers of African descent would take up many roles and become known as a valuable asset to Britain's navy. There was no shortage of black seamen ready to provide their services to ships' captains whenever needed. There was a demand for able-bodied seamen throughout the entire period of the British slave trade. Against the backdrop of the slave trade, the British Empire was growing into the greatest melange of different cultures, races and languages since the Roman era.Less

Sierra Leone

João José Reis, Flávio dos Santos Gomes, Marcus J. M. de Carvalho, and H. Sabrina Gledhill

in The Story of Rufino: Slavery, Freedom, and Islam in the Black Atlantic

After being captured by the Royal Navy brig Water Witch, the Ermelinda is taken to Sierra Leone, a British colony, the history of which is narrated from its foundation by philanthroposts, including ... More

After being captured by the Royal Navy brig Water Witch, the Ermelinda is taken to Sierra Leone, a British colony, the history of which is narrated from its foundation by philanthroposts, including the leading abolitionist Granville Sharp, in the late eighteenth century up until Rufino landed there in December 1841. British cruisers deposited scores of liberated Africans there40,000 in the 1830s alone. As a result, Sierra Leone’s population included people of different faiths and ethnicities from all over the western coast of Africa and Mozambique. Anti–slave trade Mixed Commissions were installed in Freetown, where the trial of the Ermelinda was carried out for two months.Less

Franklin’s Imperial Imaginings: “Coined Land” and Global Goals

Carla J. Mulford

in Benjamin Franklin and the Ends of Empire

This chapter discusses Franklin’s young adult and middle years, when he was involved with Pennsylvania politics and learning strategies for political negotiation. During these years Franklin ... More

This chapter discusses Franklin’s young adult and middle years, when he was involved with Pennsylvania politics and learning strategies for political negotiation. During these years Franklin carefully developed a socioeconomic view supporting both free trade and a politics of imperialism. This chapter discusses Franklin’s A Modest Enquiry into the Nature and Necessity of a Paper-Currency, among other of his writings, relating Franklin’s views to well-known writers on economic and civil matters. For someone of his relative youth and inexperience, Franklin developed a fairly sophisticated theory of economics that included an investigation of several viable economic processes, including the idea of foreign-paid incomes and the effects of economic elasticity based in an analysis of a specie-flow, supply-demand mechanism. His aim was to show the impact of trade on local agriculture, construction, and merchant activities.Less

Introduction

Melanie Simms, Jane Holgate, and Edmund Heery

in Union Voices: Tactics and Tensions in UK Organizing

This introductory chapter presents the book's rationale for discussing one of the most significant developments in British trade unionism: the increasing focus on organizing activity. It considers ... More

This introductory chapter presents the book's rationale for discussing one of the most significant developments in British trade unionism: the increasing focus on organizing activity. It considers the impact of the UK's Trades Union Congress (TUC) Organising Academy (OA), the participants in the training program, and the organizing campaigns that union organizers have run. In telling the story of what organizing is “like” on the front line, what organizers do, and how they do it, the book places the workplace struggles of workers and their unions at the core of its investigation. The chapter shows how one of the things that happened as ideas about organizing migrated from other countries to the United Kingdom is that the political conceptualization of why unions are organizing has been underexamined. The book then seeks to understand organizing as a political process, as well as the politics within the wider purpose of organizing.Less