17: Imperialist Ideas
Opinions of Very few people would have questioned the Empire's importance and more became
the public aware of the empire. It was seen as a sign of Britain's importance, prestige, economic
prosperity and the reason they had fought 2 world wars. It was seen as a valuable asset of
which the British people could feel proud. It was seen as key to Britain's victory especially in
WW1. Some people in Britain were impressed by Gandhi when he visited in the 1930s. Most
people continued to see the Empire as benevolent and as a force for good - repression
was justified to maintain Britain's control. They saw it as a way of spreading freedom and
improvement across the world. People did not vote for the Labour party in 1945 because
they supported Indian independence - it was primarily due to domestic issues. People
lamented the loss of India in 1947 - and people didn't support the idea of the ultimate
dissolution of the British Empire. Even the Labour Party believed that the remaining colonies
were key to Britain's recovery and future prosperity. There were some changes in the
message conveyed as explicit jingoism lost its attraction after the horrors of the First World
War. The Empire was presented more as a family of nations led by the British: a place of
peace and co-operation
Empire Effort was made to promote the commonwealth and imperial unity. Through mass
Marketing communications and social organisations, the British population was bombarded by
Board imperial imagery, much or it officially supported by the government who were keen to
encourage trade with the empire. The EMB, set up in 1926 by Leo Amery, the Secretary of
State for Colonies and Dominions, promoted the consumption in Britain of items produced
in the Empire through posters and advertising campaigns (gov. intervention in advertising,
not only private companies now). The board became even more active with the onset of
the Great Depression as the Empire became more important to the British economy
Exhibitions Wembley Exhibition of 1924 to which the government contributed half the £2.2m cost.
There were pavilions advertising every country in the Empire and a funfair was erected.
There was also a sports stadium, which became the permanent legacy of the exhibition.
The exotic and progressive aspects the empire were carefully interwoven. It was intended
to give visitors an experience of the British Empire 'in miniature'. Over 17m visitors attended
in 1924 and another 9 million in 1925. They came away with an impression of a thriving,
forward-looking and diverse empire and memories of glimpses of how some of its more
picturesque inhabitants lived. Another Empire exhibition in Glasgow in 1938 also proved a
great success with 12m visitors. It offered a change to boost the Scottish economy after the
Depression
BBC Established in 1923, under its first Director General, John Reith, took as strong pro-imperial
stance and covered as many major imperial events, exhibitions and public celebrations as
possible. There were Christmas broadcasts from 1932 which included the King's speech,
and various items about the Empire. The Radio had the power to focus the loyalty of all the
empire's subjects on the figure of imperial unity - the monarch. In 1933 a handful of people
from the empire were invited to speak about themselves and their daily lives. Radio
strengthened imperial links and promoted a sense of common identity. It exposed the
empire's subjects to other cultures and ideas, not all of them conductive to imperial
harmony. There were 15 minuet talks by experts on different aspects of the empire
Education The empire formed a focal point for the teachings of geography, history and literature in
schools, drawing for the last on the poetry and writings of such pro-imperial writers as
Rudyard Kipling. The historical study of the Empire became established in universities, with
special professorship in Imperial History being created such as the Vere Harmsworth Chair
at Cambridge (1919). The universities played an important role in training Colonial Servants,
as exemplified by the role of London's University's School of Oriental and African Studies,
formed in 1917
Film The emergence of cinema as mass entertainment offered an unprecedented opportunity
to spread the imperial message to the masses. Feature films such was Sanders of the River
(1935) and The Four Feathers (1939) used the Empire as a backdrop for adventure, singling
to the public that the Empire was a place of excitement and showing that the empire was
a force for human progress. Ministry of Information films such as 49th Parallel and West
Indies Calling stressed the need for tolerance and understanding of other ethnicities in the
Empire. The government insisted that every film which portrayed the empire or its servants
showed both in a flattering light. It was the British Board of Film Censors, founded in 1912,
job to ensure films were fit to show. Filmgoers went home with a satisfying belief that their
empire represented stability and equity, and was managed by brave, right-minded men
who knew what was best for the natives
Opinions of Very few people would have questioned the Empire's importance and more became
the public aware of the empire. It was seen as a sign of Britain's importance, prestige, economic
prosperity and the reason they had fought 2 world wars. It was seen as a valuable asset of
which the British people could feel proud. It was seen as key to Britain's victory especially in
WW1. Some people in Britain were impressed by Gandhi when he visited in the 1930s. Most
people continued to see the Empire as benevolent and as a force for good - repression
was justified to maintain Britain's control. They saw it as a way of spreading freedom and
improvement across the world. People did not vote for the Labour party in 1945 because
they supported Indian independence - it was primarily due to domestic issues. People
lamented the loss of India in 1947 - and people didn't support the idea of the ultimate
dissolution of the British Empire. Even the Labour Party believed that the remaining colonies
were key to Britain's recovery and future prosperity. There were some changes in the
message conveyed as explicit jingoism lost its attraction after the horrors of the First World
War. The Empire was presented more as a family of nations led by the British: a place of
peace and co-operation
Empire Effort was made to promote the commonwealth and imperial unity. Through mass
Marketing communications and social organisations, the British population was bombarded by
Board imperial imagery, much or it officially supported by the government who were keen to
encourage trade with the empire. The EMB, set up in 1926 by Leo Amery, the Secretary of
State for Colonies and Dominions, promoted the consumption in Britain of items produced
in the Empire through posters and advertising campaigns (gov. intervention in advertising,
not only private companies now). The board became even more active with the onset of
the Great Depression as the Empire became more important to the British economy
Exhibitions Wembley Exhibition of 1924 to which the government contributed half the £2.2m cost.
There were pavilions advertising every country in the Empire and a funfair was erected.
There was also a sports stadium, which became the permanent legacy of the exhibition.
The exotic and progressive aspects the empire were carefully interwoven. It was intended
to give visitors an experience of the British Empire 'in miniature'. Over 17m visitors attended
in 1924 and another 9 million in 1925. They came away with an impression of a thriving,
forward-looking and diverse empire and memories of glimpses of how some of its more
picturesque inhabitants lived. Another Empire exhibition in Glasgow in 1938 also proved a
great success with 12m visitors. It offered a change to boost the Scottish economy after the
Depression
BBC Established in 1923, under its first Director General, John Reith, took as strong pro-imperial
stance and covered as many major imperial events, exhibitions and public celebrations as
possible. There were Christmas broadcasts from 1932 which included the King's speech,
and various items about the Empire. The Radio had the power to focus the loyalty of all the
empire's subjects on the figure of imperial unity - the monarch. In 1933 a handful of people
from the empire were invited to speak about themselves and their daily lives. Radio
strengthened imperial links and promoted a sense of common identity. It exposed the
empire's subjects to other cultures and ideas, not all of them conductive to imperial
harmony. There were 15 minuet talks by experts on different aspects of the empire
Education The empire formed a focal point for the teachings of geography, history and literature in
schools, drawing for the last on the poetry and writings of such pro-imperial writers as
Rudyard Kipling. The historical study of the Empire became established in universities, with
special professorship in Imperial History being created such as the Vere Harmsworth Chair
at Cambridge (1919). The universities played an important role in training Colonial Servants,
as exemplified by the role of London's University's School of Oriental and African Studies,
formed in 1917
Film The emergence of cinema as mass entertainment offered an unprecedented opportunity
to spread the imperial message to the masses. Feature films such was Sanders of the River
(1935) and The Four Feathers (1939) used the Empire as a backdrop for adventure, singling
to the public that the Empire was a place of excitement and showing that the empire was
a force for human progress. Ministry of Information films such as 49th Parallel and West
Indies Calling stressed the need for tolerance and understanding of other ethnicities in the
Empire. The government insisted that every film which portrayed the empire or its servants
showed both in a flattering light. It was the British Board of Film Censors, founded in 1912,
job to ensure films were fit to show. Filmgoers went home with a satisfying belief that their
empire represented stability and equity, and was managed by brave, right-minded men
who knew what was best for the natives
