Section 3: Imperialism Challenged Chapter 17: Imperialist Ideas
Chapter 17: Imperialist Ideas
To What Extent were Official Government Initiatives the Main Way that the
Empire was Promoted to the British Public in the Years 1914-47?
How did the British public feel about the Empire 1914-1947?
• Very few people would have questioned the Empire’s importance and more became 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
• In 1948 ¾ of the population did not know the difference between a dominion and a colony
How did the Government promote the Empire?
• A tremendous effort was made to promote the commonwealth and imperial unity
• Through mass communications and social organisations, the British population was bombarded by imperial
imagery, much or it officially supported by the government who were keen to encourage trade with the empire
• The Empire Marketing Board, set up in 1926 following the efforts of 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 were staged, such as the 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
chance to boost the Scottish economy after the Depression
In what other ways was the Empire promoted?
How did the BBC promote the Empire?
• The BBC was 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 not only the King’s speech but also 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
Chapter 17: Imperialist Ideas
To What Extent were Official Government Initiatives the Main Way that the
Empire was Promoted to the British Public in the Years 1914-47?
How did the British public feel about the Empire 1914-1947?
• Very few people would have questioned the Empire’s importance and more became 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
• In 1948 ¾ of the population did not know the difference between a dominion and a colony
How did the Government promote the Empire?
• A tremendous effort was made to promote the commonwealth and imperial unity
• Through mass communications and social organisations, the British population was bombarded by imperial
imagery, much or it officially supported by the government who were keen to encourage trade with the empire
• The Empire Marketing Board, set up in 1926 following the efforts of 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 were staged, such as the 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
chance to boost the Scottish economy after the Depression
In what other ways was the Empire promoted?
How did the BBC promote the Empire?
• The BBC was 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 not only the King’s speech but also 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
