Britain: Losing and Gaining an Empire, 1763-1914 | Edexcel A-Level History (9HI0)

Britain: Losing and Gaining an Empire, 1763-1914

188 questions
19 subtopics
Paper 3: themes in breadth with aspects in depth, one option of sixteen
Paper 3

A Paper 3 option combining aspects in breadth on trade, the navy and strategic bases with aspects in depth on four episodes: the loss of the American colonies, the settlement of Australia, the reform of Canadian government after the 1837 rebellions, and British expansion in India and Egypt..

It covers changing patterns of trade, 1763-1914, ports, entrepôts and trade routes, the changing Royal Navy, 1763-1914, key strategic bases around the globe, tensions between colonists and the British, 1770–75, clashes between British forces and rebels, 1775–76, britain's defeat, 1777–83, australia as a penal colony and Lachlan Macquarie, british settlement and the Aborigines, the spreading impact of settlement in Australia, government in Upper and Lower Canada, the revolts of 1837–38, the Earl of Durham and the Durham Report, the East India Company and the Governor General, william Sleeman’s campaign against Thagi, the Indian Rebellion, reasons for intervention in Egypt, 1882, egypt as a veiled protectorate and the problem of the Sudan and its conquest.

Sample questions from Britain: Losing and Gaining an Empire, 1763-1914

Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.

Changing patterns of trade, 1763-1914

What was the effect of the 1807 abolition of the slave trade on trade patterns?

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It ended British participation in the slave trade and pushed merchants and the navy towards other commerce, including 'legitimate' trade with Africa.
The changing Royal Navy, 1763-1914

What was the significance of the attack on Algiers in 1816?

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A British-led bombardment forced the Barbary rulers to release Christian captives and curb piracy in the Mediterranean.
Tensions between colonists and the British, 1770–75

Why did Britain tax the American colonies after 1763?

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The Seven Years War had doubled the national debt, and the colonies were thought to owe a share of the cost of their own defence.
Britain's defeat, 1777–83

Why was Saratoga a turning point?

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Burgoyne's surrender of an entire army in 1777 convinced France that the Americans could win, and brought France into the war as an ally.
British settlement and the Aborigines

How did land use cause conflict?

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Sheep and cattle destroyed the plants and displaced the animals Aboriginal people depended on, and fenced water sources cut them off from essential resources.
Government in Upper and Lower Canada

What were the Family Compact and the Chateau Clique?

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The small oligarchies of officials, merchants and landowners who monopolised office and patronage in Upper and Lower Canada respectively.
The Earl of Durham and the Durham Report

Why is the Durham Report seen as 'learning from past mistakes'?

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It applied lessons from the loss of the American colonies, granting self-government to keep a settler colony loyal rather than losing it.
William Sleeman’s campaign against Thagi

How did Sleeman conduct his campaign?

Show the answer
By collecting confessions and informers' evidence, compiling registers and genealogies, and prosecuting through special courts between 1830 and the 1840s.

The 19 subtopics

One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.

Subtopic	What it covers	Questions
Changing patterns of trade, 1763-1914	Recall questions on the triangular trade, the shift to manufactured exports, the importance of coal, and how trade with India and the Far East changed.	10
Ports, entrepôts and trade routes	Recall questions on Singapore and Hong Kong, the effect of the Suez Canal and the purchase of the shares, the growth of British ports, and the coaling stations.	10
The changing Royal Navy, 1763-1914	Recall questions on the shift from sail to steam and then to Dreadnoughts, the Two Power Standard, commerce protection, and the West Africa Squadron.	10
Key strategic bases around the globe	Recall questions on what was retained in 1815, Gibraltar and Malta, Aden and Cyprus, the Cape, and the principle behind Britain's choice of bases.	10
Tensions between colonists and the British, 1770–75	Recall questions on why the colonies were taxed, the Stamp Act and the Townshend duties, the Tea Act, no taxation without representation, and the Boston Massacre.	10
Clashes between British forces and rebels, 1775–76	Recall questions on the Coercive Acts, Lexington and Concord, Bunker Hill, the Declaration of Independence, Common Sense, and how divided the colonists were.	10
Britain's defeat, 1777–83	Recall questions on Saratoga and French entry, Spanish and Dutch involvement, Britain's military limitations, Yorktown, and the terms of the peace.	10
Australia as a penal colony and Lachlan Macquarie	Recall questions on why convicts were sent, the First Fleet, how transportation worked, Macquarie's building and his emancipist policy, and why he was recalled.	10
British settlement and the Aborigines	Recall questions on terra nullius, the demographic impact of settlement, conflict over land and water, Pemulwuy, the Black War and the Black Line.	10
The spreading impact of settlement in Australia	Recall questions on Van Diemen's Land, whaling and sealing, the crossing of the Blue Mountains, the squatting movement, and the effect of free settlement.	10
Government in Upper and Lower Canada	Recall questions on the Constitutional Act of 1791 and its flaw, the Family Compact and Chateau Clique, the fear of the USA, and French Canadian grievances.	9
The revolts of 1837–38	Recall questions on the causes in each province, Papineau and Mackenzie, how serious the risings were, the Caroline affair, and why they mattered so much.	10
The Earl of Durham and the Durham Report	Recall questions on Durham's appointment and rapid resignation, Buller and Wakefield, the principle of responsible government, and the recommendation to unite the Canadas.	10
The East India Company and the Governor General	Recall questions on Plassey and the diwani of Bengal, parliamentary control, the size of the Company Army, subsidiary alliance, and the transfer to the crown in 1858.	10
William Sleeman’s campaign against Thagi	Recall questions on what Thagi was said to be, Sleeman's methods, how the campaign is viewed today, sati and infanticide, missionaries, and Macaulay's Minute.	10
The Indian Rebellion	Recall questions on the Doctrine of Lapse, the annexation of Awadh, the greased cartridges, the events at Meerut, Cawnpore and Delhi, and the severity of the suppression.	10
Reasons for intervention in Egypt, 1882	Recall questions on Egyptian debt and the Dual Control, Arabi Pasha, the Alexandria riots, Tel-el-Kebir, and why France did not take part.	10
Egypt as a veiled protectorate	Recall questions on what the phrase meant, the repeated promises to withdraw, Cromer's achievements and what he neglected, Dinshaway, and the protectorate of 1914.	10
The problem of the Sudan and its conquest	Recall questions on the Mahdi and why his revolt succeeded, Gladstone's policy, Gordon's mission and death, the reconquest of 1898, and Fashoda.	9

Britain: Losing and Gaining an Empire, 1763-1914 is 188 of the 6,832 questions in the guide.Get the guide, £9

How the guide is worked

Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.

Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.

Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.