3.

1 CWS : Jeremy Paxman’s ‘EMPIRE’ dvd series - Episode 1: A Taste for Power

1. Who was Britain’s representative at the ‘Peace Talks’ in 1763?

2. Which region was among the first to be conquered and ruled by the British Empire?

3. How did Britain (as a small Island) get the manpower they needed to keep control over the
Empire?

4. In the treaty signed in mid-1800, the British and the local ruler Maharaja of Jodhpur agreed on:

a. letting the Maharaja run his kingdom just as before without any damage
b. Letting the Maharaja run his kingdom just as before but paying the British for the privilege
c. The Maharaja’s daughter had to marry one of the British rulers so he could keep on running his
kingdom

5. Where was the seat of the British power in India located?

6. What started in Lucknow in the mid-19 th century?

a. Negotiations for a treaty

b. The first Indian war of independence
c. Revolt from Indian workers

7. What exactly happened at the British headquarters in Lucknow?

…… were trapped inside and surrounded by 8000 rebels. At the height of the siege, ……
Europeans died every day. Headquarters had been under artillery attack, the hospital was
packed with wounded and the sick – corpses were rotting in the heat outside; as a
result………………… broke out. After ……………. (=time period), British relief forces arrived and
showed no mercy as rebellion is met with savage retaliation. British Commanders killed and
tortured ……………. of mutineers. The pretence of British rule had …………………………………...

8. What is the main difference between a ‘Durbar’*) and ‘Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897’?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

*) The Indians also called them ‘terror in fancy dress’. [Lord George Nathanial Curzon (?) liked to
assemble his uniforms to express authority and prosperity over the Indians. The events held near
Delhi, at the Coronation Park, were meant to dazzle the citizens into submission.]

9. What is the thing of the old British Raj that still exerts some magic today?
 [qs on EGYPT on p.2]
1. What did Britain do in Egypt?

2. The workings of the Empire became almost invisible in Egypt. The British found a new word for
Egypt: Egypt was not a colony, it was a ……..

3. What did Lawrence of Arabia (Thomas Edward Lawrence) do?

- He had been sent on a secret mapping expedition through the Egyptian desert in an effort to
befriend Arab forces. He gave them the believe of freedom from foreign rule after the war
had been fought, the Arabs proceeded to join the British army against the Turks in Palestine.
a. Made the Arabs fight with the British
b. Made the Arabs kill themselves
c. Made the Arabs surrender

4. Why did Allenby enter Jerusalem on foot?

- He claimed to be there ……………………………………………………………..

5. What exactly happened on 22nd July 1946?

6. What are two main consequences of Britain’s presence in Palestine? A.

B.

7. What are the ‘Cairo Riots’ and why are the important for the Imperial history?

The riots are ……………………………………………………..because they got angry over the fact that the
…………… forces did not leave Cairo (and Egypt) as initially intended. This has shown as crucial
Imperial footwork; ……………… people or interests are threatened  ……………….. forces are sent to
protect them  and they never leave. These forces did not leave because it was not …………………
and their presence was diminished as mere ‘armed tourism’.

8.Who is ‘Overbearing’? …………………………………………….., he regarded the Egyptians as children but let

the Egyptian elite believe they were still in charge. He got his nickname because of his presence
‘behind the throne’ and forcefully advised Egyptians to do as Britain wanted.

9. What is the ‘Belfort Declaration’?

10. What has been the primary lesson that the British Empire learned from their time in the Middle
East?

11. Name one ‘Imperial Habit’ that has still been lingering on in the last three decades and why?