Colonial Expansion and the Formation of the Colonial Empire

The English bourgeoisie having secured political and economic domination in the country and consolidated its rule over the masses became deeply interested in promoting its interests abroad. The 18th century saw the actual making of the British colonial empire. This process was closely associated with the numerous wars waged by England against its main rivals and colonial conquests made by the state in different parts of the world. Moreover, Scotland and Ireland became fully subjugated by the English crown in this period.

Ireland became the first target of the English colonialists and was conquered in 1690. To pacify the Irish William III concluded the Treaty of Limerick (1692) in which he promised to respect the rights of the Irish Catholics. But Irish Catholics could not rent more than two acres of land, nor could they get employment in industry either, the English Parliament also restricted Irish trade. Already it had prohibited the export of Irish livestock to England. Parliament now forced the Irish to import staple colonial products by way of England. Irish goods were in fact barred from the English market. Irish industry and trade was as a result of these measures crippled. Starvation or emigration were the only remaining options which the Irish could choose. A growing feeling of bitterness of the Irish against the English became overwhelmingly widespread in the country and this later led to new revolts.

In 1689 William started a war against France. It is known as the War of the League of Augsburg (1689 – 97). The war had serious consequences for England itself: an indirect result of the conflict was the formation of the Bank of England (1694), which purpose was to organize the collection of the loans. The bank borrowed money from the bourgeoisie at a low rate of interest and lent it to the government at a higher rate. Soon the bank was allowed to make its own paper money banknotes. The first loan or the first national debt was more than one million pounds. After two wars at the beginning of the 18^th century the National debt reached 54 million pounds. The taxes were formally levied by the government not for wars but to pay the national debt. In other words the ruling classes undertook a tremendous swindle – they put the brunt of hardship on the shoulders of taxpayers. The emergence of the bank of England and of the National debt clearly manifested the level of capitalist development in the country.

In her greed to secure new overseas possessions Britain actively participated in the war of the Spanish Succession. It formed a coalition consisting of the Netherlands, Austria and some of the German states against France. This war seriously increased England’s colonial, commercial and naval power. It received freedom of trade with the Spanish colonies. Moreover, it secured the monopoly right to supply the Spanish colonies with slaves from Africa.

Important developments took place in Anglo-Scotch relations. In 1707 after a period of hostilities Scotland agreed to a union with England losing its independence.

The growth of England trade on an international scale in the 18^th century enhanced the importance of the English colonies in North America. It became an important market for the goods of English industry and a source of supply of necessary raw materials.

English and French relations clashed in North America and India. The forerunner of English colonial encroachments in India was the East India Company (founded in 1600). However, the French were neither idle. There was also a French East Indian company which acted in similar fashion as the English. Pondicherry became the main French stronghold in India.

When Robert Walpole was in power (1721 – 42) the growing discord between the two rivals was settled peace­fully. Then England participated in two successive wars against France: the War of Austrian Succession (1740—8) and the Seven Years War (1756—63). English colonial conquest of this period are closely associated with the name of William Pitt the Elder (1708—78), an active protagonist of British colonial supremacy. He is regarded by English historians as Britain's greatest empire-builder. He believed that the country should expand commercially and colonially and to do both was ready to use British might to the limit. He openly declared France to be Britain's main enemy and that French trading places all over the world must be captured. He also insisted that the French in Canada must be conquered. It was Pitt's policy to buy allies in Europe who would fight the French. Hence, in the War of Austrian Succession it was Austria who was to do all the fighting, and in the Seven Years War it was Prussia while Austria, a former ally, became an enemy siding with France. Having a free hand on the continent, Britain with her army and fleet could secure her main aim — seize new colonial possessions and oust the French from the territories where they threatened British colonial interests.

The odds of the wars waged by Britain were not always favourable for Britain. However, as a result of most of the fighting which occurred mainly in India and North America the British gained victory.The Seven Years War laid the foundation of the British Empire in the east.

In the Peace of Paris (1763) Britain consolidated her colonial gains: the British Empire became the world's largest. It included Canada, parts of America, the West Indies and India, together with bits of the West African coast.

The colonial victories of Great Britain in the 18th century gave her new opportunities to enhance the shameful slave trade. Millions of African slaves were transported from West Africa to the South American colonies, or the cotton and tobacco plantations of the colonies in North America giving the English slave traders tremendous fortunes.

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