Aldred vs Kennedy LETS GET READY TO RUMBLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE lol

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Areas of comparison  1. Economic cost/benefit  2. Military/strategic benefit  3. International standing

Economic cost/benefit Aldred:  ‘Imperial trade became even more important for Britain’s economic survival between WW1 and WW2.’ - He believed imperial trade was essential  ‘WW1 left Britain as a debtor nation which raised the question as to whether Britain could afford to maintain such a vast imperial commitment’ – WW1 strained the economy of Britain, public support lowered for the empire, especially after the Boer War.  ‘Empire was no longer relevant, it was too costly to maintain’ – Again, referencing poor economy, the colonies were spread apart, making it even harder to maintain.  ‘Some liberals also questioned the economic advantages of empire’ To conclude, Aldred believed that the empire was important during the first world war, however after the 2 nd world war Britain’s resources were drained and he believed it was too costly to maintain an empire.

Economic cost/benefit Kennedy:  ‘It simply saw protectionism as more harmful than helpful to those sectors of the economy that bolstered the country’s international position, particularly finance, shipping and other invisibles’ - Kennedy agrees with Aldred that imperial trade was necessary however contrasts that no trade with other countries was harmful  ‘Where colonial nationalism posed no challenge, Liberal policies were scarcely distinguishable from Conservative Unionist ones. In tropical Africa, for example, the common goal was the development of the area’s untapped agricultural and mineral resources’ – Contrasting with Aldred’s viewpoint that the empire was no longer profitable. Such as Nigeria making lubricant for industrial machinery

Military/strategic cost and benefit Aldred:  ‘The British navy DID rule the waves’ – He believes that they had the strongest navy in the world, which was a fact  ‘The geographical spread of the empire demanded an expensive naval system’ – It was expensive but necessary to maintain, many colonies were far apart from each other  ‘The army was only popular to volunteer for because there were many people in poverty who could not get a job’ (paraphrased)– Indicates that the army was not really passionate, and in poor health. Perhaps accounting for the failure of the Boer War.

Military/strategic cost and benefit kENnEdy:  ‘Britain became engaged in an expensive naval arms race with Germany, which caused naval estimates to raise by 50%’ – He agrees with Aldred that the navy was expensive to maintain, but also adds that this was due to a race for power with Germany.  Kennedy agrees with Aldred that the navy was difficult and expensive to maintain due to competition with Germany, but doesn’t mention it is due to the geographical location of the colonies

International Aldred ‘Britain was able to project its influence anywhere in the world’ (Before first WW) - Goes on to discuss how ‘mighty’ Britain’s navy was to be able to achieve this ‘By 1918 Britain’s status as a great power and the assumption that world power was centred in Europe had been undermined’ - He believes that after WW1 Britain were very weak and they looked much less competent to run an empire than beforehand. Especially after the second Boer War incident. ‘International opposition to Britain’s methods’ - This is related to the concentration camps set up for the Boers which about 110,000 civilians were in. Britain looked bad for using brutal methods on a very weak army. 8

International  He didn’t talk much about this 9