What role did colonial trade play in the development of London - Essay Example

?What role did colonial trade play in the development of London? Introduction There is no doubt that Britain is one of the nations that benefited greatly from the colonial trade. As a matter of fact, Britain benefited not just from colonial trade but the entire phenomenon of colonization. Britain is known to have colonized some of the world’s biggest economies and nations including America, Australia and most parts of Africa. Out of this, Britain gained total economic and political control over most countries who served as British colonies. By and large, these countries invested heavily into the entire development of Britain – particular London. This essay is thus dedicated to scrutinizing some of the major means by which London’s development was affected: positively and negatively by the colonial trade. How the early profits from the slave trade developed the industrial revolution It has remained common knowledge and taught throughout British schools that “during the 1800s the Industrial Revolution spread throughout Britain.” And that “the use of steam-powered machines, led to a massive increase in the number of factories (particularly in textile factories or mills)” (Nettleworth Primary School, 2009). This piece of good history has its own history or roots. The history is that industrial revolution in Britain and for that matter London was backed and influenced by the slave trade. Today, it is largely argued whether or not the slave trade was a good thing or not. However, the most important fact is that in the days when the conduct of the slave market was not questioned by any, London made the good out of it. The slave trade brought about immense boost in human capital for London. Though most of the slaves who were brought from parts of the world such as Africa were unskilled and could not be absorbed into London’s industrial world immediately, there were several ways that the competences of these slaves were tapped to benefit London. First and foremost, the slaves were recruited to take up tasks and roles in the industries that did not demand a lot of skilled knowledge. Because of their large numbers, it did not take the slaves much time to bring about massive turnovers in terms of profits. Apart from the fact that these unskilled slaves were not on regular salary taken by unskilled British, they were also made to work overtime in most of the times that they were called to duty. The second way that the slaves were used by the industries is that they were given rapid training to take up ‘semi-skilled’ tasks. These semi-skilled tasks were not typically bookish but had to do with supervision over unskilled labourers. As discussed earlier, these slaves were not taking normal salary and as such saved the industries a lot of expenditure. Again, the slaves were made to work far beyond normal working hours and thus improved productivity. The improvement in productivity that was recorded in most industries saw London and Britain record major industrial growth. This eventually brought about what came to be known as industrial revolution, which was a major turning point in London’s development. East and West India Company, their business dealings and profits The East and West India Company were seen as the backbone of London’s development in the colonial days. Surprisingly, the company still plays very vital role in the economy of London and the world at large. As noted by The East India Company (2011), “without The Company our world would not be as it is today.” This is not a mere publicity talk when discussion is being made of companies, whose dealings and profits indeed were visible in the transformation of London’s economy and entire development. As a company that received the recognition of the Queen of England through the Royal Charter, much was expected from the company right from the unset. Hopefully and true to expectation, the company’s dealings and general business structure ensured that the company recorded major trade gains and initiations such as the establishment of Singapore and Hong Kong (The East India Company (2011). The company was also instrumental in the shaping and influence of India as a nation. So indeed, the East India Company did not only influence London and its development but extended to other parts of the world. The East and West India Company played vital role in London’s development for two major reasons. First, the input of the company into the regular of the British economy was so vast and forthcoming that not even existing companies that had function for decades before the East India Company could earn London that much. Cleary, this was as a result of the presence of cheap labour used by the company from slaves and immigrants. Secondly, the shift in the original plan of the company from pursuing trade with British allies and colonies such as the East Indies to becoming the major trader with the Indian subcontinent and China was also accountable for the huge profits that were earned. This was because even in the colonial era, the Indian subcontinent and China were great contenders when it came to trade and industry. It was actually around that time that China in particular had started making strides in improving her economy. Because of this ambition, various governments in the Indian subcontinent and China had started voting a lot of money into trade in these zones. London therefore had a ready market that analysts believe would have been very difficult to come by if trade with those zones had taken a regular course. The new market found in the Indian subcontinent and China was therefore a very big plus for London in enhancing the image and growth of the East and West India Company to ensure that the company amassed as much profits for the development of London as possible. London traders becoming wealthy quickly which led to the development of the middle classes Barrow (2010) explain that “sociologists define social class as the grouping of people by occupations.” Even though Barrow holds the view that Britain is not as class-ridden today as it was some years back, the class phenomenon is still very popular among today’s generation. But indeed, Barrow could not be faulted much for arguing that Britain is not as class-ridden today as it was years back because the issue of class in Britain and London to be specific actually started in the colonial era and was more popular in those days. Before it became very common in the 1700s and 1800s, not much attention was paid to the class or social status one belonged to. This is because there was a broad classification of people where people were either well to do or poor. Because the economic earnings of these new traders had increased but their status had not yet reached that of high class citizens, they were tagged and nicknamed middle class citizens. The phenomenon has however continued to be with the British and London dwellers till today. Middle class citizens were actually seen to be the best class because their conditions were neither bad nor suspecting. As seen already, London had been welcomed with a very optimistic market from the Indian subcontinent and China. It had also had its industry been beefed up in terms of labour from slaves who were traded to that region. These two situations therefore saw traders in London growing from wealth to wealth. At the time, a lot of people who were into different ventures such as teaching, medicine, law and some politicians even took pride in changing hands into doing business. The trade industry therefore saw a lot of people coming onboard. It must be emphasized however that the number of new ‘faces’ could not decrease the earnings that were coming from that industry. A lot of the people who took to trading who before were mere low class earners starting recording improvements in their economic status. Most of these people became middle income earners and thus middle class people. Hitherto, there were two major noticeable classes, which were the high and low classes. Indeed, the popularity of the class system; particularly with the coming in of the middle class took a national term. This is because with time, the government of the United Kingdom was forced to have governmental policies that catered for the phenomenon of class. This is to say that the government was tasked to put in place policies that were to ensure that the gap between the rich and poor was bridged to a very large extent. At least, the worse person was deemed to be of middle class status. Spicker (2010) has it that to cater for the class system, the government introduced the social policy initiatives. The construction of the London Docks, therefore securing the future growth of colonial trade As far back as 1834, it could be argued that “London is the greatest Port in the world” (The Saturday Magazine, 1834, p.1). This accolade was not born out of sheer obsession but was actually made with a basis. In the days when the development of ports was good merely for the sake of naval surveillance, London was indeed making a trade out of the development of ports and thus the construction of the London Docks. Hitherto, ports mattered to governments because they were needed to keep countries save from possible colonial and other warship attacks. London became the gateway to the use of ports for economic benefits and therefore secured the future growth of not just colonial trade but maritime trade in general when it put the construction of the London Docks underway. The future growth of colonial trade in London was consolidated by the construction of the London Docks. The London Docks were made up of several sets of docks that lied along the coasts and ports of London. The construction of the docks was made between the years of 1799 and 1815. The construction was very costly, quoted among some researchers to have exceeded ?5? million. This was however not a wrong investment at all. This is because the London Docks opened London up to the rest of the world and made London a more welcoming place to do business. It is noted that because of the capacity of the London docks and its safety, it opened London up to increase its lots in colonial trade, dealing in products such as wool, wine, spices, coffee and ivory. The docks indeed came to be known to be a specialist dock to luxurious commodities and products of high value. One way that the construction of the London docks strengthened the colonial trade of London was that London as at the time of the construction of the docks already had connections with a lot of nations around the world who were her colonies. The docks therefore facilitated the collection and dumping of high-value commodities from those countries. As colonies, these nations had no say than to oblige to their master’s request and demand. The growth of institutions built in London, from the profits of colonial trade London took advantage of her colonial trade with her allies and colonies to develop and strengthen her institutions. The formation of institutions has been identified not to be enough to ensure national develop. Rather, the growth and strengthening of these institutions to function properly and independently have been linked to national development and growth. This phenomenon was nothing different in London. London had institutions such as the police, immigration, army and civil service. These institutions were however crippled with lack of funds to keep them strengthen and independent. A lot of these institutions therefore had to depend on central government for their financing. This made the institutions less independent but rather manipulative. When the colonial trade boomed the industries of London and city authorities began amassing enough revenue for the development of London, enough budgetary allocations were made to the various institutions. With the injection of such funding, the institutions became more empowered and capable to function. The colonial trade therefore; in a large extent affected the growth of institutions in London positively. Today, London and Britain for that matter boasts of some of the world’s most independent, effective and efficient institutions. Though these institutions are making strides and having all the accolades today, the root of their successes actually dates back to the days of the colonial trade. Conclusion The history of London’s development can never be complete if the timeline of development is drawn with the exclusion of the colonial era. This is because rapid economic and social development of London actually traces its root to the colonial days. The commitments that colonial States had to make to London in terms of the payment of tax and other royalties alone saw major economic improvement in the governance of London. One important factor that is worth establishing is that, London was seen as the development for Britain’s colonial trade because London was the capital of the United Kingdom. Again, London was poised to utilising the benefits it received out of colonial trade to empowering the lots of ordinary people in London and improving development. Indeed, this write-up has made it clear that the colonial system and how it was run even played crucial role in ensuring that institutions were put on their toes to function. As long as historians continue to study their all important course therefore, these important contributions of colonial trade to the development of London will continue to have a place in the history of London. REFERENCE LIST Barrow M., 2010, ‘Social Class in England and Britain’, accessed August 18, 2011 Nettleworth Primary School, 2009, ‘Industrial Revolution’ accessed August 17, 2011 Spicker P., 2010, ‘The Social Policy in the United Kingdom’, accessed August 16, 2011 The East India Company, 2011, ‘Our Heritage’, accessed August 17, 2011 The Saturday Magazine, 1834, ‘Some account of the Port of London’, No. 117. Supplement, April, 1834. Available online http://www.londonancestor.com/london-docks/london-docks-01.htm Read More