Empire and migration overview: Losing an empire
This worksheet is part of a mini scheme of work designed for the AQA thematic study 'Migration, empires and the people' and can be used as either an introduction or a recap for the loss of empires.
It provides students with examples of factors that contributed to the loss of British colonies from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. The examples are taken from the Hundred Years' War, the Pilgrim Fathers, the American War of Independence, the Second Boer War, the Suez Crisis and the end of the British Empire.
Students place the examples on a map to see where in the world each of the factors had the greatest influence on the loss of colonies.
They then plan an answer to the following practice exam question and write their conclusion:
‘War was the main factor behind the decline and collapse of empires.’ To what extent do you agree?
The other resources in the series are:
- A teacher’s overview of how this unit might be taught thematically (38-lesson plan)
- Empire and migration overview: Gaining an empire
- Empire and migration: Forging English and British identities
- Empire and migration overview: Migration
- Empire and migration overview: Exam-style question walk-through.
An extract from the sorting activity:
1. It was the bravery of Mangal Pandey that sparked the Indian Rebellion. |
2. Britain’s losses during the Hundred Years’ War pushed Britain out of continental Europe. |
3. The abolition of the Slave Trade pushed Britain to reconsider the economic basis of its Empire, particularly in the Caribbean. |
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