AQA AS-Level History 7042
1A The Age of the Crusades, c1071–1204
1B Spain in the Age of Discovery, 1469–1598
1C The Tudors: England, 1485–1603
1D Stuart Britain and the Crisis of Monarchy, 1603–1702
1E Russia in the Age of Absolutism and Enlightenment, 1682–1796
1F Industrialisation and the People: Britain, c1783–1885
1G Challenge and Transformation: Britain, c1851–1964
1H Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964
1J The British Empire, c1857–1967
1K The Making of a Superpower: USA, 1865–1975
1L The Quest for Political Stability: Germany, 1871–1991
2A Royal Authority and the Angevin Kings, 1154–1216
2B The Wars of the Roses, 1450–1499
2C The Reformation in Europe, c1500–1564
2D Religious Conflict and the Church in England, c1529–c1570
2E The English Revolution, 1625–1660
2F The Sun King: Louis XIV, France and Europe, 1643–1715
2G The Birth of the USA, 1760–1801
2H France in Revolution, 1774–1815
2J America: A Nation Divided, c1845–1877
2K International Relations and Global Conflict, c1890–1941
2L Italy and Fascism, c1900–1945
2M Wars and Welfare: Britain in Transition, 1906–1957
2N Revolution and Dictatorship: Russia, 1917–1953
2O Democracy and Nazism: Germany, 1918–1945
2P The Transformation of China, 1936–1997
2Q The American Dream: Reality and Illusion, 1945–1980
2R The Cold War, c1945–1991
2S The Making of Modern Britain, 1951–2007
2T The Crisis of Communism: The USSR and the Soviet Empire, 1953–2000
1J The British Empire, c1857–1967
- 12 subtopics
- 60 things to know
- Component 1
What 1J The British Empire, c1857–1967 covers
Option 1J is a breadth study of the British Empire, taken as one of the Component 1 choices. It covers imperial expansion after 1857, the high noon of empire before 1914, the challenges of the interwar years, and decolonisation.
Where it is assessed
Component 1
A breadth study, of which a student sits one.
Check the AQA specification ↗The 12 subtopics
Each one has its own page. AQA AS History students sit this topic in the first year.
- The Suez Canal and the Occupation of EgyptRecall questions on Disraeli's purchase of the Khedive's shares, the strategic gain it brought and the occupation of 1882.Open →
- The Indian Mutiny and the Government of India ActRecall questions on the trigger and deeper causes of the Indian Mutiny of 1857, its suppression and legacy, the Government of India Act of 1858, the Viceroy, the Indian Civil Service, army reorganisation and the martial races theory.Open →
- The Scramble for Africa and the Chartered CompaniesRecall questions on the Scramble for Africa and the Berlin Conference, informal empire, the Royal Niger, British South Africa and Imperial British East Africa Companies, and the explorers Livingstone and Stanley and the missionaries.Open →
- Missionaries, the Civilising Mission and Party Attitudes to EmpireRecall questions on missionary societies, traders and administrators, the civilising mission and Social Darwinism, Disraeli's Crystal Palace speech and Royal Titles Act, Gladstone and Egypt, and popular and anti-imperialist opinion.Open →
- The Boers, the Zulu War and Southern AfricaRecall questions on the Boers and the Great Trek, the annexation and restoration of the Transvaal and the Conventions of 1881 and 1884, the mineral discoveries, the Cape Frontier Wars and the Anglo-Zulu War from Isandlwana to Ulundi.Open →
- Expansion in Africa and the Government of IndiaRecall questions on the Matabele Wars, Omdurman and Fashoda, Rhodes's Cape-to-Cairo scheme, direct and indirect rule in India, the Indian Councils Act of 1892 and Morley-Minto Reforms, the partition of Bengal, Swadeshi, Congress and the Muslim League.Open →
- Lord Cromer and the Veiled Protectorate in EgyptRecall questions on Egypt as a veiled protectorate after 1882, its formal Ottoman status, the Khedive and the real power held by Lord Cromer, why Britain did not annex it, and native policy and indirect rule.Open →
- Indirect Rule and the Entente CordialeRecall questions on the use of local chiefs, why indirect rule was cheap and convenient, and the colonial bargain struck with France in 1904.Open →
- Chamberlain, Tariff Reform and Cecil RhodesRecall questions on Chamberlain's constructive imperialism as Colonial Secretary, tariff reform, imperial preference and its effect on the Conservatives in 1906, Cecil Rhodes and the British South Africa Company, the Jameson Raid and the administrators' ethos.Open →
- The Justifications for Empire and National EfficiencyRecall questions on the civilising, religious, racial, strategic, economic and prestige arguments for empire, the Liberal, radical and humanitarian critics including Hobson, and the National Efficiency movement after the Boer War.Open →
- Exhibitions, Youth Movements and Popular ImperialismRecall questions on imperial adventure literature and Kipling, music halls and the popular press, the great imperial exhibitions and the ideas they reinforced, and youth organisations such as the Boy Scouts.Open →
- The Boer War and the Union of South AfricaRecall questions on the causes of the Boer War from Transvaal gold to the Jameson Raid, its phases and guerrilla war, the concentration camps, the Treaty of Vereeniging, the war's consequences and the Union of South Africa of 1910.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
What event triggered Britain's occupation of Egypt in 1882?
What diplomatic fiction did Britain maintain after occupying Egypt in 1882?
What event prompted the Government of India Act 1858?
What was the 'martial races' theory, and which groups did it favour for recruitment?
How did international rivalry drive British colonial expansion in Africa?
What were chartered companies, and what powers did they possess?
When was the Royal Niger Company chartered, and what territories did it administer?
When was the British South Africa Company chartered, who led it, and what territories did it administer?
Name two missionary societies that were influential in shaping public opinion about empire.
Who held anti-imperialist sentiment during this period, and what did they criticise?
What was the Great Trek, and what did it establish?
Which three major African territories did Britain acquire during the period 1890–1914?
How did indirect rule operate in the princely states of India?
What did British paramountcy over princely states mean in practice?
What controversial electoral system did the Morley-Minto Reforms introduce?
What was the formal status of Egypt in relation to the Ottoman Empire after 1882?
Who held real power in Egypt despite the presence of the Khedive?
What role did local chiefs play under the system of indirect rule?
What trade policy did Britain maintain during 1890–1914 despite pressure for change?
How did colonies serve British manufacturing interests?
What was Joseph Chamberlain's concept of 'constructive imperialism'?
What was imperial preference in Chamberlain's tariff proposals?
What was the British South Africa Company and when did it receive its royal charter?
How was Christian evangelism used to justify British imperialism?
What was the radical critique of imperialism?
Which authors wrote adventure literature that promoted imperial attitudes?
What ideas did imperial exhibitions reinforce among British audiences?
How did Boer resistance to British expansion contribute to war?
What did the Boers accept under the Treaty of Vereeniging?
How did the First World War expand the British Empire territorially?
What theoretical obligation did the Mandate system impose on Britain regarding its administered territories?
Name the British Mandates in the Middle East.
What challenges did British colonial administration face in the Middle East?
What was satyagraha and who employed it against British rule?
What was the purpose of Empire Day celebrations?
What constitutional reforms did Britain introduce in colonies after 1945 to prepare them for self-government?
How did Britain use legislative bodies to prepare colonies for independence?
What was 'Africanisation' in the context of British colonial policy?
Which three countries launched military intervention during the Suez Crisis?
How did the United States influence British decolonisation during the Cold War?
What financial problem affected Britain's ability to maintain its empire after 1945?
What military problem did Britain face in maintaining its empire after 1945?
How did Britain's trade patterns change during decolonisation?
How did changing trade patterns affect the rationale for empire?
Who was Jomo Kenyatta and what organisation was he associated with?
How did nationalist leaders mobilise support for independence?
How did Commonwealth membership serve as a post-colonial political tie?
How did language serve as a post-colonial cultural tie?
How did empire affect Britain's demographic composition?
What constitutional matters were discussed during decolonisation?
Who typically led African nationalist movements?
What factors determined whether Britain negotiated with or repressed nationalist movements?
How did Britain handle the negotiation of colonial independence?
How did exhibitions and youth organisations promote imperial values at home?
Who shaped British opinion about empire, and with what attitudes?
What were the Dominions, what did the Statute of Westminster grant them, and why were Imperial Conferences held?
How did the international community respond to Rhodesian UDI?
Why did Britain not use military force against Rhodesia?
What were the HMS Tiger talks?
Take 1J The British Empire, c1857–1967 further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Dominion vs Colony
Dominion: self-governing territory retaining allegiance to the Crown. Colony: territory governed under direct or indirect imperial authority.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
In what year did Disraeli purchase the Egyptian Khedive's shares in the Suez Canal, and what percentage stake did this represent?
Model answer
1875; 44% stake
- 2
What strategic advantage did Britain gain from acquiring the Suez Canal shares?
Model answer
The largest single shareholding (44%) in the strategic waterway linking the Mediterranean to the Red Sea
- 3
What event triggered Britain's occupation of Egypt in 1882?
Model answer
The Urabi Revolt
- 4
What diplomatic fiction did Britain maintain after occupying Egypt in 1882?
Model answer
The fiction of Ottoman suzerainty over Egypt
- 5
When was the Suez Canal opened?
Model answer
1869
- 6
Why was the Suez Canal strategically vital to Britain?
Model answer
It was the shortest route to India and eastern trade, reducing the journey by approximately 4,000 miles compared to the Cape route
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
1J The British Empire, c1857–1967 revision questions
- Is 1J The British Empire, c1857–1967 examined at AS in AQA History?
- Yes. It sits in Component 1, which you take in the first year, so it is on the AS paper as well as counting towards the full A level.
- What does 1J The British Empire, c1857–1967 cover in AQA AS-Level History?
- 12 subtopics: the suez canal and the occupation of egypt, the indian mutiny and the government of india act, the scramble for africa and the chartered companies, missionaries, the civilising mission and party attitudes to empire, the boers, the zulu war and southern africa, expansion in africa and the government of india, lord cromer and the veiled protectorate in egypt, indirect rule and the entente cordiale, chamberlain, tariff reform and cecil rhodes, the justifications for empire and national efficiency, exhibitions, youth movements and popular imperialism and the boer war and the union of south africa. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is 1J The British Empire, c1857–1967 organised?
- By the AQA 7042 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in 1J The British Empire, c1857–1967, on a schedule.
Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.
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