A-Level History Notes: Britain: losing and gaining an empire, 1763-1914

This resource covers large portions of Paper 3 in the A-Level History course including Trade, Navy, Australia and specifically, why America won the War of Independence.

Trade: This resource covers the ports, entrepôts and trade routes in the British Empire, how the British acquired them and why they were useful in the first place. It also includes the changing nature and extent of trade throughout the course.

Navy: This resource includes the ways in which the role of the Navy changed throughout the period, which was a question that has come up in exams in recent years. It also asks the question; What were the reasons for the acquisition of key naval bases and how did these change in the years 1763-1914? The resource includes detailed explanations of how naval bases benefited Britain as well as how Britain took control and in some cases, what this showed about the nature of the British.

Australia: There are two documents focusing on Australia in this resource. The first covers how the first British penal colony in Australia developed as a settlement. The second considers what the impact of British Settlement was for the Aboriginal people in Tasmania and New South Wales, 1788-1829.

America: This resource includes one document solely focusing on the British weaknesses/strengths as well as the American weaknesses/strengths as it answers the question as to why America won the War of Independence.