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Dundee, jute and empire
Britain was the first country to industrialise, and it acquired the largest...
Britain was the first country to industrialise, and it acquired the largest empire ever during this same period. But its sphere of economic influence extended far beyond the boundaries of the formal British Empire. This unit focuses on the economics of empire, using a case study of one town, Dundee in eastern Scotland, to explore this huge topic.
By the end of this unit you should be able to:
- understand some of the debates surrounding the economics of British imperialism;
- describe how empire and trade shaped economic structures and urban society in late nineteenth-century Britain;
- give examples of how Dundee's jute trade was influenced by British imperialism.
- Duration: 12 hours
- Published on: Thursday 21st July 2011
- Level: Introductory
- Posted under: Heritage
Dundee, jute and empire
Introduction

This unit focuses on the economics of empire, and, in particular, of the British empire in the second half of the nineteenth century. It starts by introducing some of the debates surrounding the economics of British imperialism. It then goes on to explore how empire and imperial trade shaped economic structures and urban society in late nineteenth-century Britain.
To complete this unit fully, you will need to buy Rachel C. Gibbons (ed.) (2006) Exploring History 1400–1900. An Anthology of Primary Sources, Manchester, Manchester University Press (for the Anthology Documents referred to throughout this unit).
This unit is an adapted extract from the Open University course Exploring history: medieval to modern 1400-1900 (A200). [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)]
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- Creative-Commons: The Open University is proud to release this free course under a Creative Commons licence. However, any third-party materials featured within it are used with permission and are not ours to give away. These materials are not subject to the Creative Commons licence. See terms and conditions. Full details can be found in the Acknowledgements section.
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