Unit 35.2 - The British experience of warfare, c1790-1918
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My Revision Notes: Edexcel A-level History: The British Experience of Warfare, c1790-1918
A really detailed summary of every section of the British Experience of Warfare course. Both depth and breadth focus, with statistics and examples. A summary of the key details to get through all three sectinos of the British Experience of Warfare Exam.
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Unit 35.2 - The British experience of warfare, c1790-1918
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British Experience of Warfare Revision Pack
Britain and the French Wars 1793-1815
War at Sea
o So far…
Spithead and Nore mutinies in 1797 – poor conditions, politics
Press gangs
Introduction of fruit and veg on ships = no scurvy
o Glorious 1st June 1794
Howe hears of a French grain convoy – fleets meet 400 miles into the
Atlantic
French – 26 ships, British – 25 ships
They meet their opposite numbered ship – cuts off the French
o Battle of the Nile – August 1798
All the French ships were in a line when Nelson found them near
Alexandria – Brueys was the French Admiral – ropes between the
ships to avoid the boats getting separated
Out of 13 ships only 2 escaped
French mistakes – mooring all guns facing the sea, poor preparation as
they did not expect to fight in the night
Nelson’s leadership – gave power to other leaders rather than
micromanaging, lantern system to avoid friendly fire, first few minutes
of a battle are crucial so took out two ships within minutes
British gunnery, seamanship, technology – smaller and shallower
ships, faster ships, British carronades (manoeuvrable, quick-firing,
large shot at short range, smaller crew) – 74 British vs 120 French –
reduced mobility of the French Navy
o Copenhagen 2nd April 1801
Parker (British Admiral) – wants to drive the Danish out
Nelson does not have patience and ignores his senior’s command – the
two commanders were opposites
The battle was politically uncomfortable because Denmark was neutral
even though they were in partnership with Russia
Heavily floating batteries on hulks to keep enemy ships away, forts
Parker orders a surrender and Nelson fought on despite this
o Battle of Trafalgar – 21st October 1805
Nelson’s 27 ships (17,000 men and 2,148 guns) to the enemy’s 33
ships (30,000 men and 2,568 guns)
French/Spanish were led by Gravina and Villeneuve – they had a
strained relationship
British had two columns – Nelson and Collingwood – Nelson’s touch –
only signalled 9 times
HMS Victory – “pell mell” – badly damaged as she was under heavy
fire from 5 ships for 40 minutes
Atlantic swell meant that the French/Spanish could not establish their
positions
Point blank firing – French guns were powerful but inaccurate – you
can never go too wrong by putting your ship against an enemy one –
, British can unleash a broadside within 90 seconds, guns were also fired
30 times before acceptance meaning that it was far more reliable
Nelson’s leadership – British crescent, Nelson’s touch, intense training
regime beforehand, Collingwood’s bravery and discipline
Gaps in French lines exploited by the British
Sniper from Redoubtable shot Nelson and he dies
War on Land
o Vimeiro – 21st August 1808
Wellington had 9,000 men to total 30,000 – siege tactics
Sir Moore and Dalrymple arrive but have not fought a battle in 20
years
Dalrymple refuses Wellington’s order to pursue the fleeing French
A treaty is signed
o Talavera – July 1809
Ill-equipped Spanish, poor Spanish leadership – British trained them
Portuguese Army integrated with the British Army following training
by William Carr
o Torres Vedras – 1809-1810
A protection line during the winter of 1809-1810 – near Lisbon
Alliance with the Portuguese – lines are manned with 25,000
Portuguese militia and 11,000 Portuguese Home Guard
The British could be supplied by sea and the French would struggle to
bring up a siege train
Scorched earth policy following deserted villages
Intense training and cracking down on the lifestyle of officers –
brothels, theatres, unnecessary trips etc.
o Ciudad Rodrigo
Siege work – artillery to breach fortress walls before hand-to-hand
combat
Townspeople killed, raped, and robbed – Thomas Picton’s discipline
Many looters were flogged, but not hanged
5,000 men dead
o Badajoz
o Salamanca – July 1812
High terrain to shield his army and took the French by surprise
Wellington – 50,000 men – French destroyed in 40 mins with 14,000
casualties
Maximilien Foy – this showed Wellington to be a master of
manoeuvres
o Vitoria – Summer 1813
Wellington attacked both front and rear, cutting off a French retreat
Advancing 300 miles in 30 days with 80,000 men
Spanish guerrillas gave Wellington excellent intelligence
British soldiers began looting again
o Waterloo – 18th June 1815
Wellington said the outcome would have been different had he not
been there – used the terrain to hide part of the army, therefore the
French bombardment was ineffective
, British had 68,000 men and 156 guns compared to Napoleon’s 72,000
men and 246 guns — but with Blücher’s support the British would be
superior
Napoleon – ill, his men would be attacking uphill, ground was
waterlogged – French guns had to wait until 11am rather than dawn
Some heavy fire from Napoleon’s gran battery of artillery caused some
Dutch and Belgian units to break free and flee
Ney – mistakenly took pursuit of the British, thinking they were
retreating, and the British formed squares firing volleys into French
horseman with bayonets fixed – Ney also fails to support this pursuit
with artillery or infantry – Prussian troops join the battle at this time
Marshal Grouchy – 30,000 troops to keep the Prussians away but failed
How significant was the impact of the French Wars on the British Economy?
o 1799 and 1800 Combination Acts – outlawed trade unions, and later Luddism
o First income tax introduced under William Pitt in 1799
o Trade became a key weapon – Order in the Council in 1807 aimed at countries
that were allies with Napoleon but also those that tried to exclude the British
flag
o Napoleon’s Continental System failed as smugglers and neutral merchants
continued to carry goods across the Channel – damaged France more
o RN demanded to board any boat which annoyed the French and the Americans
– USA banned British trade – led to the war of 1812
o Value of British exports rose during the wars while exports to Europe nearly
doubled in the 1790s – by 1812 France lifted the tariffs on British colonial
trade e.g. cotton, sugar, and tea
o 1813 trade tariffs meant that timber was cheaper from Canada – new trade
routes opened with Spain, Portugal, Latin America
o Financial squeeze – wages stagnated whilst prices rose, Speenhamland system
o Seven Years War cost Britain £160m, French Wars £1.6bn – not only fighting
the war but funding alliances – the money was borrowed (the war was on
credit) because of Britain’s already sophisticated banking system – Nathan
Rothschild helped fund the swelling national debt – the government offered
government stocks – 600 banks by the end of the war – London Stocks
o Encyclopaedia Britannica claimed in the 1790s Britain was leading farming as
output per worker was 50% higher than European competitors
o Corn Laws 1815 – regulation of grain prices, larger farms, fewer workers,
crop rotation systems, selective breeding, new machinery, Arthur Young –
magazine about agricultural modernisation, enclosure of farmland
(Parliamentary Enclosure Acts)
o Poor harvest in 1809/1810
o Crompton’s spinning mule – 1818 337 spinning mills, wars stimulated its
production, iron making also boomed with South Wales producing 10,000
tonnes a year, steam engine development
o Martello Towers – seaside forts to protect against French invasion as well as
communication lines between Portsmouth and London
o Threat from Luddites, mostly in Yorkshire, were suppressed by troops to keep
the peace – ideas of the French Rev found their way to London with Robert
Owen supporting model factory communities
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