Practice question · Multiple choice
Cain and Hopkins argue that British imperialism was driven by "gentlemanly capitalism", the City of London and the service sector rather than northern manufacturing. How would you test that claim?
Hints
- The claim identifies a specific interest group, so the test has to be about that group.
- Ask whose interests policy actually served when finance and manufacturing wanted different things.
Show the answer
D. Examine who lobbied for expansion, where returns went, and if finance guided policy
Why
The thesis is testable because it names an interest and a mechanism: if it is right, expansion should track the concerns of finance, insurance and shipping, and policy should side with them when manufacturers dissent. Critics reply that City interests were themselves divided, and that the "gentlemanly" category blurs distinctions between very different kinds of wealth.
Practise Capitalist Crisis, Colonialism and Imperialism
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