Sommaire
Close-up
of civilization
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7.
8.
The British Empire 1
Australia then and now 5
Shakespeare, a man for all time 9
The American Civil War 13
From suffragettes to women’s lib 17
The American work ethic 21
American hard-boiled fiction 25
American universities 29
The British
Empire
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1. The sun never sets…
1. Describe the picture and give your impressions.
(Useful words: (red) tunic – pith helmet casque colonial –
band orchestre – cart charrette – narrow étroit –
imposing – march défiler)
2. Read the text and find the equivalents of the
following words (in the right order): se coucher –
régner sur – atteindre – richesse – matière première
– rechercher – devoir.
From America to Asia and Africa
The empire “on which the sun never sets” began
in the early 17th century, with the colonies of North
America, Jamaica and Barbados. However, the
most important American colony was lost in the
5 War of Independence (1775-83) and British
expansion moved to Asia and Africa.
By the end of the Napoleonic
Wars in 1815, Great Britain was
the most powerful European
10 country and the Royal Navy
ruled the seas. Peace in Europe
allowed the British to focus
their interests on more distant
parts of the world, allowing
15 colonial expansion to reach its
zenith, largely under the reign
of Queen Victoria (1837-1901).
In the early 20th century, the
British Empire covered one-fifth
20 of the world’s land area and
contained a quarter of the
world’s population (see map).
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Mercantilism and private
companies
In the 17th and early 18th centuries, a major
factor of British expansion was mercantilism1:
colonies had to be established to increase the
wealth of Britain and to be used either as sources
of raw materials or as markets for British products.
Nearly all the early settlements2 developed thanks
to powerful private companies such as the East
India Company or the East Africa Company. Even
though the government exercised some
supervision and provided3 military support, the
colonies were essentially self-managing
enterprises.
2
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3. Using the text and the map (p. 3), explain in your
own words the expressions “The sun never sets on
the British Empire” and “the white man’s burden”.
4. Say what role private companies played in the
birth of the British Empire.
5. Explain the impact of the Industrial Revolution on
the expansion of the empire.
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The Industrial Revolution and the growth
of the empire
From the second half of the 18th century, the
Industrial Revolution considerably increased the
amount4 of manufactured products available5 for
export. British commerce then searched for new
markets in Asia and Africa. These markets made
the defence of British interests of vital importance
and drove the Crown to intervene, politically and
militarily, to maintain order.
“The white man’s burden”
British imperialism was often justified by
politicians by the theory of “the white man’s
burden6” and Britain’s moral duty to native peoples:
the empire existed not for the benefit of Britain
itself, but so that primitive peoples, incapable of
self-government, could eventually become civilized.
1. [mkəntlzəm] an economic theory - 2. ici, colonie 3. fournir - 4. quantité - 5. disponible - 6. fardeau
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OF CIVILIZATION
6. Observe this map of the British Empire in 1900 for one minute. Then close your books and write
the names of twelve countries which were under British rule at that time.
Canada
UNITED
KINGDOM
PACIFIC
OCEAN
British
Honduras
NORTH
ATLANTIC
OCEAN Gibraltar
Bermuda
PACIFIC
OCEAN
Cyprus
Kuwait
Malta
Bahamas
Caribbean
Jamaica
Islands
Trinidad
British
Guiana
Egypt
Gambia
Nigeria
Sierra
Leone
Gold Coast
Hong Kong
India
Qatar
Aden
Anglo
Egyptian
Sudan British
Somaliland
Burma
Federated Malay States
Brunei
British
North Borneo
Sarawak
Ceylon
Maldives
Seychelles
Ascension
SOUTH St Helena
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
British
East Africa
South
Africa
British
New Guinea
Christmas
Island
Mauritius
INDIAN OCEAN
Australia
Fiji
Tristan Da Cunha
Falkland
Islands
New Zealand
2. The jewel in the crown
1. Describe the painting and guess this man’s job. What can you
imagine about his life? (Useful words: dressing gown robe de chambre –
slippers chaussons – saddle selle – riding boots – massage [msɑ
] –
do sb’s hair – fan éventer / éventail)
2. Read the text and make a short summary.
3. Guess why India was called the “jewel in the crown”.
The period of British government in India is often referred to as the
British Raj (“rule” in Sanskrit1). It all started with a first British outpost in
north-western India, established in 1619. Later, the East India Company
opened permanent trading stations2 at Madras, Bombay and Calcutta,
5 under the protection of native rulers and the British army.
From then on the British expanded their influence, relying3 on superior
military power and disunity among the many Indian kings. By the 1850s
they controlled most of India, which included today’s Pakistan and
Bangladesh. In 1857, the Sepoy4 Mutiny caused the British Parliament to
10 abolish the East India Company and administer most of India directly,
controlling the rest through treaties with local rulers. Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India in 1877.
A few steps toward self-government were taken in the late 1800s with the establishment of provincial councils
with Indian members, but the British consistently refused to grant5 India self-rule and introduced severe
legislation to contain “political extremists”.
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In 1920, Indian leader Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi started a campaign of civil disobedience against British
colonial rule, by means of non-violent resistance and non-cooperation. The movement eventually succeeded in
bringing about India’s independence in 1947.
1. [snskrt] ancient Indian language – 2. ici, comptoir (trade: commercer) – 3. s’appuyer – 4. [sipɔ] cipaye = an Indian
soldier in the service of the British – 5. accorder.
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3. On the train to Pretoria
1. Read the introduction to the
text and Gandhi’s biography,
then compare the two
pictures. (Useful words: tie
cravate – briefcase [brifkes]
sacoche – suit [sut] costume –
bald [bɔld] chauve – (piece of)
cloth tissu – garland [ɑlənd]
collier de fleurs – staff bâton)
2. Read the text and find the
equivalents of the following
words (in the right order):
literie – oser – humeur lâcheté – remplir – épreuves
– extirper – élimination.
3. Sum up the story briefly.
4. Read the last sentence
again. How do you explain
Gandhi’s decision?
5. What does this story reveal
about the British attitude
towards natives in the British
Empire?
Mohandas GANDHI, known
as Mahatma (grande âme), was
born in 1869. After studying
law (droit) in London, he left
for British-controlled South
Africa in 1893. There he fought
for the rights of Indians and
developed a method of action
based on the principles of
courage, non-violence and
truth. In 1915, he returned to
India and soon became the
dominant figure in
the struggle for
independence. On
January 30, 1948,
he was
assassinated by a
Hindu fanatic who
opposed his
program of
tolerance for all
creeds (croyances)
and religions.
4
South Africa, in 1893. Gandhi, then a 24-year-old
Indian lawyer, is travelling to Pretoria to defend an Indian
trader who has been the victim of discrimination in a
commercial transaction.
he train reached Maritzburg, the capital of
Natal, at about 9 p.m. Beddings used to be
provided at this station. A railway servant
came and asked me if I wanted one. “No,” said I,
“I have one with me.” He went away. But a
passenger came next, and looked me up and down. He saw that I was a
“coloured” man. This disturbed him. Out he went and came in again with
one or two officials. They all kept quiet, when another official came to
me and said, “Come along, you must go to the van compartment1.”
“But I have a first class ticket,” said I.
“That doesn’t matter,” rejoined the other. “I tell you, you must go to
the van compartment.”
“I tell you, I was permitted to travel in this compartment at Durban,
and I insist on going on in it.”
“No, you won’t,” said the official. “You must leave this compartment,
or else I shall have to call a police constable to push you out.”
“Yes, you may. I refuse to get out voluntarily.”
The constable came. He took me by the hand and pushed me out.
My luggage was also taken out. I refused to go to the other compartment
and the train steamed away. I went and sat in the waiting room, keeping
my hand-bag with me, and leaving the other luggage where it was. The
railway authorities had taken charge of it.
It was winter, and winter, in the higher regions of South Africa is
severely cold. Maritzburg being at a high altitude, the cold was extremely
bitter. My overcoat was in my luggage, but I did not dare to ask for it lest2
I should be insulted again, so I sat and shivered3. There was no light in
the room. A passenger came in about midnight and possibly wanted to
talk to me. But I was in no mood to talk.
I began to think of my duty. Should I fight for my rights or go back to
India, or should I go on to Pretoria without minding the insults, and
return to India after finishing the case? It would be cowardice to run back
to India without fulfilling my obligation. The hardship to which I was
subjected was superficial – only a symptom of the deep disease of colour
prejudice. I should try, if possible, to root out the disease and suffer
hardships in the process4. Redress5 for wrongs I should seek6 only to the
extent that would be necessary for removal of the colour prejudice.
So I decided to take the next available train to Pretoria.
T
Mohandas Karamchand GANDHI, The Story of My Experiments with Truth (1927)
1. compartiment près du fourgon à bagages – 2. de peur que – 3. frissonner –
4. ce faisant – 5. réparation – 6. ici, demander
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