The Themes or Factors in Migration, Empires and the People

What are the themes of the migration, empires and the people unit?
Migration, empires and the people is a thematic unit. There are a number of different themes, or factors, that you will need to be able to talk about, relating to migration, and the growth and fall of the British Empire.
What are the themes or factors in the migration, empires and the people unit?
There are seven key themes or factors. These represent the various reasons why people migrated to and from Britain; or they represent the reasons why the British Empire developed or decline.
  • War. For example, when did war cause people to migrate, or when did war help the empire to develop?
  • Religion. For example, when did people migrate for religious reasons, or when did religion help the British to grow and control its empire?
  • Government. For example, when did government action, or laws, encourage people to migrate, or when did Government policy contribute to the development of the empire?
  • Economic resources. For example, when did people's economic situation cause them to migrate, or when did the need for resources cause the British to extend the empire?
  • Science and technology. For example, how did advances in navigation technology help the British to grow their empire, or how did these advances allow people to migrate around the world?
  • Ideas, or ideologies. For example, what ideas made the British feel they had a right to build an empire?
  • The role of significant individuals in migration or the rise and fall of the British Empire.
What links are there between the themes or factors in the migration, empires and the people unit?
It is worth remembering that these themes or factors are often linked - for example, people rarely migrated for only one reason. And the reasons for migration, or empire-building, often changed over time.
  • For example, various people migrated for religious reasons (such as the Huguenots and the Jews). However, they also were driven by economic reasons as, in some cases, persecution made it difficult to find work.
  • For example, when the British first settled in India, it was purely for economic reasons. However, over time, the policies of the British government enabled them them to increase the empire's control over India and it became, for some, a moral mission for the British.
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