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A Nation’s Greatness

Richard Cobden saw Britain’s international standing in terms of peaceful trade rather than military interventions.

Abridged
1855
© Geof Sheppard, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.

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A Nation’s Greatness

© Geof Sheppard, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0. Source
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A Hitachi 800 electro-diesel multiple unit at Cardiff in Wales. The trains are manufactured in Japan, then shipped in pieces to Newton Aycliffe near Darlington in County Durham, where they are assembled. It is tempting to regret that Britain no longer manufactures everything herself, but Cobden would reply that we should be proud that we have taught Japan how to make trains, and even more proud that this helps our two countries live in peace without the need for any kind of shared government. On Britain’s role in Japanese railway technology, see Japan’s First Railway.

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Introduction

In 1855, Cobden urged Parliament to tone down its anti-Russian rhetoric, not out of any fondness for St Petersburg’s domestic or foreign policy but because British influence was better felt in industrial innovation and international trade than in annexing land, toppling governments or rattling the Russian bear’s cage.

WHAT is the true source of national greatness? The path by which alone modern empires can hope to rise to supreme power and grandeur (would that we could impress this sentiment upon the mind of every statesman in Europe!) is that of labour and improvement.

Those illustrious commanders in the war of improvement, Watt and Arkwright,* with a band of subalterns — the thousand ingenious and practical discoverers who have followed in their train — have, with their armies of artisans, conferred a power and consequence upon England wholly independent of territorial increase.

England, with her steam-engine and spinning frame, has erected the standard of improvement, around which every nation of the world has already prepared to rally; England’s industrious classes, through the energy of their commercial enterprise, are at this moment influencing the civilisation of the whole world, above all, by acquiring and teaching to surrounding nations the beneficent attachment to peace.* Such are the moral effects of improvement in Britain.

Abridged

Abridged from ‘The Political Writings of Richard Cobden’ Vol. 1

James Watt (1736-1819), who with Matthew Boulton (1728-1809) and William Murdoch (1754-1839) developed the first commercially viable steam engines, and Sir Richard Arkwright (1732-1792), who developed the factory system through his network of mills. See The Hat that Changed the World and Richard Arkwright.

Cobden subscribed to the view that countries whose publics are closely interlinked in trade do not fight one another, a claim borne out by history (first rule of business, do not shoot your customers). Such countries do seem to feel free to fight any country that is not closely allied in trade with them, which rather confirms his theory in an unhappy way. See Peace By Free Trade.

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Word Games

Sevens Based on this passage

Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.

For Cobden, in what does a nation’s greatness lie?

Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.

Spinners Find in Think and Speak

For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.

This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.

1 Already. Illustrious. Which.

2 Effect. Erect. Upon.

3 Class. Empire. Every.

Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)

Confusables Find in Think and Speak

In each group below, you will find words that are similar to one another, but not exactly the same. Compose your own sentences to bring out the similarities and differences between them, whether in meaning, grammar or use.

This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.

1. Alone. Lonely. 2. Already. So far. 3. Big. Great. 4. By. Through. 5. Can. Could. 6. Genuine. Ingenious. 7. Standard. Average. 8. That. Which. 9. Through. Thorough.

High Tiles Find in Think and Speak

Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?

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