The Life and Contribution to the Development of the British Empire of J

The Life and Contribution to the Development of the British Empire of James bushelI) IntroductionThe purpose of this paper is to describe the life and the contribution to the development of the British Empire of one of the most important English explorers. It was in the guerilla half of the 18th century when James Cook, originally a poor farm boy, explored and mapped vast uncharted areas of the Pacific and the Atlantic Ocean. However, James Cook was non only an explorer. He can also be called a scientist he managed to introduce new principles into seafaring and cartography.For better understanding, the paper is divided into five chapters. The first of all chapter is the introduction, which throws light on the purpose and structure of the paper.The second chapter is a truncated introduction to the situation in Great Britain in the 18th century. It helps to explain why and how the so called the First British Empire was built up and later destroyed, and what led to the creation of the Second British Empire.The third chapter deals with Capt. Cooks life and his three unique expeditions to the Pacific.The fourth part of the paper summarises Cooks achievements and his contribution to the development of the British Empire. The fifth chapter forms the conclusion of the paper.II) A brief introduction to the situation in Great Britain in the 18th century.Great Britain became a great world power in this period. Under the leadership of William Pitt the Elder, Britains Prime Minister and at the same time a man who believed that the strength of the nations economy depended on everyplaceseas expansion, the country gained vast territories all over the world and the so called the First British Empire was founded.The reasons why Great Britain was so successful can be divided into four groups Revolutions the Industrial Revolution, a financial revolution and a revolution in agriculture made Britain the leading power in Europe. The creation of the Bank of England in 1694 hel ped to raise not bad(p) for colonial wars and to support British trade. At the beginning of the 18th century a series of mechanical inventions enabled the building of the worlds first mechanised factories. A travel engine invented in1769 provided the power to drive machinery and thus enabled mass production of goods. The new ways of making products more quick... .... Imprium. Praha BB art, 1999CD-ROMEncarta 98 encyclopedia. Cook, Captain James. Microsoft. CD-ROM.Microsoft relic X03-22823Web siteshttp//152.105.19.10/scouts/nunthorp/seeonee/badgewk/historyhttp//www.britannia.com/history.http//freespace.virgin.net/chris.jones/ccsu72.htmhttp//freespace.virgin.net/chris.jones/ccsu73.htmhttp//geography.about.com/science/geography/library/weekly/aa101397.htmhttp//mmbc.bc.ca/source/schoolnet/exploration/cookdeath.htmlhttp//members.tripod.com/cuculus/cookbio.htmlhttp//winthrop.webjump.com/jcook.htmlhttp//www2.lucidcafe.com/lucidcafe/library/95oct/jcook.htmlhttp//www.arcticculture.about.c om/culture/arcticculture/library/yafeatures/bl-Cook1.htmhttp//www.bbc.co.uk/education/ document/voyager/history/hs_cook.shtmlhttp//www.captaincookstudyunit.comhttp//www.geocities.com/TheTropics/7557/cook.html http//www.jetcity.com/kirok/cook.htmhttp//www.lib.virginia.edu/exhibits/lewis_clark/ch4-25.htmlhttp//www.mariner.org/age/cook.htmlhttp//www.nmm.ac.uk/education/fact_cook.htmlhttp//www.pacificcoast.net/regent/cookbio.htmlhttp//www.south-pole.com/p0000071.htm