Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Encyclopedia of Empire |
Editors | John M. MacKenzie |
Place of Publication | Oxford |
Publisher | John Wiley & Sons Ltd |
Number of pages | 6 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9781118455074 |
ISBN (Print) | 9781118440643 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 11 Jan 2016 |
Abstract
Posts and telegraphs have often been described as the nerves and arteries of the British Empire. They facilitated the movement of information and goods, providing frequent, regular, and fast communication with some of the most remote corners of the empire by the end of the 19th century. They were indispensable in the conduct of war, administration, and commerce, while also contributing to the circulation of print media, the maintenance of family ties, and the cultivation of imperial sentiment. Imperial communications were textured by geography, technological change, and political and economic circumstances. The postal system represented the foundation on which future networks of communication, such as those enabled by telegraphy, telephony, and the Internet, were organized. But the posts and the telegraphs occupied separate niches in imperial communications. Their simultaneous use in various domains of activity during the 19th century demonstrates how old technologies continued to function alongside new ones.