Loading…
Loading…
GCSE History · key term
Moving or trading goods illegally to evade restrictions or avoid paying duties.
Used by AQA, Edexcel and OCR
Paper 2
Revise: TradeYet smuggling and weak enforcement limited both control over colonial trade and the revenue actually collected. Their significance lies in the combination of protected opportunities, colonial restrictions and intensified rivalry—not in complete government control of every cargo.
Paper 1, Paper 2
Bringing goods into or out of a country illegally, often to avoid customs duties.
Revise: Nature and Changing Definitions of Criminal ActivitySmuggling avoided taxes owed to the government, so it challenged authority as well as breaking laws governing trade.
Moving goods or people across borders illegally, including bringing legal goods into a country without paying the required duties.
Moving or trading goods illegally, for example to avoid customs duties or evade restrictions on trade.
Paper 1
Bringing goods into a country secretly to avoid paying customs duties.
Revise: Crimes and criminalsSmuggling was often organised rather than the work of a lone offender. Financial backers funded operations, while gangs transported, stored and sold the goods. Customers and local communities could benefit from the trade.
The illegal movement of goods across borders, including prohibited goods or goods brought in without paying required duties.
Distinguish intentions from results. Smuggling and weak enforcement limited the Acts’ effectiveness; passing a law did not guarantee that customs duties were collected.
Explain why poaching and smuggling were called social crimes: many ordinary people accepted or supported them, although they remained illegal.
Explain continuity and change together. Smuggling continued, but improved transport and the smuggling of illegal drugs changed its scale and nature.
Create a free account to read GCSE History revision notes for your exam board and track your progress.