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History A Level British Empire > 13.Expansion And Contraction Of Empire > Flashcards

13.Expansion And Contraction Of Empire Flashcards

1
Q

How many men did the colonies send for the First World War

A

2.5 million men sent by empire

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2
Q

Did large numbers of indigenous people volunteer in dominions

A

Yes,
In Canada over 4000 First Nations people volunteered
In Australia and NZ around 3500 people volunteered

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3
Q

What battle were the Australians and New Zealanders applauded for their bravery at

A

Gallipoli (attempted invasion of Turkey)

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4
Q

What battle were the Canadians applauded for their bravery in

A

Vimy Ridge,In the north of france

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5
Q

How were South Africa get involved in the First World War

A

136,000 white South Africans fought for the British in the Middle East and on the western front
The South Africans fought successfully against the German colonies in Southern Africa

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6
Q

Where and when were their riots against conscription

A

March 1918,Quebec City,Canada

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7
Q

How did the Australians reject conscription

A

They rejected it through two referendums,one in October 1916 and another in December 1917

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8
Q

What was the effect of the war on the dominions

A

Mass death,60k Australians,16k New Zealanders,61k Canadians,7k South Africans
Many more returning home wounded or emotionally traumatised
Also increased sense of national identity and pride against British

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9
Q

How many men did India contribute to the war effort

A

More than any other colony,1.3 million

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10
Q

Was conscription ever introduced in India

A

No

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11
Q

What did the British do in India to ‘reward’ them for their war effort

A

Promise of more ‘responsible’ self government

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12
Q

How many Egyptians were recruited to defend the Middle East

A

1.2 million

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13
Q

Were people from east and west Africa/black South Africans allowed to fight in Europe with the British

A

No as they were viewed as unequal

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14
Q

What did the war office originally try to do in terms of the war effort from the West Indies

A

Originally tried to stop men in West Indies from volunteering

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15
Q

How many men joined the war effort from the Caribbean

A

Around 15k,not allowed to fight in Europe so forced to become servicemen and to do dangerous war jobs such as digging trenches and working in ammunition dumps or fought in Africa with others

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16
Q

What did the treaty of Versailles mean for Germany’s colonies

A

They were stripped away left to be ‘mandates’ administered for the League of Nations by specified allied powers

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17
Q

What happened to the Ottoman Empire after the war

A

Their colonies were stripped to be governed by allied powers

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18
Q

What treaties took away the ottoman empire’s colonies

A

Treaty of Sévres (1920)
Treaty of Lausanne (1923)

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19
Q

How were the new colonies acquired after the war categorised

A

They were categorised into categories based on how ‘developed’ they were
‘A’ Category-Seen as quite developed so independence may be possible soon
‘B’ category-Required a much longer period of guidance before independence
‘C’ category-Independence not considered feasible

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20
Q

Why was the Middle East crucial to the British after the war

A

It incorporated the main overland route to Britains Indian and Asian empire and was close to the Suez Canal
Mesopotamia was also oil rich so was increasingly valued

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21
Q

Who was T.E Lawrence

A

‘Lawrence of Arabia’ played an important role in promoting rebellion by Palestinian Arabs against Turkish rule,especially from 1917-1918

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22
Q

Who was Arthur Balfour

A

Conservative prime minister from 1902-1905 and foreign secretary from 1916-19
Strong supporter for British backing for zionism

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23
Q

What was the ‘Balfour Declaration’

A

Letter sent to prominent Arthur Rothschild,leader of British Jewish community.
Letter expressed sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations and promised support for a ‘national homeland’ for the Jews in Palestine

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24
Q

When British sponsored Zionist commission arrived in Palestine what opposed them

A

Muslim and Christian Arabs formed the Muslim-Christian association and between 1918-20 there were violent clashes between Jews and Arabs

25
When did Ireland gain independence
1922
26
How did the Irish independence come about
April 1916 Easter Uprising put down by British This then sparked a period of guerrilla warfare ending in 1921 with the signing of the ‘Anglo-Irish treaty’
27
When did the Irish republic achieve full formal independence
The 1931 Statute of Westminster
28
What other long-standing colony other than Ireland gained formal independence in 1922
Egypt
29
Why did Iraq (Mesopotamia) gain independence
Conflicting nationalist movements sought for independence and eventually this led to the British giving them independence Close ties still remained between the countries however and British air bases remained within Iraq
30
Why were the taking over of colonies in Asia from Japan significant for Asia as a whole
Ended the myth of ‘white invincibility’ and gave new confidence to independence movements across Southeast Asia
31
What was the Indian National Army and what did it do
Organisation led by Subhas Chandra Bose that fought against the British in Burma and elsewhere
32
What was the ‘Battle of El Alamein’
Battle in Egypt in October-November 1942 in which the British defeated the German army and began sweeping Germany out of North Africa and securing control in Africa and the Middle East
33
How had circumstances changed after the Second World War
Britains economic position had been severely weakened First majority labour government was elected to power,tended to be more sceptical on empire Independence movements had grown stronger,particularly in India and the middle east
34
What did the ‘government of India act 1919’ entail
-Viceroy retained control of major areas such as Defense and foreign affairs and remained a appointed body but was required to defend its actions before the legislative council -Legislative council split into lower house and an upper house -Provincial councils run by elected Indian ministers took responsibility for local government,health,education and agriculture
35
What was the policy in India after the war in terms of nationalism
The British applied a ‘twin track’ strategy:a combination of reforms and a determination to make them work combined with a clear signal that any mass resistance would be dealt with ruthlessly
36
What did the Rowlatt Act of 1919 entail and what was it combined with for the ‘twin track strategy’
Gave the authorities harsh powers to arrest and imprisonment anyone who protested against British rule It was combined with the ‘Government of Indian act’ of 1919
37
Why was the Rowlatt Act counterproductive in the short term
It caused mass resistance and tragic results including the Amritsar massacre of April 1919
38
What did the Government of India Act 1935 entail
Created a federation of empire by -Making the provinces completely self-governing although Governers still appointed by British -Expanded the franchise from 7 to 35 million people
39
What two groups in India wanted independence
-All India Muslim league argued for Muslim rights and wanted a seperate independent Muslim state:Pakistan -Hindu congress movement led by Ghandi desired a united Indian state
40
Out of the Muslim and Hindu independence groups which did the British favour
The Muslim league
41
By 1918 what was the Jewish population of Palestine and what did it rise to in 1931
60,000 (9% of the population) rose to around 175,000 (roughly 17% of the population)
42
After British defeat in Southeast Asia in 1942 what did the Hindu congress demand
They demanded immediate reforms
43
What policy did the British adopt against the Hindu Congress and Indian national Army (who aimed to rid Asia of the British)
Policy of ‘repression’ involving imprisoning congress leaders and blatantly leaning in favour of the Muslim league
44
What did Winston Churchill send Sir Stafford Cripps to tell the Indians
He sent him to promise the Indians full dominion status
45
What campaign did Ghandi and other Hindu congress leaders lead from August 1942
‘Quit India’ campaign calling for the British to leave India entirely
46
What did the Labour Government of 1945 decide to do about India
They concluded to accept independence as soon as possible
47
What were the reasons for the Labour government of 1945 deciding to give the Indians independence
-They feared widespread violent resistance,stretching vulnerable British military resources -INA and strong independence feeling could lead to Indian army being unreliable leading to unpopular British deployment -India no longer the great market for British cotton exports so holding onto it would outstrip any economic benefit
48
Who did the government send to bring about Indian independence and when
1947-New viceroy,Lord Louis Mountbatten
49
What date was decided for Indian and Pakistani independence
15th August 1947
50
Why was there increased violence between Hindus and Muslims as countries of Pakistan and India were announced
Millions of people of both faiths fled their homeland in order to be secure in the country of which their own religions would dominate
51
Who was the organisation in Burma who sided with the Japanese in WW2 yet then changed to the British when it was realised they would win
Anti-Facist Organisation
52
What was the Anti Facist Organisation
A coalition of Burmese forces,including the Burmese national army led by Aung San,Burmese communist party and the people’s revolutionary party
53
Who was Aung San
Burmese nationalist who resisted British rule and founded Burmese independence army in 1941
54
What did Lord Mountbatten do about Aung San
He realised the strength of support for him and agreed that the Burma National Army would be incorporated into a new army for Burma effectively recognising Aung San as a legitimate leader in post war politics
55
When did Burma become independent
1948
56
What were the two major problems for Britain in the Middle East in terms of the Jews
-President Truman and Americans favoured Jewish settlement in Palestine,Whilst Britain needed American economic aid,they also wanted to retain allies among Arab leaders due to oil in the region -Outbreaks of Jewish territories inside Palestine against British troops
57
What were the three possible solutions between Arab and Jewish leaders in Palestine
-A unitary state-Arabs dominate as the majority -Provincial Automony-In which Palestine would be divided into smaller provinces with a measure of self control but nationally elected government led them -Partition of Palestine into seperate Jewish and Arab states
58
What did the British decide to do in Palestine
They handed over responsibility to the UN who favoured partition,so as to not alienate themselves from the Arabs they withdrew

History A Level British Empire (13 decks)

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