1947-67

Question 1

What major event in 1947 marked the decline of British control in Asia?

Answer 1

The partition and independence of India and Pakistan from British rule.

Question 2

What was the significance of the 1948 British Nationality Act?

Answer 2

It granted citizenship to all people living in Commonwealth countries

Question 3

Why was the Suez Crisis of 1956 a turning point in British imperial history?

Answer 3

It demonstrated the limits of British power and led to a reassessment of Britain’s role as a global imperial power.

Under Anthony Eden, he resigned because of it

Question 4

Which African countries gained independence from Britain from 1947-67?

Answer 4

Ghana (1957)
Nigeria (1960)
Uganda (1962)
Kenya (1963)
Libya (1951 with UN help)
Lesotho (1966)

Question 5

What was Macmillan’s “Wind of Change” speech (1960) about?

Answer 5

It acknowledged the rising tide of nationalism in Africa and the inevitability of decolonization.

given in Cape Town

Question 6

What was the role of the Commonwealth after decolonization?

Answer 6

It became a voluntary association of independent nations

Question 7

What caused increasing immigration to Britain from former colonies after 1948?

Answer 7

The 1948 British Nationality Act

Question 8

How did Britain attempt to control immigration from the Commonwealth in the 1960s?

Answer 8

Through the Commonwealth Immigrants Acts of 1962 and 1968

Question 9

What was the significance of Rhodesia’s Unilateral Declaration of Independence in 1965?

Answer 9

It challenged British authority and sparked international condemnation over white minority rule.

Question 10

What economic factors influenced Britain’s decolonization process post-WWII?

Answer 10

War debt

Question 11

On what date did India and Pakistan gain independence from Britain?

Answer 11

15 August 1947.

Question 12

How many people were displaced due to the Partition of India in 1947?

Answer 12

Approximately 10–15 million people.

Question 13

How many people died during the violence of Partition in 1947?

Answer 13

Estimates range from 200

Question 14

When did Ceylon (Sri Lanka) gain independence from Britain?

Answer 14

4 February 1948.

Question 15

When was the British Nationality Act passed?

Answer 15

1948

Question 16

How many West Indian immigrants arrived on the Empire Windrush in 1948?

Answer 16

492 passengers.

Question 17

When was Ghana granted independence?

Answer 17

6 March 1957.

Question 18

What year did Nigeria gain independence from Britain?

Answer 18

1 October 1960.

Question 19

How many British troops were involved in the Suez Crisis of 1956?

Answer 19

Approximately 45

Question 20

How much did the Suez Crisis cost Britain in lost reserves?

Answer 20

£279 million in just a few weeks.

Question 21

When was the “Wind of Change” speech delivered by Macmillan?

Answer 21

3 February 1960 (Cape Town).

Question 22

When did Kenya achieve independence?

Answer 22

12 December 1963.

Question 23

How many Mau Mau fighters were killed during the uprising in Kenya?

Answer 23

Over 11

Question 24

When did the Commonwealth Immigrants Act first pass?

Answer 24

1962

Question 25

How many immigrants from the New Commonwealth entered Britain between 1948 and 1971?

Answer 25

Over 1 million.

Question 26

What was the date of Rhodesia’s Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI)?

Answer 26

11 November 1965.

Question 27

How many British colonies had gained independence by the end of 1967?

Answer 27

Over 20 former colonies.

Question 28

When did Aden (South Arabia) gain independence?

Answer 28

30 November 1967.

Question 29

How much did Britain owe in war debt after World War II?

Answer 29

Approximately £3 billion (much of it to the US).

Question 30

What was the Sterling Area

Answer 30

informal financial bloc of countries that either used the pound sterling as their currency or pegged their own currency to it

Question 31

What major factor drove the British policy of decolonisation after 1945?

Answer 31

Britain’s post-war economic crisis including £3 billion in debt and reliance on U.S. loans.

Question 32

What did the Attlee government (1945–1951) believe about Empire?

Answer 32

It saw the Empire as a financial burden and prioritized welfare state development at home.

Question 33

Why did Britain prioritize the independence of India in 1947?

Answer 33

Due to rising nationalist pressure

Question 34

What was the impact of the 1948 British Nationality Act?

Answer 34

It allowed all Commonwealth citizens to settle in the UK

Question 35

What was the significance of the SS Empire Windrush in 1948?

Answer 35

It symbolised the beginning of large-scale Caribbean migration to the UK

Question 36

What was the Mau Mau Uprising and when did it occur?

Answer 36

A violent nationalist revolt in Kenya (1952–1960) against British settlers and colonial rule.

Question 37

How did Britain respond to the Mau Mau Uprising?

Answer 37

Violently sent in planes and tanks

Question 38

When did Ghana gain independence and under whose leadership?

Answer 38

6 March 1957 under Kwame Nkrumah.

Question 39

What role did the Central African Federation (CAF) play in delaying independence?

Answer 39

It was Britain’s attempt to create a white-dominated bloc (1953–63) in Rhodesia

Question 40

When was the Suez crisis

Answer 40

In 1956 under Anthony Eden

Question 41

What did the U.S. do during the Suez Crisis that weakened Britain?

Answer 41

President Eisenhower refused to support the invasion and pressured Britain into withdrawing by threatening financial sanctions.

Question 42

When did Nigeria gain independence?

Answer 42

1 October 1960.

Question 43

What was the purpose of Macmillan’s “Wind of Change” speech in 1960?

Answer 43

To acknowledge the spread of African nationalism and signal a shift toward granting independence.

Question 44

What was the impact of the “Wind of Change” speech on colonial policy?

Answer 44

It publicly accepted that decolonisation was inevitable

Question 45

When was the Commonwealth Immigrants Act passed and what did it do?

Answer 45

1962; it limited immigration from Commonwealth countries

Question 46

Why was the 1965 UDI in Rhodesia significant?

Answer 46

It was a unilateral declaration of independence by a white minority government

Question 47

What were the consequences of Rhodesia’s UDI?

Answer 47

International sanctions

Question 48

What was Britain's strategy for economic relationships post-empire?

Answer 48

Shifted toward European integration and trade with EEC countries rather than Commonwealth reliance.

Question 49

What was the status of Aden in 1967?

Answer 49

Aden (South Arabia) was granted independence on 30 November 1967 following violence and anti-colonial insurgency.

Question 50

CAF

Answer 50

Central African federation, 1956-63 Nyasaland, S Rhodesia, N rhodesia dissolved due to nationalist pressure

Question 51

Sudan 1956

Answer 51

Gained independence from Anglo-Egyption condominium Egypt pressured Britain into ending their rule as Egypt didnt want to control them anymore Sudan also had growing nationalist movements- led to political movements

Question 52

Aden 1967 + Aden emergency

Answer 52

years of Guerrilla fighting and the Aden emergency (1963-67) led to Britain leaving in 1967 Fighting in Crater region Withdrawal of British forces led to the creation of the people's republic of South Yemen Aden emergency- Oct 1963- throwing of a grenade at Br officials outside airport. State of emergency declared

Question 53

Jamaica 1962

Answer 53

General election on April 10, 1962, the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) won the election, and Sir Alexander Bustamante became the first Prime Minister of Jamaica. United Nations membership Jamaica joined the United Nations on September 18, 1962. Sir Clifford Campbell became the first native Governor-General of Jamaica on December 1, 1962.