2. Imperial Consolidation And Liberal Rule c1890-1914 - Imperial And Colonial Policy

Question 1

What happened to the roles and responsibilities of the empire?

Answer 1

The colonial office continued to have overall responsibility for the empire, although the foreign office responsibility grew as the new African protectorates were placed under its jurisdiction, the war office and admiralty were responsible for external defence whilst the treasury controlled the purse

Question 2

What was the problems of mixed authorities in the empire?

Answer 2

If there were disputes between these different departments, the cabinet had to be consulted high made decision making difficult

Question 3

What idea did both India and Egypt administration uphold?

Answer 3

They both upheld the Darwinist idea of European racial superiority and self rule was explicitly denied

Question 4

What was Administration like in India under control of the Raj?

Answer 4

British officials were appointed to maintain unrestrained power in the Indian Raj until 1909, there were strict limitations on the size of the civil service due to costs, india began to modernise and spread of education enabled more Indians to read English, the Indian civil service used a policy of ‘divide and rule’ to emphasise divisions in India and wanted to bring ‘enlightened reform’

Question 5

How did the British Raj benefit India?

Answer 5

India began to modernise with the expansion of railways and education due to them having more collaboration and economic developments meant more money was raised through taxation

Question 6

What was the importance of Viceroy Curzon

Answer 6

he supported reform due to growing criticisms of British rule from the Indian National Congress, he improved civil service efficiency, and founded the Imperial Cadet Corps in 1901 to appease Indian princes and elite figures, he lowered taxes and adopted the ‘gold standard’ to ensure a stable currency

Question 7

What was the impact of the partition of Bengal 1905?

Answer 7

After Curzon decided Bengal should be divided into 2 separate provinces, there was an uproar among the Hindu elite and the partition was seen as a pay-back for their criticisms of British rule and campaigns were led to develop a new strand of trident nationalism - Curzon attempted a counter however resigned in 1905 + the partition was reversed in 1911

Question 8

Who led the campaigns against the partition of Bengal?

Answer 8

Surendranath Banerjee

Question 9

What was the gold standard?

Answer 9

A system where the value of currency could be defined in terms of gold for which currency could be exchanged

Question 10

Who was Surendranath Banerjee?

Answer 10

Twice president of the Indian National Congress

Question 11

Why were the hindu elite opposed to the partition of Bengal?

Answer 11

They were in West Bengal but had land in east Bengal

Question 12

What did Curzon do in response to the nationalism campaigns?

Answer 12

He imposed strict censorship on the press

Question 13

Who was viceroy minto and what did he do?

Answer 13

He was left to deal with the fall-out of curzon’s plans and so he introduced a limited programme of reforms in 1909 to appease the bengalis

Question 14

What did the 1909 Indian councils act do and what was the benefit

Answer 14

It enabled 27 Indians to be elected from provincial constituencies to the viceroy council in order to assist them in the making of laws and this ensured greater Indian representation in government

Question 15

What did further reforms in 1910 do?

Question 16

What was the impact of viceroy Hardinge?

Answer 16

He used the visit of king-emperor George V to India in 1911 as an opportunity to reunite Bengal, he also moved the Indian capital from Calcutta to Delhi which reaffirmed British control and undermined revolutionary Hindu groups

Question 17

What was George V’s Durbar?

Answer 17

A spectacular display, covering an area upwards of 20 sq miles and costing £2mn, which was designed to reinforce an anxious empire in India.

Question 18

What did viceroy hardinge’s declaration of war test?

Question 19

What was Egypt regarded as?

Answer 19

A ‘veiled protectorate’

Question 20

What were the different challenges to Britain’s freedom of control in Egypt?

Answer 20

The capitulations, the cause de latte and the mixed courts

Question 21

What were the capitulations?

Answer 21

They were privileges granted by the sultan to protect Europeans there, which slowed down law making

Question 22

What was the ‘daises de latte dette’?

Answer 22

It controlled Egypt’s finances, and could prevent the British consul general from spending Egypt’s money on matters they disapproved of

Question 23

What were the mixed courts?

Answer 23

They were set up to deal with cases involving Egyptians and Europeans and were often unsupportive of the British

Question 24

What was Evelyn baring’s political role in Egypt?

Answer 24

He was consul-general therefore acting as an advisor to the khedive between 1883 and 1907 and whilst there he appointed lots more Britons to government

Question 25

What was Evelyn baring’s financial role in Egypt?

Answer 25

He made cutbacks to Egypts military and bureaucracy, he revitalised the economy by improving communications and investing in irrigation, he improved conditions for Indian labourers, provided better sanitation and health services and within 10 years, sugar and cotton exports trebled and population rose from 7mn to 10mn

Question 26

What did evelyn baring do for the military in Egypt?

Answer 26

He placed 6000 British troops within the army to ensure British interests weren’t jeopardised and the army was placed under control of kitchener

Question 27

Why did baring not want to extend education opportunities?

Answer 27

He had seen the effects in India that led to growth of nationalist protest, and he had a racial undertone of not wanting them to get too clever

Question 28

What was the Aswan dam?

Answer 28

A dam built over 6 years by the British, that opened in 1902 and enabled 1/2mn acres of former desert to be irrigated with water from its reservoir, enabling year round cultivation

Question 29

What was the deshawai incident 1906?

Answer 29

It was a confrontation between residents of deshawai and British officers after British officers agitated residents by ‘pigeon shooting’ for sport and pigeons served as a local source of livelihood. A scuffle broke out and an officer wounded the wife of a Muslim prayer leader. The solider fled the scene and died due to heat but when he was discovered, a villager was killed who had stopped to help him, after he was thought to be his assassin

Question 30

What did British authorities do as a result of the deshawai incident?

Answer 30

They set up a special tribunal for the dead soldier, and implemented harsh punishments from lashing to execution

Question 31

What was the impact of the deshawai incident and the response of the British authorities?

Answer 31

The events were met with great reproach in Britain and an outpouring of emotion in Egypt, which led to growing nationalism that provoked the resignation of baring

Question 32

What was a key national party in Egypt?

Answer 32

Al Hizb al watanī

Question 33

Who was eldon gorst and what did he do?

Answer 33

He was baring’s successor, and he brought more Egyptians into responsible government positions to weaken the Egyptian national party, he tried to impose a tighter censorship of the press in 1909 and he used penal measures to reduce the growing nationalism however this failed because Germany provided funds to the nationalists

Question 34

Who was Viscount Herbert Kitchener and what did he do?

Answer 34

He was commander in chief of the Egyptian army in 1896 and was later army commander-in-chief during the 2nd Anglo Boer war, and under his consulship from 1911, British dominance increased and in 1913, a new legislative assembly was made (with 66 elected members), and it represented rich landowners rather than the Egyptian people

Question 35

Why did Britain declare a protectorate over Egypt in 1914?

Answer 35

As the First World War was pending, Britain wanted the secure control of the suez canal