6. Relations with Indigenous People

Question 1

How did the Malayan Races Liberation Army (MRLA) and the MCP threaten British rule in Malaya?

Answer 1

Militant - attacked arms and police stations
Organised strike activity
Provoked the Malayan Emergency
MCP declared illegal in 1948
Shot the High Commissioner in 1951

Question 2

Who was the leader of the UMNO from 1951?

Answer 2

Tunku

Question 3

UMNO under Tunku’s leadership

Answer 3

The UMNO increased its power through alliances
The emergency created enough chaos to make UMNO look moderate so Britain worked with them

Question 4

How did Tunku secure Malaya’s independence?

Answer 4

Became first Chief Minister of Malaya in 1955
Discussions with Chin Peng (MCP) broke down so he turned to London to support a deal
This lead led to full independence in 1957

Question 5

Were the British forced to accelerate the path towards independence in Malaya?

Answer 5

Yes:
- fearful about the rise of communism
- promised the Malay’s self-governance for cooperation
- concessions made in order for them to win Guerrilla War

Question 6

Years of the Mau Mau rebellion

Answer 6

1952 to 1960

Question 7

Causes of the Mau Mau rebellion

Answer 7

Kikuyu found themselves progressively pushed out to accommodate for expanding number of white settlers
Confined to inadequate lands
Unemployment and poor conditions in towns
Significant over farming
Colour Bar (landlords mistreating black people)

Question 8

Who was the leader of the Mau Mau rebellion?

Answer 8

Dedan Kimathi

Question 9

Beliefs and tactics of Dedan Kimathi (leader of Mau Mau rebellion)

Answer 9

Believed in compelling fellow Kikuyu by an oath to bring solidarity to the independence movement
Guerrilla tactics used

Question 10

What happened to Kimathi?

Answer 10

He was captured during the Rebellion in 1956 and executed
He is a national hero of the Kenyan people

Question 11

Methods used by the Kikuyu’s during the Mau Mau rebellion

Answer 11

Intimidated people to take their oath and killed those who refused
Took ritualistic oaths of allegiance
Extreme violence
Well planned, fast and brutal attacks
Guerrilla attacks launched under cover of dark

Question 12

Key massacre during the Mau Mau rebellion

Answer 12

Lari massacre

Question 13

Lari Massacre

Answer 13

1953
Kikuyu herded men, women and children into huts and set fire to them, hacking down with machetes anyone who attempted escape, before throwing them back into burning huts

Question 14

British response to put down the rebellion

Answer 14

Thousands of troops send to Kenya
State of Emergency declared in 1952 which suspended all black African political rights
Mau Mau treated like political terrorists
Kenya became a police state
Black leaders imprisoned, including Kenyatta

Question 15

Cost of suppressing the Mau Mau rebellion for Britain

Answer 15

£55 million

Question 16

Methods used by British to respond to Mau Mau rebellion

Answer 16

British security forced formed strike squads to carry out assassinations
Kikuyu villages uprooted and relocated to cut Mau Mau off from their sources of support
Mau Mau suspects tortured to extract information

Question 17

Infamous atrocities committed by the British during Mau Mau rebellion

Answer 17

Hola Camp Atrocities 1959
11 Mau Mau detainees beaten to death
77 received serious injuries

Question 18

How did Britain ‘get lucky’ during the Mau Mau rebellion?

Answer 18

Britain fortunate that many black Kenyans showed little desire to help Kikuyu movement

Question 19

Reporting of Mau Mau rebellion and British response to it in the Media

Answer 19

British press reported incident at Hola Camp causing outrage to grow in Britain when no one was prosecuted for any offence
British government left embarrassed

Question 20

What did the Mau Mau rebellion show about the colonial government?

Answer 20

Showed that they were poorly equipped to deal with large-scale insurrection

Question 21

How many Mau Mau fighters died during the Emergency?

Answer 21

Over 200,000