7. Impact of the World Wars Flashcards
1
Q
What role did Empire play in WW1?
A
- Many men from the Empire volunteered to fight: India (1.4m), Canada (630k), Australia (420k), SA (136k), NZ (129k), Britain (5m)
- Supplied Britain with vital raw materials and food - played a major part in the British victory
- Canada supplied Britain with wheat and 1/3 of the munitions used by the British in France 1917-18
- Move towards joint decisions - pressure from colonial leaders who wanted a say in where Britain were taking their troops
- 1916, David Lloyd George became PM and made a greater effort to use the resources and manpower from the Empire
- Imperial preference introduced for suppliers
- Curzon stated “the British flag never flew over a more powerful or united Empire”
2
Q
How did WW1 affect the white dominions?
A
- Presidents of dominions joined the Imperial War cabinet in 1917 - HOWEVER it only had two sessions and Britain dominated the proceedings
- Australians and New Zealanders were applauded for their bravery in the Gallipoli campaign
- Canadians applauded for their bravery in the battle for Vimy Ridge in April 1917
- Jan Smuts (South African military leader who once fought against Britain in Boer War) became a member of the Imperial War Cabinet, attended the London Imperial War Conference and advised on the military strategy in Europe
- Boosted self-worth of the participating dominions
- Promoted a desire for independence and control
3
Q
How did WW1 affect India?
A
- The Indian army and senior officers were physically and mentally unprepared to fight a modern war
- Fought because they aspired to become and equal part of Empire
- Major contribution to the fighting in the Middle East and in Africa
- Indian representatives joined the Imperial War cabinet in 1917 - HOWEVER it only had two sessions and Britain dominated the proceedings
- In 1917, the Indian government contributed £100m to Britain’s war effort
- Heavy losses led to decay of moral and widespread disquiet among the sepoys
- The Secretary of State for India, Edwin Montagu, promised more ‘responsible’ self-government for India - India’s contribution to the war effort and growing support for Indian independence - included democratic representation for ordinary Indians
4
Q
How did WW1 affect the British colonies in Africa?
A
- 100k Egyptian troops fought in Europe - 50% killed
- 70k West and East African troops fought in Africa
- Cost of campaigns in Africa included: death from famine and disease , civilian casualties and widespread destruction
- Black people from tropical colonies and SA were recruited to work in France as labourers and carriers
- British East African’s were forced to serve in Tanganyika - nearly 100k died
- ‘Discovered new worlds; were exposed to new ideas; came conscious of their position within empire which they now questioned’
5
Q
What were the League of Nations Mandates?
A
- TOV stripped Germany of its former colonies
- These colonies became ‘Mandates’ administered by the newly created League of Nations - Britain dominated it
- Mandates were supposed to help territories become independent nations - HOWEVER the Mandate powers (Britain and France) secured virtually complete imperial control over their Mandates
- Mandate system: Category C (territories where independence was not considered feasible); Category B (territories that ‘needed’ a longer period of guidance); Category A (territories seen as quite developed and independence might be possible in the near future)
- Britain wanted to gain locations to protect their strategic and economic interests - especially in India and oil in the Middle East
- Britain controlled a number of strategically important states in the Middle East
- Around 1.8m square miles were added to the empire and around 13m new subjects
6
Q
In what ways were the Mandates in the Middle East of benefit to Britain?
A
- Beneficial to Britain’s strategic position in regards to India because it protected the land route to India and its other Asian territories
- Important to help restrain the growing Indian nationalism
- Rich in oil which was needed to fuel British industries and the navy
7
Q
In what ways were the Mandates in the Middle East a burden to Britain?
A
- Conflict between the Arabs and the Jews, created by Britain, had to be policed to try prevent violence
- The area disliked British rule
8
Q
What was the aftermath of WW1?
A
- The British Royal Navy remained strong - Britain had 42 capital ships afloat compared to the rest of the world’s 44 in total
- The Royal Air Force helped to provide cheap and effective methods of policing large areas
- Britain faced no serious international competition - Germany shattered by defeat, France was an ally, Russia weakened by civil war and the USA retreated into isolation
- 1920s, British forces struggled to keep control in Ireland, Egypt, Iraq and India
9
Q
What was the economic impact of WW1 on empire?
A
- Britain economically weakened by the war - forced to sell many of its overseas investments
- The economic value of these new territories gained were negligible - some were even a negative - for example the cost of running Iraq amounted to £23m in 1921
- Total expenditure amounted to just under £10bn
- The costs outweighed the benefits, unlike before 1914
10
Q
What involvement did the Empire have in WW2?
A
- The empire was never the source of strength to Britain that it had hoped
- Regarded as a strategical and military burden - stretched Britain’s resources further than they would go
- The empire brought some benefit to Brian’s war effort but also brought many liabilities
- Dominions and colonies contributed 5m troops - half of them from India
11
Q
How did WW2 affect the Empire in South East Asia?
A
- By 1942, Japan seized the major European imperial possessions in South East Asia - Singapore (home to Britain’s main military base) where 132k British subjects were taken prisoner; Hong Kong; Malaya and Burma - Japan also posed a threat to India
- The success of the Japanese ended the myth of ‘white invincibility’ and gave independence movements greater confidence
- The Burma Independence Army fought against the British
12
Q
How did WW2 affect the Empire in India?
A
- Mohammed Ali Jinnah, leader of the Muslim League, pledged to support Britain - hoped to win British support from a separate Muslim state of Pakistan - however some in India opposed the war
- Chuchill sent Sir Stafford Cripps to India - Churchill reluctantly offered India independence after the war in return for support during the war - INC leaders turned down the offer as they wanted immediate full independence
- The ‘Quit India’ campaign began - British authority arrested INC leaders - INC supporters sabotaged railways, cut telephone lines and attacked government buildings - troops and aircraft helped the police - several thousand Indians were killed and wounded, 100k arrested
- 30k Indians had been captured by the Japanese and joined the INA (Indian National Army) which aimed to rid India and Asia of the British - fought in Burma and elsewhere
- Last 2 years of war, inflation grew and Bengal suffered a severe famine in 1943-44 (killed 3-4 million people) - caused people to have doubts over the effectiveness of the Raj
13
Q
How did WW2 affect the Empire in North Africa and the Middle East?
A
- Important battleground between Britain and Germany and Italy
- Britain was desperate to preserve its influence in Egypt and access to Suez and the oil in the Middle East
- Both Egyptians and Palestinian saw an opportunity to exploit British weakness
- Egyptians and Arabs felt anger towards Britain because of how they’d been treated by Britain during the war
- Africans developed a political and national consciousness
- Stimulated colonial industries - mobility and urbanisation improved
- Travel, contact and new expectations caused new political activity - concessions were made in response to demand - e.g. regional councils in Northern Rhodesia
- Serious and violent strike on the Northern Rhodesian Copperbelt in 1940
14
Q
To what extent did the Second World War signal the end of the British Empire? (signs of strength/continuity)
A
- Britain relied on assistance from its Dominions who came readily to their aid - they were no longer obliged to
- Those which Britain denied self-government proved loyal
- Many Indians contributed to the war effort despite war being declared on their behalf by Viceroy Linlithgow
- The Muslim League pledged to support Britain
- Atlee’s government (1945-51) had no intention of abandoning Empire - he and his foreign secretaries were determined to defend British interests as they didn’t want to seem as the one to give up Empire
- Britain determined to hold on to parts of empire e.g. Malaya
- Most ministers recognised that without its colonies (especially their resources), Britain would no longer be a great power because it would weaken its economic prosperity
- British forces had played a major part in the Allied victory and these forces were stationed all over the globe
- Dominions and colonies contributed 5m men
15
Q
To what extent did the Second World War signal the end of the British Empire? (signs of weakness/decline)
A
- The Atlantic Charter enraged Indian Nationalists
- Some Indians opposed the war
- The PM of Iraq tried to negotiate with Germany
- The ‘Quit India’ campaign showed the extent of Nationalism in India
- By 1945, Britain owed India £1375m
- Britain could not compare in size and strength with the USA and the USSR
- Severe economic problems left Britain dependent on the USA (anti-imperialist) - Britain’s strong economy that supplied and held the empire together was gone
- Opposition to British rule during the war in India and Egypt was forcibly suppressed which led to increased opposition to British rule
- The belief in white superiority became less open
- The dominions turned to the US for support
- The anti-colonial outlook of the USA and USSR was likely to influence the hopes of colonial people
- Most members of the UN opposed imperial rule
- Atlee was committed to granting Indian independence
