Challeneges In India And Africa To The Empire (1890-WW1) Flashcards
Where were the challenges in Africa to the empire up to WW1?
British Somaliland, Zanzibar, West Africa an Sudan
Who was ‘Mad Mullah’ in Somaliland and what did he do?
Somali religious and military leader, aimed to defend Somalia from British, Italian and Ethiopian invasion
What happened in 1899 that outraged Mad Mullah?
A group of Somali children were said to have been converted to Christianity by French missionaries
- he wanted to drive all Christians into the sea
How did Mad Mullah respond to hearing of the Somali children being converted to Christianity?
Built an army of 20,000 dervishes to start raids on British Somaliland to antagonise (provoke/anger) local communities from 1900
Why did Mad Mullah use dervishes?
They are notoriously religious and good fighters
How did Britain try and counter Mad Mullah’s army and were they successful?
British joined with Ethiopia’s Emperor Menelik
- couldn’t suppress Mullah till 1920 when an aerial bombing finally destroyed Dervish strongholds
- this aerial assault cost thousands of civilian lives
How did Zanzibar challenge the Empire?
August 1896: Khalid Bin Bargharsh assumed power after the suspicious death of pro-British sultan Hamoud
- he commanded 3000 men to fight but quickly fled after heavy bombardment from British ships
The challenge here wasn’t very successful
How did Britain cause resentment in West Africa?
1898: Colonel Cardew (British governor of Sierra-Leone) introduced the ‘hut tax’
- severe tax on dwellings
How did Cardew deal with resentment in West Africa?
Used a scorched earth policy, achieving surrender from Chief Bai Bureh in November 1898
- hundreds killed in the process
How did Cardew harshly punish the resistance in West Africa?
Hung 96 of the chief’s warriors despite British government’s pleas for leniency
Where were the greatest challenges to the Empire in Africa up to WW1?
Sudan and the Transvaal
What was Kitchener’s conquest in Sudan and how did the Daily Mail depict it?
Battle of Omdurman and fall of Khartoum in 1898
- daily Mail said it secured the ‘downfall of the worst tyranny in the world’ (Sudan)
What were the effects of the fall of the Madhist regime?
. Effectively one oppressor was replaced by another
. Many Sudanese welcomed the fall
. Negative impact on the Sudanese economy
. 50% population decline due to famine, disease, persecution and warfare after Britain arrived
How did Britain struggle to control South Sudan for more than 30 years after the fall of the Madhist regime?
. Sudanese to renounce their customs and pay taxation to the British
. New colonial rulers tried to resolve Sudanese feuds harshly
- death penalty frequently used, leading to more resistance
. 33 punitive expeditions took place to force rebels to accept British order and Sudanese were often brutally treated
What is a punitive expedition?
military journey undertaken to punish a political entity or any group of people outside the borders of the punishing state or union.
How did Sudanese react to violent British reprisals/treatment of Sudanese people?
Uprose in 1900, 1902-3, 1904 and 1908
How did British benefit Sudan when they took over?
. Economic development, particularly in the Nile Valley
. Telegraph and railway lines were extended to link areas in North Sudan together
. 1906: Port Sudan opened to become Sudan’s main outlet to sea
. 1911: Gezira research scheme set up
What did the Gezira scheme do?
. Provided high quality cotton for Britain’s textile industry
. Improvements in irrigation systems in Sudan
How did the government in Sudan change in 1899?
Joint Anglo-Egyptian government over Sudan declared
How was the Anglo-Egyptian government over Sudan supposed to work vs how it worked?
Theory: it’s military and civil government were invested in a governor general who was nominated by the British government and appointed by the khedive
Reality: Britain ruled Sudan and Egypt paid, so the needs of the Sudanese people were still ignored
What happened to political opinion on British rule in India in 1890s?
Opposition grew amongst the educated Indian professional classes and an outlet for protests was found in the emergence and growth of nationalist newspapers
When did Bal Tilak join the Indian National congress?
1890, increased influence
What did Bal Tilak set up in 1880?
A school for Indian students, with the aim of promoting pride in Indian culture
What newspaper did Bal Tilak establish?
The nationalist newspaper the ‘kesari’, edited it and spread anti-imperialist views
Who did Bal Tilak work with and what was the name of this group?
. Bipin Chandra Pal
. Lala Rajpab Rai
. Bal Tilak
‘Lal-Bal-Pal’ group, all nationalists
How did the British try to stop Tilak’s nationalist influence in India?
. He was arrested 3 times for sedition (trying to get people to rebel) and was referred to by the London times as the ‘Father of Indian unrest’
. Accused of inciting the murder of a medical officer
What were the two main nationalist newspapers in India?
‘Kesari’ and ‘Kaal’
When was the Kaal founded and by who?
1898 by Shivram Paranjape
What is the Kaal translated to?
Both ‘times’ and ‘terminator’
How did the British try to stop Paranjape’s nationalist influence in India?
. Him and Tilak were sentenced to imprisonment for stirring up hostility
. The popularity of the Kaal led to his arrest for sedition in 1908
- 19 months in prison with hard labour
. After his release in 1910, the British authorities banned the publication of Kaal and confiscated his writings
What organisation was founded in 1903 and what did it become?
Abhinav Bharat (Young india) organisation, became the home for several hundred revolutionaries and political activists
What did the Young India organisation do to challenge British rule?
. Established branches in various parts of India
. Carried out assassinations of British officials, including Arthur Jackson, a district magistrate
What prompted the greatest opposition to the British Raj?
Viceroy Curzon’s partition of Bengal
What nationalist movement came about from the controversy of the partition of Bengal?
Tilak led the Swadeshi (‘self sufficiency’) campaign designed to undermine British rule, six year campaign
What did the Swadeshi movement do?
. Held petitions and protests
. Hosted a public boycott of British goods (being self-sufficient)
How was the Swadeshi movement successful in opposing British rule in India?
. Bengal reunited in 1911
. Its methods and principles influenced later campaigns of Gandhi
Who was targeted in Indian nationalist attacks?
A number of British administrators, including the governor of Bengal, attacks organised by nationalists
How did the British initially view the Indian nationalist-organised attacks?
As uncoordinated and representing desperate attempts by those the British considered to be poor and uneducated Indians
When did Britain realise the nationalist-organised attacks in India were more serious?
. April 1908, two British women killed by a bomb intended for a district judge
. Police investigation mounted
. Revealed the attack was the work of an insurgent organisation known as the Anushilan Samiti
. This organisation was led by a Calcutta High court barrister, showing it wasn’t just the uneducated Indians rebelling, making the nationalist opposition in India more of a threat
Why was the Nort-West Frontier province created?
To protect the border of India from feared Russian invasion
What did the NWFP do?
Merged north western areas of the Afghan people with the Punjab and a chief commissioner for the area was allocated
How did Curzon strengthen the defence of India?
. Created North-West Frontier province in 1901
. Mounted a temporary invasion of Tibet from 1903-4 to counter supposed Russian ambitions there
How was the defence of India strengthened after Curzon left office?
1907: ‘entente’ established spheres of influence in Persia and Russia and India agreed to respect Tibet’s independence
What were Curzon’s ‘other reforms’ in India?
. Preserved ancient monuments like the Taj Mahal
. Expanded railways and irrigation systems
. Set up a commerce and industry department, promoting industrial development in India
. Set up an agricultural department, overseeing the establishment of agricultural banks
When was the main famine in India and what caused it?
1899-1900: famine in Western and Central India as the monsoon rains failed, causing draught to parch crops, impacting almost 60 million people
What was Curzon’s significance in the Indian famine?
Refused to allow aid, saying the starving villagers must gain ‘self-resilience’, allowing Indians to starve to death
When did Viceroy Minto take over Curzon?
1905-1910
What did Viceroy Minto have to do in India and how was he supported?
. Had to clean up Curzon’s mess
. 1906 new liberal government in Britain encouraged him
. Helped by John Morley, Secretary of State in India
What main change did Viceroy Minto make in India?
Introduced a limited programme of reforms in 1909 called the Morley-Minto Reforms to try and appease (calm down) the Bengalis
What was the main reform made in the Morley Minto reforms and what did it do?
1909 Indian councils act:
. 27 Indian councils could be elected from provincial constituencies to the Viceroy’s council, which advised the Viceroy and assisted him in the making of laws
What was the significance of the 1910 Indian councils act?
Supposedly provided greater Indian participation in government but the represenatives were often chosen by the British
What was the second part of the Morley-Minto reforms and what was its significance?
1910: in elections for enlarged provincial councils, 135 Indians were able to secure seats across the subcontinent
- this allowed Indians to play a greater part in government at a provincial level
What was the idea of how India was ruled under Viceroy Minto?
Try to increase Indian influence to look supportive but be very selective in which Indians can be involved in British Raj
When was Hardinge Viceroy?
1910-16
What did Hardinge have to do as Viceroy?
Fix Curzon’s damage done in the partition of Bengal
Who was the only British monarch to visit the Raj?
King-emperor George V in 1911
What did Viceroy Hardinge first do in India and why?
Moved India’s capital from Calcutta to Delhi (more Muslims in capital now) and called it New Delhi
- to undermine revolutionary Hindu groups
What celebration was held in 1911 and why?
Emperor of India George V’s Delhi Durbar to display power of Britain, reinforce an anxious empire in India and get loyalty of Indian princely rulers
How did Viceroy Hardinge test India’s commitment to British rule?
Declared war on India’s behalf without consulting the population in August 1914
Most supported Britains efforts as 1.3 million Indians served in WW1
- India’s efforts in war raised hopes of a new ‘deal for India’ after WW1
How was George V’s Durbar a massive display of the power of the British empire?
. Covered 20 square miles
. His camp alone cost modern-day £2 million
. Massive reception tents set up for formal dinners and there was entertainment for British nobles
How did Curzon decide to part Bengal?
2 separate provinces: a Muslim majority province in the east and Assam and a Hindu majority in the west
When was the partition of Bengal actually carried out?
October 1905
Why was the partition of Bengal such a problem?
. Produced uproar among Hindu elite in West Bengal as many of them owned land in east Bengal that they leased to Muslim peasants
. Led to Hindu strikes, protests and boycotts of British goods (swadeshi movement)
. Split Indian congress between extremists and moderates
Who supported the partition of Bengal?
The Muslim elites, they formed the All Indian Muslim League in 1906 to safeguard the rights of Indian Muslims
How was the partition of Bengal useful for British justification of control in India?
Used their control to claim they were avoiding religious conflict (‘divide and rule’)
