Challenged Flashcards
How did the Colonies help Britain in World War One?
Sent men to fight
Supplied Britain with raw materials and food
Imperial war cabinet
The Presidents of the Dominions and nominated Indian representatives joined the war cabinet (1917)
Symbolised the union of the British Empire in war
Only held two sessions, and the British dominated proceedings
Involvement and impact in WW1 - The White Dominions
Mostly keen to help Britain
Sent 1.3 million men to fight
Conscription introduced in New Zealand and Canada during the war (16k and 56.5k died respectively)
413,000 Australians enlisted, 30% of all eligible males (58k died)
ANZACS at Gallipoli (1915)
Canadians at Vimy Ridge (1917)
Canada supplied Britain with munitions and wheat
South Africa - General Smuts led the South African Defence Force against the Germans in its colonies
136,000 South African troops fought in the Middle East and the Western Front
Demonstrated the loyalty of the White Dominions to Britain and Empire
Triggered debate about the long-term future of the Dominions
War not popular in Quebec - seen as a pro-British affair
Boosted confidence of Dominions and strengthened self-worth
Involvement and impact in WW1 - India
1.4 million troops volunteered
1/3 of troops in France in the autumn of 1914 either Indian or Britons who had formerly served in India
1917 - Indian government contributed £100 million to Britain’s war effort
Montagu Declaration (August 1917) - Secretary of State for India, Edwin Montagu, promised more responsible self-government, in acknowledgement of India’s contribution and in response to growing support for Indian independence
Involvement and impact in WW1 - Africa
1.2 million Egyptians recruited to defend Egypt
100,000 Egyptians fought in Europe, 50% of which were killed
Fewer Black Africans fought, but were recruited to work in France as labourers
Formative in the development of African independent movement - first Pan-African Congress held in France (1919)
Mandate system
Developed following World War One
Allowed Britain and France to secure further imperial control
Defined according to a system of categories based on how developed they were
A - Palestine
B - Tanganyika
C - Samoa
Sykes-Picot agreement
1916
Secretly divided up the Middle East between France and Britain
The Balfour Declaration
1917
Letter from Foreign Secretary to Walter Rothschild declaring support for Zionism
Led to increased Jewish immigration into Palestine (6.9% in 1918 to 17.7% in 1931) (60k to 175k)
Colonies lost as a result of World War One
Ireland
Egypt
Iraq
Egypt
Declared a British protectorate at the start of the war
Granted independence in 1922
British troops remained stationed in Egypt until the signing of the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty in 1936, under which it was agreed that the troops would withdraw but continue to occupy and defend the Suez Canal
Iraq
Following 1920 revolt, Churchill (Colonial Secretary) responsible in 1921 to find an Iraqi ruler acceptable to Iraqis and friendly to Britain - Fesial, son of Sherif Hussein,
Ruled as a mandate between 1922 and 1930
Full independence granted in 1932
Britain protected the monarchial rule of the Hashemites
New independent government maintained close economic and military ties with Britain (air bases)
Colonial involvement in the Second World War - South East Asia
February 1942- Japan seized Singapore from Britain
Main British military naval base
Brought the largest surrender of British troops in history
Success of Japanese ended myth of ‘white invincibility’, giving confidence to new independence movements
New independence movements in South East Asia following World War Two
30,000 Indian troops form the Indian National Army, led by Bose
Fought against the British from 1943 in Burma
Aung San in Burma formed the Burma Independence Army, who also fought against the British
Colonial involvement in the Second World War - North Africa
Britain desperate to preserve its influence in Egypt and access to Suez and oil in the Middle East
November 1942 - Germans driven back at the Battle of El Alamein
Changes following World War Two
Britain weaker economically
Labour government in power (more sceptical of Empire)
Independence movements had grown stronger
Indian legislation in the inter-war years
The Rowlatt Act (1919) The Government of India Act (1919) The Simon Commission (1929-30) The Round Table Conferences (1930-31) The Government of India Act (1935)
The Rowlatt Act
1919
Gave authorities harsh powers to arrest anyone who protested against British rule
Allowed unlimited detention without trial, trial without jury
Counter-productive, producing resistance, viewed as a betrayal
Amritsar massacre (April 1919)
Nationalist movements in India during the 1930’s
All India Muslim League
Hindu Congress Movement
British favoured the Muslim League
Suggested that British rule prevented Muslim v Hindu civil war
All Indian Muslim League
Muhammad Ali Jinnah
Wanted a separate, independent Muslim state (Pakistan)
Hindu Congress Movement
Gandhi
Wanted a united Indian state
India in the Second World War
Supported the British war effort
British defeats in South-East Asia emboldened the Hindu Congress, which demanded immediate reform
Indian National Army formed
British adopted policy of repression, imprisoning Congress leaders and favouring the Muslim League
When did Sir Stafford Cripps promise Indians full dominion status?
March 1942
Sent by Churchill
“Quit India” Campaign
August 1942
Led by Gandhi and other Congress leaders
Called for the British to leave India entirely
Gandhi and others arrested and spent the rest of the war in prison
1,000 Indians killed
Nearly 100,000 Indians arrested
When did Britain decide to grant India independence?
1945 - Labour government concluded that it was no longer feasible or desirable to keep India
Reasons for British granting Indian independence
Feared violent and widespread Indian resistance, which would spread military resources
Activities of INA and the strength of pro-independence feeling meant that British could no longer trust the Indian Army
India no longer a great market for British cotton exports, so would cost more to hold on to than it would generate in profit
Viceroy Mountbatten
1947 - Sent by government to India with instructions to bring about Indian independence before June 1948
When was it decided that India be partitioned, and when by?
April - May 1947
15th August 1947
Effects of partition
Violence between Muslims and Hindus escalated
Millions fled their homeland for the security of a country in which their own religion was the majority
One million died
Demonstrates how British attempts to keep India in the Empire by combination of repression and concession had failed
Colonial involvement in the Second World War - Burma
Occupied by the Japanese in the Second World War
Anti-Facist Organisation initially supported Japanese against the British, but belatedly accepted in 1944 that an Allied victory would be more likely to secure Burmese independence
1945 - Mountbatten incorporated Burma Independence Army into a new army for the country, and recognised Aung San as a legitimate leader of Burma
Independence granted in 1948
Effect of the Second World War on Palestine
Holocaust led to more Jews wanting to emigrate to Palestine
1939 White Paper - British limited Jewish immigration to dampen tensions between Jews and Arabs (10k a year for 5 years, with 35k in year one), with subsequent immigration having to be approved by Arabs
February 1947 - Britain refer the issue to the UN
May 1948 - British withdraw from Palestine
Problems for Britain regarding Palestine post-war
America supported the establishment of a Jewish state, forcing Britain to decide between America (economic aid and international support) and its Middle East allies (oil)
Violence in Palestine stretched British resources
1937 - Peel Commission (2-state solution)
The Government of India Act 1
1919
Viceroy required to report before the Legislative Council, but retained control of defence and foreign affairs
Provincial councils run by Indians given responsibility for local government
Regarded by the British as a concession to critics of Britain in the Indian National Conference and as a first step towards a system of Dominion self-government
Recommendations made by the Simon Commission (1929-30)
Creation of a federal system of government across India, incorporating provinces under British rule and Princely States
More power given to the provinces
Defence and foreign affairs remain in the hands of a British Viceroy, ensuring overall British control
The Round Table Conferences
1930 and 1931
Prompted by opposition from the independence movement in India
Gandhi represented the Congress Party at the second
No agreement was reached
British rejected giving self-governing Dominion status for India because of doubts about:
the competence of non-white leaders
India’s strategic and economic importance to Britain