Chapter 14 - Colonial Administration And Policy Flashcards
What was the main reason for policies between 1919 + 1947?
To keep empire together
Resist rise in nationalism
What did Edwin Montagu + Viceroy Chelmsford design to create a system of limited self-govt?
Dyarchy
Where power is divided into 2 centres of authority
What was under the Government of India Act 1919?
Viceroy still in control of defence + foreign affairs but had to defends its actions in front of Legislative council
LC - split into lower house + upper house
Provincial councils run by elected Indian ministers responsible for local govt, health + education + agriculture
What was the Simon Commission 1929-1930?
Federal system of govt to be created across India
Provinces given more power
Defence + internal security + foreign affairs still to Viceroy
What was the Round Table Conference 1930 + 1931?
Came as there was strong opposition in India
Ghandi unavailable to attend 1st but represented Congress Party at 2nd
But B rejected India being self-gov Dominion
What was the Government of India Act 1935?
Created a Federation of India by:
Making Provinces self -gov
Expanding vote from 7 mil - 35 mil
Who opposed the Act?
Congress Party because didn’t give same freedom as a Dominion or full ind
Princely states as wanted to maintain ind from rest of India
Did it work?
No as India was an independent state in 1947
What did the B do to deal with this?
Imposed direct rule
Repressed ind protests
Arrested leaders
In 1939 why did members of Congress resign?
Opposed Indian participation in war
What 2 categories did B African Colonies go into?
Indirect rule - through local leaders
Direct rule - where many B settlers were
What countries were indirectly ruled?
Most in W Africa, Tanganyika, Uganda, Nyasaland + N Rhodesia
The League of Nation Mandates
What was the British policy emphasising in these areas?
Economic + social development
What did the B do in Sudan?
1920 B govt allotted £3 mil for Gezira Cotton Scheme
Needed major dam building + irrigation project
What did the B do in East Africa?
1925 allotted £10 mil for improving rail + dock facilities
What did the B do in West Africa?
Invested in schools and educational facilities
What else was set up for the colonies in the continent?
Agricultural research stations
What were all the African colonies expected to be?
Self financing
All major projects were mainly funded by taxes of themselves
What helped give £1 mil of B Treasury funds for dev projects?
The Colonial Development Act 1929
What limited imperial development policy?
Great Depression
Strikes by African workers - copper mines in Rhodesia
What countries were under direct rule?
S Rhodesia
Kenya
S Africa
What happened when the White pop in Kenya was given a degree of self-gov in 1920?
Moved Kikuyu + Indians out of land
Farmers became wealthy from tea + coffee + taxed Kikuyu
Where did the Kikuyu migrate to?
Major cities
Nairobi + Mombasa
What did the African nationalism with the Kikuyu make the Colonial Office issue?
The ‘Devonshire Declaration’
Stressed interests of the Africans had to be respected
When did the white settlers get ind in S Rhodesia?
1923
What enabled White settler dominance in South Africa?
Statute of Westminster
What were B aims in Palestine?
Protect Suez
Stabilise internal conflicts
What made decisions hard?
B govt in London = pro-Jewish
B authorities in Palestine = sympathy to Arabs
What was the other division between Jewish + Arabs?
Land holding
Most Arabs poor farmers renting
Wealthier Jewish bought up land with Jewish National Fund + Arabs evicted
When were enquiries to curb land acquisition?
1929 + 1931
Govt backed down from pro-Jewish in USA + B govt
What did the B do in 1936?
Sent 20,000 troops to Palestine to deal with Arab rioting + attacks on Jews
What Report was put out in 1937?
The Peel Report
Recommended Palestine be separated into areas + B controlled some areas
Opposed by Arabs
What did the B do 1937 - 39?
Policy of repression
100 Arab terrorists hung
What did the B do in 1939?
Scared of Italian attack on Egypt
Said for a Palestinian state where Jews already living in the country would have a ‘national homeland’
What was Jewish immigration restricted to in 1939?
15,000 per year
What shaped colonial policy in Mesopotamia?
Costs of administration
Managing internal conflicts
Why did the B have to intervene militarily in 1920?
There were widespread demonstrations against B
In Baghdad turned into full scale revolt
What happened at the Cairo Conference of 1921?
Allowed some local self -gov
B retained full control of military + foreign affairs
What did the Anglo-Iraqi Treaty 1922 confirm?
Faisal I as King
What did B still keep control of?
Affairs
Major military bases
Army
What did the Anglo-Iraqi Treaty of 1930 do?
Promised full consultation between 2 sides on foreign policy
What was the main interest in Iraq?
Oil
Before WW1 negotiated with Ottoman for B controlled Turkish Petroleum Company to extract oil
They didn’t uphold that Turkey would get 20% + set new terms
What did the role the Dominions played make them want?
Full control
What did the B create from concerns of losses?
Commonwealth
Could gradually become fully independent nations but have ‘special relationship’ with B
What did the Statute of Westminster recognise?
Dominions should be independent
Laws in B couldn’t be enforced in countries without permission of their own parliaments
They were free to pass their own laws without interference from B
What was the statute + commonwealth seen as in the media?
Evidence of the civilised nature of the British Empire
What were the problems relating to imperial defence?
B had economic difficulties - defence = burden
New aggressive regimes came up as a threat to empire + B = Japan + Germany
Rise in nationalist movements
What did B mistakenly think would help them with defence?
League of Nations
How did B use appeasement as a policy to deploy resources to other areas?
Surrendered some territory demands made by Nazi Germany + Italy mistakenly thinking they were rational
What other actions did the B do?
Modernised Indian army
Built up Singapore as a naval base
Spend £25 mil on these
What event meant most of these policies unravelled?
Chamberlains estimation of Nazis
WW2
