chapter 14- colonial policy and administration Flashcards
what was the Government of India Act 1919?
The Viceroy retained control of major areas e.g. defence and foreign affairs. His councils remained a purely
appointed body but it had to defend its actions before the legislative council
* The legislative council was split into: a lower house (the legislative assembly) 104/144 were elected, and an
upper house (the Council of State) 34/60 were elected
* Provincial councils run by Indian minister took responsibility for local government, health, education, and
agriculture
* The Viceroy could legislate by decree for 6 months in an emergency
* The British regarded the reforms as a concession to critics of British rule in the Indian Congress and hoped that the reforms would weaken popular support for them – it was viewed as the first step towards the system of
self-government
* It was seen as a key turning point because independence was denied meaning demands grew but it was also the
first introduction of democracy
what was the Simon Commission 1929-1930?
It was a review of the 1919 act in 1927. It had no Indian members
* It recommended: a federal system of government to be created across India, incorporating both provinces and
the princely states; the provinces to be given more power; defence, international security, and foreign affairs
should remain in the hands of the British Viceroy, ensuring overall British control
what were the Round Table Conferences of 1930 and 1931?
Opposition from the independence movement led to two Round Table Conferences in London in 1930 and 1931. Gandhi did not attend the first due to being in prison but attended the second.No agreement was reached
* Britain rejected self-governing status for India because of doubts about the competence of non-white leaders
and people as well as concern for India’s strategic and economic importance to Britain
what was the Government of India Act 1935?
This Act created a federation of India by: It made the provinces completely self governing (this could still be suspended in an emergency and provincial governors were still appointed by the British) and expanding the franchise from 7 to 35m people
The Congress Party opposed it because it fell short of the independence of the white dominions and because
they wanted to be completely free of British rule
* Princely states rejected federal India because the wanted to retain their independence from the rest of India
* It was criticised in India for not going far enough, and in Britain for going too far
Why did the outbreak of WW2 lead to further opposition to British Rule in India?
In 1939, members of Congress-controlled ministers in the provinces resigned from office in opposition to
Indian participation in the war. The British imposed direct rule and dealt with independence protest against the war with repression –
especially the arrest of independence leaders
By 1947 what was clear in regard to India?
By 1947 it was clear that British colonial policy had failed and India became an independent state.
What was the aim of the British colonial administration in Palestine and why were these aims hard to achieve?
To ensure that Palestine’s strategic importance as a buffer state against threats to the Suez Canal was maintained with a British presence and that internal stability in the country is maintained.
This was not an easy task considering the financial strain on the British and colonial government post WW1
* Reconciling the growing Jewish population and the Arabs was difficulty
* Ethnic tensions prevented co-operation in elected representative bodies with influence over government policy
* Disagreement between the pro-Jewish British government and pro-Arab British authorities in Palestine
* Richer Jews bought land with help from the Jewish National Fund and a growing number of Palestinian Arabs
were evicted from their farms
What key developments occurred in British governance of Palestine in the 1930s?
1929 -An enquiry called for the Jewish policy of land acquisition to be curbed and another, in 1931, recommended restrictions on Jewish land acquisition. However, pro-Jewish feeling in Britain and the USA
forced the government to back down
* 1933 – Hitler becomes chancellor which accelerated Jewish immigration into Palestine
* 1936 – Britain sent 20 00 troops into Palestine to deal with Arab rioting and attacks on Jews
* 1937 - The Peel Report recommended partition into separate Arab and Jewish areas. This was opposed by the
Arabs
* 1937-9 – The British adopted a policy of repression to deal with escalating violence: over 100 Arab terrorists
were hanged
* 1939 – with war imminent and fears of an Italian attack on Egypt, Britain changes its policy. It called for a
Palestinian state in which Jews currently living in the country would enjoy the right to a ‘national homeland’
* 1939 – Jewish immigration restricted to 15 000 per year for 5 years. This would ensure that the Arabs were still the majority when impendence came (planned for 10 years)
what was the British position in Palestine at the outbreak of WW2?
Britain entered the Second World War aware that its policy reversal had outraged the Jews without satisfying the Arabs
* Jewish organisations were forced to accept the British position however because of the pressure from Nazi
aggression in Europe
* It saw this as the price of temporary stability in its military and strategic positions in Palestine and the Arab
world
* It was a short-term strategy of expediency
What Problems did the British face in trying to govern Mesopotamia?
Trying to curb the cost of administration by managing internal conflicts between ethnic groups
* Widespread Muslim demonstrations in 1920 against British rule in Bagdad turned into a full-scale revolt which
forced Britain to intervene militarily – largely through air power. But it was suppressed with difficulty
* The Kurds in the north wanted independence from Iraq and also rebelled
what was the 1921 Cairo Conference (Mesopotamia) ?
British meeting with limited Arab representation. It decided to allow for some local self-government while retaining full British control of military and foreign affairs
What was the Anglo Iraqi Treaty of 1922 (Mesopotamia) ?
Confirmed Faisal I as king. He was a renowned Muslim and Arab leader who was on good terms with the British so proved an ideal compromise
* Senior British advisors were appointed to most government departments to ensure continued British control over Iraqi affairs
* Britain controlled major military bases and had much influence over the Iraqi army – which it also trained
what was the Anglo Iraqi Treaty of 1930 (Mesopotamia/ Iraq) ?
It promised full consultation between the powers on the matter of foreign policy.
In what ways could British granting of independence to Iraq 1932 be seen as a success?
The British retained their influence in the area. The independence was granted in good time on the British terms – the treaties led to the gradual transfer of power. They kept close economic and military ties – retained their air bases, had rites of transit for troops and had a virtual monopoly on the oil there due to the Iraq Petroleum Company.
why did the commonwealth emerge after WW1?
The role of the dominions in WW1 led to their aspirations for control over their own affairs. The British were especially concerned about the strength of feeling in Canada and South Africa. The British were also worried about South Africa leaving the empire due to its history and the Boer war, which would’ve resulted in a massive loss of British influence.
