Chapter 7: Consolidation and expansion of the Empire in Africa Flashcards
What was the British approach to Africa in the 1880s
Saw the Empire as largely for strategic and trading purposes
Private chartered companies were mostly used to occupy and administrate territory
Generally a cautious approach but sometimes direct intervention was necessary eg Egypt
Why did the British approach to Africa change in the 1890s
Due to the attitude of the press people in Britain were more supportive of formal intervention
The conservatives were determined to ‘uphold empire’
Charted companies proved increasingly inefficient and not cost effective so formal control was seen as better
What examples are there to show the British approach changing in the 1890s
British protectorates were expanded to provide security to ports, markets or resources
New territories were taken to limit the advance of other European powers
Building of the Ugandan railway to help link colonies together
What was the situation in Sudan 1895
The Mahdist revolt had left the country in a weakened state
The state was plagued by resistance fighters, disease and famine
Why did Britain decide to invade Sudan
Britain accepted Egypt was a permanent responsibility so the territories to its south became important
Britain was concerned the flow of the Nile could be artificially stopped by German and French expansion inland
Italian forces were defeated in 1896 so Britain had an excuse ton invade as aiding Italy and upholding European civilisation against African barbarism
Avenge Gordon
How did Britain gain control of Sudan
Kitchener encouraged troops to view their enemy as vermin and ordered the destruction of the Mahdi tomb and carried of the Mahdi head as a trophy
A railway was then constructed into the heart of Sudan
What was the Fashoda incident 1898
Kitchener and Marchland (French) both pressed their nations claims to Fashoda
The press reported Britain and France were on the brink of war
However Marchland withdrew believing he had upheld his own countries honour
An agreement in 1899 the French promised to stay out of the Nile valley in return for territory in the West
How was Sudan governed after the conquest
Britain and Egypt agreed to establish Anglo-Egyptian Sudan
Sudan would be run by the British with Egyptian support
Lord Kitchener was appointed first governor-general
Britain however frustrated ambitions for the unification of the two countries
Why did Britain want to bring the Boer republic into a British confederation in SA
Adovacated by Cecil Rhodes and Joseph Chamberlain was drawn into it to largely counter German territorial gains
Uitlanders were being denied citizenship and voting rights by the Boer government
Uitlanders outnumbered Boers 4-1 and paid 9/10 of Transvaal taxes
Thery sought help from Rhodes which gave Britain an excuse to intervene
What was the Jameson raid
A raid was launched on Transvaal from Rhodesia by Dr Jameson on Rhodes orders
It was meant to be secret but too many people knew about it and Rhodes kept changing the plans
500 Drunken, ill-trained and badly equipped mounted police were easily defeated as the plan to start an uprising of Uitlanders failed - forced to surrender after 4 days
What were the consequences of the Jameson raid
Despite there being no official government support it discredited the British government and stiffened Boer determination to resist the British
Rhodes was forced to resign
Kruger became a peoples hero and Boers living in Cape colony formed an anti British bond to show solidarity with fellow boers in the Transvaal
Germany sent Kurger a telegram congratulating him
This increased hostility between Britain and Germany
What was the Second Boer war
Chamberlain wanted to avoid war but was not prepared to accept any weakening of British influence
Kruger had begun to import arms on a large scale from Germany and negotiations with boers broke down in 1899
Boers invaded British territory and besieged Ladysmith in Natal
Initially the Boers had some success but the British poured in 400,000 imperial troops at the cost of £250 million
Ended by the peace of Vereeniging in 1902 and the Boers acknowledged themselves as British subjects
Boer republics became British colonies with the promise of responsible self government
What were the consequences of the second Boer war
Ended by the peace of Vereeniging in 1902 and the Boers acknowledged themselves as British subjects
Boer republics became British colonies with the promise of responsible self government
Self government was granted in 1905
In 1908 the PM’s of OFS, Cape colony and Natal drew up a constitution for the union of South Africa
This established a single parliament and the Union of South Africa became a British dominion territory in 1910
How did Kitchener gain control of land from the boers
He used a ‘scorched earth’ policy which was the systematic destruction of crops and the slaughtering or removal of livestock, the burning down of homesteads and farms—to prevent the Boers from resupplying themselves
He then used concentration camps to imprison Boers which had appealing hygiene and many died of disease
They became a national scandal after Emily Hobhouse made the conditions public and efforts were taken to improve conditions and death rates fell dramatically
What was the consequence of conditions in the concentration camps
Dutch and German propaganda labelled Britain as ‘baby killers’ due to 2/3 of deaths being children aged under 10
1/6 of Boers died in the camps
However sanitary conditions in British barracks were equally poor
