colonial policy 1918 - 1947 Flashcards
colonies under indirect british rule
british colonial policy of trusteeship stressed the promotion of the colonies’ economic and social development, both to increase their economic value to the empire and to improve the living standards of the local population
sudan 1920 - the british government allotted £3 million for the gezira cotton scheme to increase cotton production. it comprised a major dam building and irrigation project
east africa 1925 - the british government allotted £10 million for improving rail and dock facilities
west africa - investment in schools and educational facilities
numerous agricultural research stations were set up in colonies across the continent
all african colonies were expected to be self financing meaning that major projects had to be funded by taxes collected by african people
colonial development act 1929 - earmarked £1 million of british treasury funds for development across empire helped several of the british colonies in africa, however the great depression was a limiting factor
white settler colonies
white settlers in kenya put pressure on britain to give kenya a degree of self government in 1920. power was given to the 30,000 strong white settler community, who dominated the legislative council and used their influence to exclude the kikuyu tribe from the northern highlands - their home
kikuyu were taxed heavily and banned from growing commercial products such as tea and coffee which white farmers became wealthy from
devonshire declaration 1923 - stressed that the interests of the africans had to be respected
southern rhodesia - gained self government in 1923
south africa - promises had been made to protect the rights of ethnic minorities that had been built into the grant of dominion status in 1910, had also been eroded
statute of westminster 1931 - gave the dominions legislative autonomy, and enable white dominance to continue
dual mandate
the belief that a colonial power had a double responsibility - to the colonial peoples -they should offer path to self improvement plus self government and to the outside world the colonies resources would be developed and exploited
leo amery argued in favour of trusteeship, with colonial policy promoting their interests
sir donald cameron
believed in the trusteeship principle
in nigeria, he promoted exports of ground nuts and palm oil, and in tanganyika, the buildings of harbours and railways
sought to advance colonies economically and supported the entry of indigenous people into the civil service, but favoured a more gradual path to self rule
british fears:
canada
question whether canada should fight for the crown in 1914, although eventually 600,000 canadians and 30,000 french enlisted.
the orange order, asserted majority rights just as vehemently as catholic irish asserted minority rights in ireland - ‘One race, one flag, one throne’
laurier (pm) had to walk a fine line and shunned both imperialism and anti- imperialism
canada took over all its own defences and had a department. of external affairs by 1909
stuck between a growing usa and a fading britain, canada negotiated a controversial trade agreement with the usa while trying to find a way to add to britain’s naval strength
1914 - most canadians supported the empire and many volunteered- however some french canadians discouraged enlistment into a military that only used the english language
the 1917 conscription debate was one of the fiercest and most divisive in canadian political history. french-canadians, as well as many farmers, unionized workers, non- british immigrants, generally opposed the measure.
lost 60,000 in ww1 these losses created pride
british fears:
south africa
witnessed a revolt against participation in the war
contributed more than 135,000 soldiers
the term commonwealth was consistently used from 1917.
1917 - general smuts (sa leader) spoke about a “community of nations which I prefer to call the british commonwealth of nations”
balfour report 1926
autonomous communities within the empire,
equal in status, in no way subordinate one to another in any aspect of their domestic or external affairs, united by a common allegiance to the crown, and freely associated as members of the british commonwealth of nations.
it was first proposed by south african prime minister hertzog and canada’s prime minister william lyon mackenzie king.
statute of westminster 1931
gave effect to certain political resolutions passed by the imperial conferences of 1926 and 1930, in particular, the balfour report 1926
the main effect was the removal of the ability of the british parliament to legislate for the dominions
king george v expressed his desire that the laws of succession be exempt from the statute’s provisions, but, it was determined that would be contrary to the principles of equality set out in the balfour report.
after the statute was passed, the british parliament could no longer make laws for the dominions, other than with the request and consent of the government of that dominion.
some dominions are slow to adopt - australia ratify in 1942 and new zealand ratify in 1947
imperial conference 1937
held in london from 14th may to 1st june
topics included foreign affairs and defence, in particular whether or not the foreign policies of the dominions should follow that of the british government, trade policy and constitutional arrangements. the proposal for an imperial federation was dismissed
attended by representatives from the uk, australia, canada, new zealand, south africa, india, southern rhodesia and burma
irish free state chose not to participate for the first time
