colonial policy / Wind of Change / Commonwealth Flashcards
1
Q
What were the British government’s ambitions for its relationship with the old Dominions? What was
the reality?
A
- regarded as Britain’s most reliable friends, tied to Britain by common interest and ancestral and cultural ties.
- the Dominions had their own interests and were prepared to assert separated identities.
- The ANZUS military pact was formed between Australia, New Zealand and the USA in 1951 which implied
that the USA had taken over Britain’s responsibilities in the Pacific.
2
Q
What was the new Commonwealth that Attlee hoped to build?
A
- association of free, independent states which would transcend race, colour and creed (belief).
- way of surrendering formal control whilst maintaining informal ties which would
help protect Britain’s interests and influence. - a body of ‘free and equal’ states, with no legal obligation to one another.
- Commonwealth as a family of friendly nations around the world which could lend
critical support and mediate over disputes.
3
Q
What were the problems with trying to build this ‘new’ Commonwealth?
A
- members of the new commonwealth enjoyed no natural unity and its members had little in common.
- Britain could not offer enough reward for association in the form of trade, investment and defence.
- India, Pakistan and Ceylon did not share the enthusiasm of the white Dominions.
4
Q
What compromises had to be made to prevent the collapse of the ‘new commonwealth?
A
- India’s determination to be a republic in 1948 was a major concern.
- India was a potentially vast trading partner and a seemingly vital ally in a continent where communist influence was advancing rapidly.
-> compromise worked out whereby republican Indian would remain in the Commonwealth,
accepting the British monarch as ‘Head of the Commonwealth’ rather than as head of India.
5
Q
Despite Britain’s post-war economic weakness, in what ways did the Sterling Area tie Britain to its
former colonial possession more than its imperial ties?
A
- Britain’s post-war economic weakness serve to reinforce the Commonwealth solidarity in trade and
finance. - Dominions and several independence countries (e.g Iraq) used the pound sterling as the basis of their currency and banked their overseas earnings in London.
-> the area helped to maintain the value of the pound. - Britain remained the most important market for most members of the sterling area.
6
Q
what is meant by the ‘second colonial occupation’ (Africa)
A
- Anxious to develop colonial economies to provide Britain with urgently needed raw materials, interfered in all areas of economic life and scores of British ‘expects’ descended on Africa with schemes for
agricultural improvement. - new aggressive approach, sometimes known as ‘economic colonialism’.
7
Q
What was the Tanganyika Ground Nut Scheme?
A
- launched in 1948 as an attempt to reduce the deficit of oils and fats in Britain.
- cost Britain £36m and failed, both to provide oil for Britain or employment for Africans.
- a spectacular example of economic mismanagement which was far from isolated.
- The British government’s enthusiasm for change upset many of the locals.
8
Q
What was the reality of labour colonial rule
A
- far from helping eco development, actually exploited its colonies for all they were worth restricting investment, controlling their trade and the prices of their main commodities and
rationing the goods they could purchase from Britain. - 1945-51 the colonies were forced to lend Britain more money than Britain actually invested in the colonies.
- local leaders were pushed aside and colonial officials went back to using force.
9
Q
What were Harold McMillan’s views on Empire
A
- denounced of Europeans who ‘attacked the blacks of Africa and championed the whites’.
- thought he may be destined to be the re-modeler or the liquidator of the Empire.
- wanted to hand over power to colonies that were ready.
10
Q
What were the features of Mcmillan’s Wind of Change speech 3 Feb 1960
A
- people are skilled, energised.
- awakening of national consciousness and pressed their claim for an independence.
- Nationalism must be accepted as a fact and the national policies must take account of it.
- ‘wind of change […] was blowing through this continent’.
11
Q
What was the significance of the Wind of Change speech
A
- Conservative party of has accepted decolonisation and the end of British control in Africa -> had been traditionally imperialist.
- decolonisation had already taken place e.g. India, Ghana because other concerns were becoming more significant to Britain.
12
Q
what was the impact of the cold war
A
- suited the USA to have a strong Britain, despite its anti-imperialist attitude, so it could resist communist advances across the globe.
- US prepared to step in when the British support for the monarchists fighting communists in Greece could no longer be sustained.
-> Truman Doctrine. - dependent on the US.
-> The Marshall Plan of 1948-52 provided Britain with $3.3bn.
13
Q
What was the Truman Doctrine
A
- pledged the USA’s help to countries ‘resisting subjugation’ (implying communist subjugation) and providing financial and military aid to prop up Greece and Turkey as Britain withdrew from the region.
- needs empire to help fight communism.
14
Q
Explain how the Cold War influenced Empire’s defence
A
- relied on the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) of 1949 and America’s nuclear capacity.
- Dominions previously looked to Britain as guarantors of their safety but they increasingly turned to the USA.
15
Q
Give examples of the Empire pushing native leaders aside during the labour gov
A
- Kenya and Rhodesia -> no longer practical to devolve power to local elites under the watch of a British official.
- not possible to rely on Malay sultans in the conditions of the Malayan Emergency.
