Consolidation Flashcards
Change in British policy in Africa from the 1890’s
Became more assertive
Had previously established bases for strategic or trade purposes - eg. reacting to Germans/French
Expansion in West Africa
Ashantiland incorporated into the Gold Coast Colony (1902)
North Nigeria - 1900
South Nigeria - 1906
Nigeria - 1914 (1890 swap with French re Madagascar)
Expansion in East Africa
Uganda
Somaliland
Uganda
1890 - King Mwanga signs treaty with Lord Lugard, ceding powers over to the Imperial British East Africa Company, which were transferred to the Crown in 1894
Somaliland
1898 - Reinforced with administrative and military personnel, in order to limit French and Italian ambitions
Commanded Britain’s crucial access to the Indian Ocean and its colonies in the East
Expansion in South Africa
Cape Colony
1895 - Uitlanders, oppressed by Boers in the Transvaal, sought the help of Rhodes, providing an excuse for British intervention
Jameson Raid - strengthened Kruger and Boers, weakened British
Led to Second Boer War after negotiations led by Chamberlain broke down
Second Boer War
1899-1902 Boers invaded Ladysmith in Natal British poured in 40,000 imperial troops Cost Britain £250 million Led by Generals Kitchener and Roberts Ended by the Peace of Vereeniging (May), granted the Boers £3 million to restock their farms
Terms of the Peace of Vereeniging
Boers acknowledged themselves as British subjects
Boer colonies became British colonies
South Africa became a single British dominion territory in 1910
Shared characteristic of British rule in India and Egypt
Denial of the right to self-rule
Administration of India
Viceroy backed by the Indian Civil Service
‘Divide and Rule’ policy, emphasised the divisions within India
Partition of Bengal
The Morley-Minto reforms
Partition of Bengal
July 1905 Curzon Motivated by difficult administration (78m) Muslim majority in the East Hindu majority in the West Angered Hindus, led by Banerjee Led to Curzon's resignation (November) Bengal reunited in 1911
The Morley-Minto reforms - other name
The Indian Councils Act (1909)
The Indian Councils Act
1909
Viceroy Minto
Secretary of State for India Morley
Encouraged by new Liberal government
Introduced a limited programme of reforms in an attempt to appease the Bengalis
Enabled 27 Indians to be elected from provincial constituencies to the Viceroy’s Council.
Provided for greater Indian participation in government
Limited by narrow franchise and representatives sometimes handpicked by British
Who declared war on India’s behalf in 1914, without consulting India’s population or elected representatives?
Viceroy Hardinge
When did Egypt become a formal protectorate, not a ‘veiled protectorate’
1914, as a result of the declaration of war
Factors hindering British freedom of action in Egypt
The Capitulations
The Caisse de la Dette
The Mixed Courts
The Capitulations
Foreigners could claim the right to be tried in their own country’s law courts
Any new law affecting foreigners had to be approved by the governments of all countries represented in Egypt
The Caisse de la Dette
Group of European countries that controlled Egyptian finances
1/2 the country’s revenue went to paying European bond-holders
Could prevent the British Consul-General from spending Egypt’s money on matters they disapproved of
The Mixed Courts
Set up to deal with cases involving both Egyptians and Europeans
Presided over by European and Egyptian judges, who were not always supportive of the British
Entente Cordiale
1904
Signed between Britain and France
French agreed to respect Britain’s special rights in Egypt in return for British recognition over France’s special rights in Morocco
Ended the Caisse de la Dette’s control of Egyptian finances
Signalled an end to policy of ‘splendid isolation’
Evidence of increased British influence in Egypt
Britons working in Egyptian government in 1885 - 100
Britons working in Egyptian government in 1905 - 1000
Evelyn Baring
British Consul-General 1883-1907
Tasked with regularising Egyptian financial affairs
Made cutbacks to Egypt’s military and bureaucracy
Revitalised the economy by improving communications and investing in irrigation
Improved conditions for Egyptian labourers
Within ten years, cotton and sugar exports had trebled
Placed 6000 British troops within the Egyptian army to ensure that British interests were not jeopardised
Army placed under the control of Kitchener
Wary of extending educational opportunities, as it had led to nationalism in India
“Granville Doctrine” allowed Baring to dismiss Egyptian ministers who refused to accept British directives
Saw Egypt as a battleground between Christian and Muslim ideals - slave trade / forced labour
Egyptian class system
Upper classes generally benefitted from the British occupation Growing middle-class nationalist movement by the late 1890s - National Party revived in 1893
What fuelled Egypt’s growing middle-class nationalist movement
British failure to: deal with the corruption of the Khedive’s government
help Egypt’s poor
promote the Egyptian cloth-making industry, which would have provided jobs, because it would have affected the Lancashire cotton industry
Denshawai incident (1906) - 4 villagers sentenced to death
Funded by German government
Elden Gorst
Succeed Baring as Consul-General in 1907 following Denshawai incident (pigeon-shooting)
Brought more Egyptians into government positions in an attempt to weaken the Egyptian National Party
Imposed tighter regulation of the press in 1909
Used penal measures (unsuccessfully) to quell the growing nationalist movement
