Consolidation And Expansion Of The British Empire In Africa (1890-1914) Flashcards
Give examples of ways British was expanding further into Africa in this period?
. Sierra Leone became a protectorate in 1898
. Transvaal integrated into British union of SA in 1902
. British East Africa rule replaced by formal protectorate in 1895
. Sudan became a condominium of Britain in 1899
. Uganda left BEAC rule and became a formal protectorate in 1894
. Rhodesia split into North and South protectorates in 1901 and 1911 and BSAC administration
How did consolidation of Africa occur in the 1890s and why?
Chartered companies allowing ‘effective occupation’ made way for formal control as the costs for companies was financially unstable
How did Britain expand in this period and how did Britain feel about it?
Through treaties, intimidation and aggression
- if borders or investments were threatened by local resistance, Britain felt they had the right to retaliate
What is the ‘peripheral theory’ of imperialism?
Britain was pulled into Africa by local crises and through events which threatened Britain’s interests and credibility
What is Ashantiland?
An extension to the original coastal strip that made up the Gold Coast
Who are the Asante people and how did they feel about Europeans?
Ethnic group which once had a large empire along the gulf of India
Strongly opposed European resistance
How did Britain expand their control into Ashantiland?
Early 1890s: British demanded for King Prompeh to give the rest of his empire away as a protectorate, but he refused and this caused the fourth Anglo-Asante War, where Prompeh was forced from the throne in 1896
1900: final Asante uprising which resulted in Britain’s formal annexation of Ashantiland
1902: Ashantiland became incorporated with the Gold Coast despite 80 years of resistance
Which two areas of British West Africa were consolidated by British?
Ashantiland and Nigeria
How did Nigeria come under British control?
They were penetrated by George Goldie’s Royal Niger Company
How were Britain able to claim Nigeria?
. Had occupation there due to Goldie
. 1890 agreement with French recognised British dominance in Nigeria in exchange for the recognition of France’s claim to Madagascar
. British government took over responsibilities of the Royal Niger Company
Which part of Africa was developed greatly after 1890 to form a formidable British holding?
British East Africa (Zanzibar, Kenya, Somaliland, Uganda and Sudan)
How did Britain gain control over East Africa?
Through a treaty between Britain and Germany in 1890 (Heligoland-Zanzibar treaty)
How did Zanzibar become a protectorate of the British empire?
1890 treaty between Germany and Britain over East Africa ceded Zanzibar to British influence
Treaty of Helgoland-Zanzibar
How did Britain use their protectorate of Zanzibar to indirectly control the area?
Used a ‘puppet’ ruler Sultan Hamad
How did confrontation begin in Zanzibar?
In 1896, Hamad was rumoured to have been poisoned and his own cousin Khalid succeeded him WITHOUT BRITISH BLESSING
What happened in the Zanzibar War?
Khalid refused to stand down and his palace was navally bombarded by Britain
38 minutes - shortest war in history
Around 500 Zanzibari defenders (many civilians) were killed, mostly due to fire from the bombardment
Who ruled Zanzibar after the Zanzibar War (shortest war)?
Pro-British Sultan Hamud for the next 6 years under British protection
How were the Bugandan people controlled in C.19?
Anglican and French Catholic missionaries, as well as Zanzibari Muslims permeated Buganda and converted many of the people there, establishing some control
How did King Mwanga in Uganda try and assert power?
In 1886, he executed 30 Catholics and Protestants, causing a civil war where he fled from Buganda
How did King Mwanga get back into power after fleeing?
Promised some of his sovereignty to British East Africa Company in return for British backing, he was restored to power in 1889
How did Mwanga give a lot of control of Uganda over to Britain?
Signed a treaty with Lord Lugard in 1890 on behalf of the BEAC, giving powers over revenue, trade and administration of justice to the company
In 1894, these powers were given to the British crown and Buganda became a protectorate, making it a part of Uganda
When did Mwanga further try and regain Buganda?
1897 and 98, was captured and exiled to Seychelles for life
When was the Ugandan railway and what was the strategic reasons for its creation?
1896: to connect the coast of Uganda with the fertile and temperate highlands bordering Lake Victoria
. Linked British colonies with each other and the Indian Ocean
What did the Ugandan Railway consolidate?
British control after takeover of Buganda as a protectorate of Uganda
What were the costs of the Ugandan railway?
. 5 years to make
. £5 million
. Lives of some 2500 labourers
Who were the labourers who built the Ugandan Railway?
Indentured workers enticed from China and India
Badly paid and had to work in awful conditions
What was Britain’s official right against the workers building the Ugandan railway?
To sentence workers to corporal punishment or fines if they deserted or for poor work
Why did Chamberlain and the conservative government support the building of the Ugandan railway?
. Allowed access to new markets
. Encouraged colonial settlement
. Facilitated export of tea and coffee
. Protected the River Nile from enemies
. Promoted British tourism via safari tours
. Could help end Arab-run East African slave trade
Why did the Ugandan railway become known as the ‘Lunatic Line’?
Because of the problems it caused during construction:
. Kedong Massacre (around 500 labourers killed by Masai warriors)
. Tsavo incident, where 35-100 railway workers were attacked and eaten by 2 lions
Why did Kenya become of interest to Britain after the Berlin conference?
It offered a route from the coast to Uganda
How was Kenya’s succession a problem and what did this mean for Britain?
Disputed between indigenous Mazrui and the Muslim majority, so Britain tried to jump in and force control, capitalising on the instability (divide and rule)
Why did Britain want to force control in Kenya?
. British East Africa Company going bankrupt
. Britain needed to safeguard/keep an eye on trade in Uganda and Zanzibar
How was Britain’s idea to control Kenya opposed?
Sheik Mbaruk bin Rashid got weapons from Germans, meaning Britain took 9 months to crush the local Kenyan people
How did Bin Rashid’s territory of Kenya fall under Brit control?
He fled and the territory became part of Britain’s East Africa Protectorate
When did Kenya finally become a proper British colony?
1920
When was a Somaliland Protectorate established and when was it extended?
1888
1898: this protectorate was reinforced with administratory and military personnel to limit French and Italian interests there
Why was Somaliland important to Britain despite its limited resources?
It commanded access to the Indian Ocean and British colonies in the east
Why did British expand into Rhodesia and Nyasaland in the 1890s?
For extra control over the Cape Colony
What did Britain call Rhodesia?
South Zambesia
Who were the indigenous people of Rhodesia and who ruled?
Ndebele people (formerly Matabele), ruled byKing Lobengula
What was a main reason as to why ‘South Zambesia’ became a protectorate?
After there was a discovery of gold here, Rhodes’ BSAC created mining concessions and a group of white settlers followed into the region with permission from British government to create a protectorate
When was the First Ndebele war and what happened?
1893-94: BSAC had maxim guns to win against 80,000 Ndebele warriors
Lobengula fled and Ndebele resistance continued, even as Rhodes tried to stamp his control over the area by creating South Rhodesia
What was Rhodesia once called?
Zimbabwe
When was the second Ndebele war and what happened?
1895-96, Mlimo (Ndebele spiritual leader) unsuccessfully uprose against British colonial rule
What is the second Ndebele war known as in Zimbabwe?
The ‘First Chimurenga’ (revolutionary struggle)
Where is Nyasaland?
Small territory on shores of Lake Nyasa that British wanted to control
How was Nyasaland originally opened up?
By David Livingstone and Scottish missionaries settled there
Why could Britain only establish control of Nyasaland in 1891?
Britain had faced Portuguese-backed Arab attacks
When did Nyasaland become a protectorate?
1907
How long did guerilla warfare go on for in Nyasaland?
Till 1897
Before Nyasaland was a protectorate, how did Britain control it?
Under BSAC control
When did British policy in Africa become more assertive?
1890s onwards
How had British taken a less assertive approach in Africa in 1880s?
Established bases for trade and strategy and to react to other competing powers such as Germany and France
Private chartered companies set up to administer and occupy in Africa but never really directly intervened except in East Africa and South Africa
How did the election of conservative government in 1895 change British interest in Africa?
Conservatives held a view to firmly consolidate the Empire, often at the cost of threat of war
# British imperialism became more assertive
How did British imperialism become more assertive from the 1890s?
. British protectorates were expanded to secure pre-existing markets, ports and territories
. New territories taken to stop other European imperialists getting them first
- created a domino effect of British expansion
How did the Berlin Conference create rules on establishing a formal colony?
Had to prove ‘effective occupation’ of administration and defence
- this meant Britain and rival colonising powers had to vigorously try and prove this ‘effective occupation’
How was dominance of Africa justified on racial terms?
It was seen as ‘natural’ along social Darwinist lines
How did the impact of the Industrial Revolution in Britain encourage consolidation of Africa?
Left Europe massively more advanced, making Africa an outlet of Britain’s manufactured goods
When did Britain launch a campaign to recapture Sudan after the Madhist Rebellion?
1896
What was Lord Salisbury’s concerns in Sudan?
The intentions of other European powers in the area
Who succeeded the Mahdi?
Khalifa Abdullah
What did Abdullah try to do with Sudan and what problems did he encounter?
Tried to bring the people’s of the Sudan together under his leadership but his state was plagued y war from internal resistance fighters, as well as famine and disease
What did Gladstone vs Salisbury believe about Egypt?
Gladstone believed British troops should be withdrawn from Egypt when safe and immediately
Salisbury believed Egypt was vital to the security of Britain’s sea route to India, so he wanted to reconquer at least some of Sudan
Which European rivals were Britain most worried about in Egypt?
France and German expansion inland in East Africa, fearing they might try and gain control of headwaters of the Nile, which were vital for the welfare of Egypt
How did Salisbury attempt to keep European rivals out of Egypt?
Signed a treaty with Germans in 1890 where they agreed to take Tanganyika while the British took Kenya and Uganda
French were persuaded to concentrate on West Africa, although they weren’t entirely appeased
How were Italy somewhat useful to Britain in Egypt?
They expanded on the Red Sea coast at Massawa which diverted Abdullah’s attention from the Egyptian borders
How did Salisbury have an excuse to execute a British campaign in the Sudan in 1896?
After Italian forces were defeated by Ethiopian resistance at Adowa in 1896, meaning diversionary help of Italy was lost and Salisbury wanted to intervene now
Why was the campaign to recapture the Sudan supported in Britain?
It was an opportunity to avenge the death of General Gordon
Who are Dervishes?
Members of a Muslim order committed to a life of poverty and the defence of their faith
How did British press portray the clash between Dervishes and British in the Sudan campaign?
A clash between British civilisation and African ‘barbarism’
How did the 1896 Sudan campaign begin?
Egyptian initial expeditionary force = 10,000 troops
Transported up the Nile by a fleet of pleasure-steamers supplied by Thomas Cook and Son
Railway constructed into heart of the Dervish territory and the men and supplies pushed forward as the line extended
Dervishes resisted this incursion
How useful was the Maxim Gun to Britain, created in 1884?
Heavily used by British army in Africa in late C.19
In just one battle in the First Ndebele war, it was used to slaughter 1600 Ndebele warriors
What were the two main battles of the Sudan campaign?
Battle of Omdurman (1898)
Fashoda incident (1898)
What was General Sir Herbert Kitchener’s role during the Sudan campaign?
Commander-in-chief of the Egyptian army from 1896
Was told to penetrate Sudan as far as Dongola, but he was determined to take the whole region (crazy imperialist)
Kitchener given secret orders by Salisbury after Battle of Omdurman to go to Fashoda on the headwaters if the Nile, where the Fashoda incident took place
Why did Britain win the battle of Omdurman?
Britain had:
. 50 pieces of artillery
. 10 gunboats
. 5 auxiliary steamers on the Nile
. 40 single-barrelled Maxim guns
. Infantry had Lee Montford/Enfield rifles with a 2800 yard range
. Had burning desire to avenge Gordon
How brutally did Britain finish the Battle of Omdurman and what was the reaction in Britain?
British left the enemy to die, looted the city, murdered many of Khalifa Abdullah’s followers and this was celebrated widely back in Britain
What is seen as the high point of Anglo-French tension in Africa?
Fashoda incident, but it didn’t really come of anything. Very anti-climactic
How were French and Britain competing over Africa?
French went East from Congo
. Britain went south from Egypt
Clashed at Fashoda
How did Fashoda incident start?
July 1898: French expedition commanded by Captain Marchand arrive at Sudanese outpost of Fashoda (on the Nile), around 400 miles south of Khartoum
Kitchener arrived on 18th of September and claimed the entire Nile Valley
How was the Fashoda incident clearly anti-climactic?
Within several days of Kitchener arriving, all the two sides did was press their nations’ claims to the area (accused each other of trespassing) but the meetings weren’t fiery and ended with a peaceful, mutual withdrawal
What did the Fashoda incident show?
The French government were facing internal problems and Britain had a strong army in Khartoum, so it would always be a loss for the French
What agreement did the Fashoda incident produce?
1899: French promised to stay out of the Nile Valley in return for further territory in West Africa
How did the British press over-exaggerate the Fashoda incident?
Claimed Britain and France were on the brink of war
How was Anglo-Egyptian Sudan established and how would it be administered?
1899 agreement between Britain and Egypt’s ‘veiled protectorate’
Would be arranged as a condominium
What did it mean that Anglo-Egyptian Sudans administration was arranged as a condominium?
Sudan would be run by the British, with Egyptian support
Who was the first Governor-General of Egypt and what did this mean?
Lord Kitchener, he officially ruled in the name of the Khedive of Egypt
What did Kitchener do as governor-general of Egypt?
Set up ‘Gordon College’ to train young Sudanese people for government
