Expansion And Contraction Of The Empire (more Impact Of WW1)

Question 1

How did League of Nations mandates come about?

Answer 1

Post-war treaties in November 1918

Question 2

Which two nations became mandates?

Answer 2

The colonies of the Ottoman Empire (fall of the Ottoman Empire at end of WW1) and Germany’s former colonies (stripped of their colonies in TOV)

Question 3

What was the idea of ‘self-determination’, who supported it and who was it at odds with?

Answer 3

. Countries should be left to determine their own government
. Popular with US president Woodrow Wilson and part of TOV principles
. The idea was at odds with the imperial attitudes of global empires like Britain

Question 4

When were the different mandates agreed to?

Answer 4

German mandates - TOV (1918)
Ottoman mandates - Treaty of Sèvres (1920) and Treaty of Lausanne (1923)

Question 5

How were mandates supposed to be arranged: theory vs reality?

Answer 5

In theory: they were meant to help ‘less developed’ territories such as German and Turkish colonies in Africa to become independent nations (self-determination)

Reality: the main mandating powers were Britain and France, who had vast empires and just wanted imperial control and status.

Question 6

Which treaty distributed the ottoman territories as mandates to specific allied powers?

Answer 6

Treaty of San Remo (1920)

Question 7

What did the allied powers disagree over at the treaty of Versailles regarding mandates and why did they disagree?

Answer 7

Wilson, Britain and French governments refused Japan’s request to include a clause on racial equality in the League of Nation principles.
Disagreed because:
. Britain and France didn’t want to undermine the racial hierarchy that ran the empire
. Many southern states in USA implemented segregation
Clearly racial inequality was part of the stability of their power

Question 8

How did the League of Nations rank the mandates?

Answer 8

Create categories of the mandate system, ranking the extent to how ‘developed’ different mandates were so that more assertive guidance could be given if more developing was needed

Question 9

What were the 3 categories of the mandate system?

Answer 9

. ‘A’ - quite developed, independence possible in near future
. ‘B’ - needed much more guidance before complete independence
. ‘C’ - Independence not feasible

Question 10

What was the League of Nations and what was its aim?

Answer 10

International organisation set up by the post-war treaties
. Aimed to prevent war by negotiating and settling international disputes to keep the peace in 1920s and 1930s

Question 11

How was LON undermined and struggled to keep peace?

Answer 11

. USA refused to join
. Didn’t provide an international army
. Rise of Fascism and Nazism

Question 12

Which mandates did Britain gain?

Answer 12

. Palestine
. Transjordan
. Iraq
. Parts of Cameroon and Togo
. Tanganyika

Question 13

Which mandates did the Dominions acquire?

Answer 13

. Union of South Africa got South-West Africa
. Australia got German New Guinea
. New Zealand got Western Samoa

Question 14

Which mandate did Britain share?

Answer 14

Nauru with the two pacific dominions

Question 15

When did British empire reach its greatest extent?

Answer 15

Following the post-war treaties
- 13 million new subjects

Question 16

Who were the mandates in each category?

Answer 16

. ‘A’ - Palestine and Mesopotamia (Iraq) to Britain. Syria and Lebanon to France
. ‘B’ - former German colony Tanganyika to Britain. Togoland and Cameroon split between Britain and France. Ruanda-Urundi to Belgium
. ‘C’ - New Guinea and Samoa to Britain with Australia and NZ. German islands in South Pacific to Japan. German SW Africa to Union of SA

Question 17

Why was the Middle East crucial to the empire and so therefore Palestine was?

Answer 17

. Main overland route to Britain’s Indian and Asian empire
. So close to Suez Canal
. Mesopotamia increasingly valuable as it was oil-rich

Question 18

How were Britain and France suspiciously imposing power in the Middle East in 1915?

Answer 18

Sykes and Pico (British and French diplomats) secretly agreed for France to take SE Turkey, North Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, while Britain would get Jordan, South Iraq and Palestine.

This was a secret plot to split up Middle East
(British and French relations good here)

Question 19

Why was Palestine highly unstable at the end of WW1?

Answer 19

British and Turkish forces had been fighting, Turkey had enforced conscription on Palestinian Arabs and seized crops, meaning the Arab’s were so determined to control their own future and be independent.

Question 20

How did Britain and France promote anti-Turkish feeling among Palestinian Arabs?

Answer 20

Encouraged rebellions against Turkish empire and T.E Lawrence (‘Lawrence of Arabia’) was important in supporting these revolts

Question 21

When did Ireland gain independence and what did this mean for the British empire?

Answer 21

1922, this made the empire look weak as Britain seemed to not even be able to control their own neighbours and their oldest colony

Question 22

When did Ireland first formally join the UK?

Answer 22

1801

Question 23

What was the closest point to Ireland getting Home Rule?

Answer 23

Asquith got very close but his third home rule bill faced opposition from Ulster who wanted to stay united with Britain, this led to the Dublin Easter Rising

Question 24

What did Home Rule movement for Ireland want?

Answer 24

Ireland’s own parliament for domestic (home) affairs separate to the UK parliament

Question 25

Why was the implementation of Irish Home rule postponed and how was this a problem?

Answer 25

Due to the outbreak of WW1. This meant focus shifted to the war but Unionist and Nationalist tensions weren’t resolved

Question 26

Why was there Unionist opposition against Irish home rule in Ulster?

Answer 26

. feared a Catholic-majority Irish parliament would undermine their political and religious (Protestant) interests . Ulster Covenant of 1912 was signed by nearly half a million people, showing how strong opposition to home rule was . Unionist leaders like Edward Carson were willing to resist the bill by force, forming the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) in 1913 to militarily oppose the legislation

Question 27

What event after WW1 further radicalised nationalists, making home rule further difficult and changing its goal?

Answer 27

Dublin Easter Rising April 1916: Irish republicans seeking full independence of Ireland instead of just home rule tried to rebel against British but were easily put down

Question 28

How was the Easter Rising initially viewed and how did this change?

Answer 28

Initially: unpopular due to violent nature and destruction caused in Dublin But: British government responded with execution of the leaders, shifting sympathy for the rebels and their call for independence

Question 29

How was the guerrilla warfare following the Easter Rising ended (Irish War of Independence)?

Answer 29

1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty

Question 30

What main thing came about as a consequence of the Anglo-Irish treaty?

Answer 30

6 December 1922 (a year after treaty signed exactly) - Irish Free State created - self-governing dominion of the Empire

Question 31

Did the creation of the Irish free state give full independence to Ireland?

Answer 31

No, it had its own parliament and government but remained part of the British empire (dominion)

Question 32

When did the Irish free state become known as Ireland (Éire)

Answer 32

1937

Question 33

When did Ireland get full formal independence?

Answer 33

1931 statute of Winchester

Question 34

How did the creation of the Irish free state cause partition of Ireland?

Answer 34

It was contested by 6 northern, mostly Protestant countries that chose to remain under Britain

Question 35

What were three main territorial losses of the British empire after WW1?

Answer 35

. Ireland . Egypt . Iraq

Question 36

When was Egypt granted full independence (sort of)?

Answer 36

1922, however, it remained a British client state until 1934 (informal control continuing)

Question 37

How did Britain fulfil their informal control after Egypt got independence?

Answer 37

1936 Anglo-Egyptian treaty: British troops would withdraw from Egypt but still occupy and defend the Suez Canal zone as it was so important to the empire

Question 38

After Britain withdrew troops from Egypt, how did the empire make sure Egypt stayed well protected?

Answer 38

It was assisted to join the League of Nations (Were Britain trying to protect the Egyptian people or just the assets of the empire?)

Question 39

When was Iraq mandated to Britain and for how long?

Answer 39

1920 for 12 years

Question 40

Why did Iraq need to be mandated by Britain?

Answer 40

So Britain could protect the monarch rule in Iraq, run by the royal family of Hejaz - the monarchical system needed protection as Iraq was unstable and didn’t want independence

Question 41

Did Iraq’s mandation receive good protection from Britain effectively?

Answer 41

Not really, Iraq was never really stabilised and there were conflicting nationalists movements that sought independence - October 1932: Iraq independence occurred under King Faisal I

Question 42

How did Britain empire fare under Iraq’s new independence?

Answer 42

. Iraq maintained close economic and military ties with Britain . Britain retained air bases in Iraq