Impact of WW1

Question 1

How many men did different colonies / dominions contribute to the war (India, Canada, Australia, S Africa)

Answer 1

• India: 1.4 million
• Canada: 630,000
• Australia: 420,000
• South Africa: 136,000

Question 2

summarise the role Empire play in WW1

Answer 2

• Empire supplied Britain with vital raw materials and food -> played a major part in the British victory in 1918 -> made Britain the most formidable power in the war.
• presidents of the dominions and and nominated Indian representatives joined the war cabinet in London 1917.
• Cursor stated: ‘the British flag never flew over a more powerful or united empire than now’.

Question 3

How did WW1 affect the white dominions

Answer 3

• Dominions had the final say in whether to adopt conscription and it was introduced in New Zealand in 1916 and Canada in 1917.
• Australians and New Zealanders were applauded for their bravery in the Gallipoli campaign (April-December 1915) and the Canadians for their part in the battle for Vimy Ridge in April 1917.
• Canada supplied Britain with 1/3 of the munitions used by the British in France 1917-18 and wheat.
• French Canadians in Quebec regarded the war as a pro-British affair, and in March 1918 there were protest riots against conscription in Quebec City.
• Australian troops were puzzled by the servile obedience of English soldiers for their officers- this turned to contempt towards men who refused to stick up for themselves.
• boosted the confidence and self-worth of the participating dominions.
• The experience of the war had been a right of passage to manhood for the dominions.

Question 4

How did WW1 affect India

Answer 4

• The Indian army and its senior officers were physically and mentally unprepared to fight a modern European war.
• They would fight for the Empire, but they would so fight because they aspired to become an equal part of it.
• Indian troops made a major contribution to the fighting in the Middle East and in Africa.
• In 1917, the Indian government contributed £100m to Britain’s war effort.
• In acknowledgement to India’s contribution, and in response to the growing support for Indian independence the Secretary of State for India, Edwin Montagu, promised more ‘responsible’ self-government for India in August 1917.

Question 5

How did the war affect British colonies in Africa

Answer 5

• 1.2m Egyptians were recruited to defend Egypt and the Middle East.
• 100 000 Egyptian troops fought in Europe – 50% were killed.
• cost of the campaigns in Africa included the death through famine and disease of 10% of the estimated million porter and labourers employed by both sides, in addition to civilian casualties and widespread destruction.
• ‘Black and brown men discovered new worlds; were exposed to new ideas; came conscious of their position within the empire, and returned home questioning some of its assumptions’.
• During the Palestine campaign, West Indian volunteers, keen to serve Britain, endured racial slights which left them humiliated and angry.
• They had a mutiny at Tarantoin in December 1918 saying ‘the black man should have the freedom to govern himself in the West Indies’.

Question 6

What were Wilson’s 14 points

Answer 6

• stated that decisions as to the future of ex-German colonies and the Ottoman provinces
  would be reached after balancing ‘the interests of the populations concerned’ The British government resented this but it had to put up with is as the price of American financial and material assistance.

Question 7

What was the Sykes-Picot agreement

Answer 7

• The post-war arrangements were based on the Skyes-Picot agreement in May 1916 which defined the boundaries of the official and non-official British and French empires in the middle east.
• ex-german colonies and Ottoman provinces became ‘mandates’ which were newly administered by the newly created League of Nations, Britiain dominated this because America was in isolation.

Question 8

What was the purpose of mandates

Answer 8

• Mandates were supposed to help territories become independent nations.
  -> However, the Mandate powers (Britain + France) secured virtually imperial control over their mandates.

Question 9

what were the different categories of mandates

Answer 9

• Category C: Territories where independence was not considered feasible e.g. Samoa & New Guinea.
• Category B: Territories that ‘needed’ a much longer period of guidance e.g. Tanganyika, Togoland &
  Cameroon.
• Category A: Territories seen as quite developed and independence might be possible in the near future.
  -> e.g. Palestine & Mesopotamia.

Question 10

What were Britain’s motivations behind wanting control over the German and Ottoman colonies?

Answer 10

• Aurgued that:
  
  • these colonies were politically and economically underdeveloped with uneducated populations.
  • these colonies were not ready to govern themselves and needed a ‘guiding hand’.
  • Britain and France were most experiences at governing less developed territories.
• retain dominant status as a global power; gain strategic locations to protect their interest –
  especially in India and were influenced by economic factors e.g. oil in the Middle East.
• Britain controlled a number of strategically important states in the Middle East and financial and commercial pre-eminence in many other areas.

Question 11

What were Britain’s reasons behind trying to acquire Palestine

Answer 11

• Strategic reasons:
• The main overland route to Britain’s Indian + Asian empire.
• Close proximity to the Suez Canal.

Question 12

What were Britain’s reasons behind trying to acquire the Mesoptotamia (Iraq)

Answer 12

• for economic reasons -> it was oil-rich.

Question 13

What was Britain’s secret agreement with France during the war over the Ottoman Empire

Answer 13

• plotted to divide the middle-eastern possessions between them:
• 1915, Sykes-Picot Agreement.
• Britain would take: Jordan, south Iraq and Palestine.
• France would take: East Turkey, northern Iraq, Syria & Lebanon.

Question 14

Explain how the British experienced problems with maintaining control over Palestine

Answer 14

• During war, Britain encouraged Arab rebellions against the Ottoman rule, esp in Palestine.
• T.E. Lawrence, a British Army officer, archaeologist & arabophile was key in helping these revolts →
  he became known as ‘Lawrence of Arabia’.
• the problem was that the British also made promises to the Jews about Palestine -> 1917 Balfour Declaration.
  -> this caused lots of issues.

Question 15

What was the 1917 Balfour Declaration

Answer 15

• Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour sends a letter to Lord Rothschild (banker and leader of the British Jewish community).
• leaked to the press and expressed sympathy for Jewish Zionism.
• promised British support for:
  -> a ‘national homeland’ for the Jews out of sympathy for Jews in the East.
• It did not promise:
• a separate Jewish state
• the undermining of Arab rights

Question 16

What were the British motivations behind making the Balfour Declaration

Answer 16

• Keep British Jewish bankers supportive of the war
• win the support of anti-imperialist American public to accept British influence in the Middle East.

Question 17

Summarise the impact of the Balfour Declaration on British control over the Palestinian mandate

Answer 17

• Jews set up the Zionist Commission (1918) to campaign for more rights.
• Arabs set up Muslim-Christian Association (1918) as a response.
• 1918-20 there were violent clashes between Arabs + Jews.
• More Jews began to migrate to Palestine - 175,00 by 1931 (18% of the population – it at had been only
  7% in 1918).

Question 18

Summarise the development of Egyptian Independence

Answer 18

• Egypt was made a Protectorate in 1914.
• Serious demonstrations in 1919 - convinced British officials that Britain’s annexation shouldn’t be permanent.
• Britain however still wanted to protect its strategic and economic interest in Egypt - the Suez Canal.
• 1922 Britain recognised Egypt’s independence. It was still effectively a client state but it no longer had to pay for its development.
• But Britain maintained control of Egypt’s foreign policy and defence.
• Britain kept an army in Egypt to defend the Suez Canal.
• Anglo-Egyptian Treaty signed (1936).

Question 19

What was the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty

Answer 19

• British troops withdrew to defend only the ‘Suez Canal Zone’.
• 10,000 troops were allowed in the ‘Suez Canal Zone’ but an unlimited number of troops were to be permitted in Egypt in an emergency.
• Egypt was assisted to join the League of Nations.

Question 20

Explain the development of the Creation of the Irish Free State

Answer 20

• Irish Volunteers prepared an armed uprising against the British - Dublin Easter Rising (1916).
  -> The risings brutal suppression radicalised popular opinion in Ireland.
• After WWI there was a period of guerrilla warfare led by IRA (Irish Republican Army) & MPs of the Irish
  nationalist party Sinn Fein set up the Irish parliament in Dublin.
• British attempts to maintain control became more aggressive and increased resentment among Irish nationalists.
  -> use of ‘Black and Tans’ troops as hit squads.
• Many Britain lost confidence in the justice of their cause.
• Fighting was ended by the Anglo-Irish Treaty (1921).
• Irish Free State did not gain complete parliamentary independence until the Statute of Westminster.

Question 21

What was the Anglo-Irish Treaty

Answer 21

• New Catholic Irish Free State set up - But the King remained the Head of State.
• Six protestant northern counties not included (partitioned in 1922).
• Irish Free State granted Dominion Status - remaining part of the British Empire.

Question 22

Explain the development of Iraqi Independence

Answer 22

• never a stable mandate to govern -> T.E Lawrence criticised British policy in the region.
• Nationalists caused problems and revolts in 1920 were suppressed with difficulty.
• Colonial Secretary, Winston Churchill, was determined to find a rule that was acceptable to Iraqis and friendly to the British:
• Feisal I, son of a trusted Arab leader, was chosen.
• Although Feisal had no previous connection to the area he was ‘elected’ King of Iraq.
• Iraq was granted independence from Britain under Feisal I in 1932.
• But the British government kept close economic and military ties with Iraq.

Question 23

Explain how close economic and military ties were kept with Iraq

Answer 23

• Britain retained its air bases in the country.
• Britain had the right of transit for its forces through the country.
• Britain still had a virtual monopoly on all oil exploration and production in Iraq through its control of the Iraqi Petroleum Company.

Question 24

In what ways were the mandates in the Middle East of benefit

Answer 24

• It was important to prevent an absence of empire in the middle east to help to restrain the growing Indian nationalism.
• They were rich in oil which was needed to fuel British industries and the navy.
• beneficial to Britain’s strategic position in regards to India because it prevented them being governed by Muslims and it protected the land route to India and its other Asian territories.

Question 25

In what ways were the mandates in the Middle East a burden to Britain

Answer 25

• The conflict between the Arabs and the Jews that they had created had to be policed to try to prevent violence.
• The area disliked the rule of the Ottomans but Britain simply swapped one imperialism for another so the problem still existed.

Question 26

To what extent was Britain in control of the contraction of the British Empire in Egypt, Ireland and Iraq?

Answer 26

• Although Britain lost formal control of these areas, they still had strong influences and got what they wanted from them, especially in Egypt and Iraq.
• They effectively remained client states.

Question 27

Why was the creation of the Irish Free State significant

Answer 27

• It was significant because it showed that violent uprising and government action could lead to independence from Britain.
• The fact that this was achieved in Britain’s oldest and closest ‘colony’ mad others think that it could be achieved elsewhere.

Question 28

What was the overall aftermath of WW1

Answer 28

• The royal navy remained strong as the peace treaty has annihilated Germany as a marine power.
  -> Britain had forty-two capital ships afloat, against the rest of the world’s total of forty-four.
• Britain faced no serious international competition. Germany was shattered by defeat, France was an ally, Russia was weakened by civil war and the USA retreated into isolation.
• In the early 1920s, British forces were stretched near to breaking point as they struggled to keep control in Ireland, Egypt, Iraq and India.
• Britain was economically weakened by the war, its industrial power eclipsed by the USA.
  -> It had been forced to sell many of its overseas investments.
• No combatant power spent as much on the was as Britain, whose total expenditure amounted to just under £10bn.
  -> The cost of running Iraq, for example, amounted in 1821 to £23m.