Interwar Imperial Policy Flashcards
What did the Government of India Act do?
created a system of shared power- “dyarchy”:
-Viceroy controlled defence and foreign policy
–Viceroys council appointed not elected but answerable to the Legislative Council
-Legislative council split into lower house (1o4/144) elected and upper house (34/ 60) elected
-act to be reviewed in 10 years
What was the Simon Commission 1929-1930?
Review of Government of India act
Led by Sir John Simon (no Indian representation)
=widespread nationalist protests around India wherever they visited in Lahore police beat protestors who blocked a road, killing one
What did the Commission recommend?
Federal system incorporating British provinces and Princely states
-With the provinces given increased power over internal affairs
What were the round table conferences and why were they sig?
Conferences between Indian leaders in London and GB
However throughout all conferences held, Indian leaders failed to agree, so Britain rejected moving India to a dominion status in 1930’s because:
-Lack of consensus between Indian leaders suggested their incompetence to effectively govern and that Indian was still economically key
What is the Government of India Act 1935?
Created a federation of India
-Each province became completely self-governing
However Act opposed by many nationalist groups as they did not truly offer independence as well as the princes who wanted to remain indepedent from the federation
What happened in 1939 in India?
Britain declared war on Germany on behalf of India
=GB reverted to direct rule and oppression of protests against GB rule
When did India gain its independence?
Aug 1947
What two approaches were used in interwar colonial policy in Africa?
Indirectly ruled
=GB governed through use of selected local rulers e.g Uganda, Nyasaland
Directly ruled
=Colonies with substantial white settler population, directly governed by British officials with some representation by local whites e.g Southern Rhodesia
What were the policies towards “indirect” colonies?
Between 1919 and 1939 British Policy emphasised development, designed to both improve economic value and living standards
e.g 1920 Sudan £3 million for Gezira cotton scheme
e.g 1925 East Africa £10 million to improve rail and dock facilities
e.g West Africa sig investment in schools
Though there was development in African colonies between the wars why was it not that successful?
-Mainly funded by local taxes
though in 1929 Colonial Development Act 1929 did provide £1 million of GB funds to development projects across empire, though in regard to the scale of empire=not that significant
-Global Great Depression hit colonies hard (global drop in prices/ demand for agricultural produce)
=Growing politicisation of Africans esp students and workers with a wave of industrial strikes
e.g Northern Rhodesia Copper mines 1935
What was imperial policy in Kenya (white settler colonies)?
e.g Kenya
White settlers pushed for some form of self-government
Whites (made up 1% of population) then dominated Legislative Council and reserved the fertile Northern Highlands for themselves
-Political protest began to grow as indigenous people relocated to the cities such as Nairobi
Due to growing fear of resistance in Kenya in the interwar years what did the Colonial Office issue?
Devonshire Declaration 1923
(which stated that the interests of Africans must be respected which led to some improved support for agriculture and education in Kenya
BUT white settlers did not relent in their land control, and nationalism esp amongst the Kikuyu continued to grow
What was imperial policy towards Southern Rhodesia (white settler colonies)?
-run by British South Africa company since 1895
1923- Britain persuaded to annex as a colony and grated self-government to the whites (2% of population)
Union of South Africa 1910 with promise to protect ethnic minorities
BUT white minority continued to degrade the rights of indigenous blacks, embedding Apartheid into politics, schools and society
-1931 Statute of Westminister gave all white dominions legislative autonomy, this therefore white dominance would remain in South Africa until 1994
What was imperial policy in the middle-east mandates in the interwar years?
e.g Palestine
GB had taken Palestine as a mandate to protect interests in the Suez canal
-1920 GB High Commissioner tasked with creating and running a civil government (tried to lessen the divide between Jews and Arabs by creating an elected body to influence gov policy but ethnic tensions =prevented co-operation)
-Most Arabs were poor farmers renting land whereas Jews tended to buy up the land and evicted the Arabs
=British enquires suggested limiting the land Jews could purchase however pro-Jewish feelings in GB ended this
How many troops did GB have to send in 1936?
20,000 troops to stop Arab riots and attacks on Jews
(Britain having to heavily intervene, is it in the British interest to maintain control)
What was the 1937 Peel report?
recommended partition with GB retaining control over Jerusalem and other holy places = Arabs opposed
Between 1937-1939 how many Arab terrorists were hung?
100 plus in GB efforts to supress violence
What changed in 1939 in Palestine due to GB fearing Italian attack on Egypt?
GB foreign policy shifted, calling for a Palestine state and Jewish “national homeland”
-Jewish immigration restricted to 15,000 for 5 years with Palestine becoming independent within 10 years to ensure Arab majority
In short term, temp stability achieved
When was the statute of Westminister?
1931
What did the statute of Westminister do?
Dominions became independent nation states
GB laws not enforceable in dominions
GB symbolic head of state
=Commonwealth
Portrayed as the proof of civilising nature of empire and incentive for colonies to cooperate
During the interwar years what key issues did GB face?
economic weakness
new expansionist regimes
rise of Nationalist movements
What was the Anglo-German naval agreement in 1935?
acceptance of German Naval expansion so long as it did not exceed1/3 of Royal Navy
What was the Defence policy in South East Asia?
=Had failed
e.g Hong Kong, Malaya and Burma lost
But territory all regained
