Mahdist upsisings early 1900s (Sudan)

Question 1

What were the key motivations behind Mahdist Uprisings in the early 1900s

Answer 1

• Although many welcomed the downfall of the Mahdist regime, which had a negative effect on the economy and saw a decline of 50% in the population through famine, disease and warfare, the arrival of the British meant little more than exchanging one oppressor for another.
• Sudanese uprisings refused to renounce their customs and pay taxation to the British.
• new colonial rulers attempted to resolve Sudanese feuds and uprisings with a heavy hand, used the death penalty which led to more resistance.

Question 2

How many Mahdist uprisings were there in the early 1900s

Answer 2

• there were uprisings in 1900, 1902-03, 1904, and 1908.
  -> each followed by an increasingly violent wave of British reprisals.
• a total of 33 punitive expeditions were mounted attempting to force rebels to accept the new order and the Sudanese were often brutally treated.

Question 3

What were the benefits of British rule in Sudan

Answer 3

• considerable economic development, esp in the Nile valley.
• Telegraph and railway lines were extended to link key areas in northern Sudan and Port Sudan opened in 1906, as the country’s principle outlet to the sea.
• 1911 -> joint government set up the Gezira Scheme to provide high-quality cotton for Britain’s textile industry and there were improvements in irrigation systems.