Decolonization of the British Empire > Midterm #1 > Flashcards
Midterm #1 Flashcards
Why was the Suez Canal opening important? What year did it open?
It allowed more efficient British access to South Asia- Quicker than sailing around Africa. Opened in 1869
Who was the British coordinator of the Amritsar Massacre?
General R.E.H. Dyer
Uprising of _____
1857
British crown gains power of the EIC
1858
Indian National Conference (INC) is formed
1885
Bengal Partition
1905
Muslim League is formed
1906
Morely Minto Forms
1909
What led to the demise of the Khilafat Movement?
Chauri Chaura violence in 1922 led to Gandhi denouncing the movement then Turkey abolished the caliphate in 1924
Rowlatt Acts
1919
Kalafat Movement
1919
Amritsar massacre/Jallianwallah Bagh Massacre
1919
What did the 1939 White Paper state?
It would limit Jewish immigration into Palestine and the British had made good on the Balfour Declaration of 1917
The Salt March
1930
Arab Revolt
1936
Peel Commission
1937
Suez Canal opening
1869
Discovery of Oil
1908
McMahon-Hussein Correspondence
1915
Balfour Declaration
1917
End of the Ottoman Empire
1918
What is the term used to encompass ideas of Indian/Middle Eastern people being fundamentally different than Europeans?
Orientalism
Palestine Mandate
1922
Violence between Arabs and Jews begin
1929
Woodhead Report/Commission
1938
Explain the Balfour Declaration
In 1917, the British promised a national home for Jews in Palestine. Themes of political and strategic vagueness are employed by the British and will result in the future Palestine conflict between Jews and Arabs.
2nd White Papers
1939
1st White Paper
1922
When was the Indian National Congress formed?
1885
Sykes-Picot Agreement
1916
Who is Sir Charles Tegart?
- Irishman in the Indian Police.
- He used counterinsurgency tactics – first in Bengal, where he had a reputation as an unflinching pursuer of revolutionaries, and then he went to Palestine (in 1937).
- He was praised for being one of the best policemen in the British-Indian police force.
- He was Irish but had no sympathy for Bengali revolutionaries → accusations of torture
- themes: orientalism and violence
Who was Syed Ahmed Khan?
- Founded the loyalist school (Aligarh) for Muslims (other students accepted though), advocated for working with the colonial system and looking to the West for help
- He wanted to: 1) improve relations between British and Muslims, 2) improve social and economic position of Muslims by encouraging them to receive Western education and get jobs, and 3) increase political awareness of Muslims to the threat to their position from Hindu policy of cooperation with the British.
- Significance: a big obstacle prventing the Muslims and British from working together was the British orientalist perception of Muslims → saw them as untrustworthy
- He is also an example of British-Indian collaboration
Who is Bal Gangadhar Tilak?
- An Indian social reformer who advocated for swaraj (self-rule). He used religious synbolism to rally supporters, imprisoned 1908, Known by the British as the “Father of Indian Unrest”
- Significance: Talik’s writing contributed to the outrage in the aftermath of the Amritsar Massacre and the resurgence of violence
Who was Muhammad Ali Jinnah?
- Considered the “sole spokesman” for Indian Muslims.
- A lawyer like Gandhi & Nehru, he was extremely successful.
- He was a member of the INC party in the1920s and was thought of as a Hindu-Muslim ambassador for unity, but he left the INC → disagreed with Gandhi’s radical methods.
- He was deeply westernized (moved to England in 1931, often gave speeches in English), but returned to Indian politics in 1934 and transformed the Muslim League.
- Significance: international sharing of ideas and techniques
Who was R.E.H Dyer?
- an officer of the Bengal Army and later the newly formed British Indian Army. He carried out the Amritsar (Jallianwalla Bagh) Massacre, “Saviour of Punjab”
- Said the Indians should thank him because they’re being naughty
- Significance: Orientalism
Who was Jawaharlal Nehru?
- A disciple of Gandhi in many ways, but thought for himself → he could get impatient with Gandhi.
- He was the principal leader of the INC party in the 30s and 40s, advocated100% anti-colonialism
- Significance: it was important for Nehru to view India and Indian politics in a global context → he saw India and Palestine to be linked by oppression
Maybe connect to global spread of ideas
East India Company
1600-1874
What is the Uprising of 1857?
- A widespread but unsuccessful rebellion by Indian sepoys (soldiers in the East India Company (EIC)), who rose up against their European Officers.
- Key People: Rani of Jhansi - She was an Indian queen and one of the leading figures of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and became a symbol of resistance to the British Raj for Indian nationalists.
- Significance: caused the British to rethink their presence in India
- Connection(s) to themes:
British notions of “martial races” → the British broke down races into categories
British fear of violence → Muslims in this case - thought Muslims were particularly militant
What is the Amritsar Massacre?
large gathering of unarmed citizens (men, women, & children) to celebrate the spring harvest/political meeting. General R.E.H. Dyer took 50 troops and fired 1650 rounds of fire for 10 minutes. Likely ~1000 dead and many more wounded (conflicted with British death report). 25 out of the 50 soldiers were Indian and the other 25 were Nepali → this is an example of collaboration
- Key people: General R.E.H Dyer
Bal Gangadhar Tilak: Talik’s writing contributed to the outrage in the aftermath of the massacre and the resurgence of violence
- Significance: The outcome of this was that there was widespread outrage, a turning point in India’s relationship with Britain and it destroyed any sense of British fair play. Martial law was declared in Punjab.
- Themes: British fear (of violence/ groups), Orientalism, collaboration —> Indian troops collaborated with the British to carry out massacre
What is the Khilafat Movement?
mass nonviolent protests pressuring the British government to preserve the authority of the Ottoman Sultan as Caliph of Islam after World War I. Fears of Muslim disunity were aroused by the decline of the Ottoman Empire. This included both Hindus and Muslims.
- Key people: Gandhi
- Significance: The Khilafat Movement was a major point of Hindu-Muslim unity, which was the British’s nightmare → Khilafat Movement joined forces with Gandhi’s noncooperation movement for Indian freedom
- Theme: non-violence, pan-islam
What is the Salt March?
Gandhi reemerged in the late 1920s and regained leadership of the INC party. In March of 1930, Gandhi organized a protest against British-imposed tax on salt - the cause appealed to all Indians. He marched 100s of miles across India, picked up salt from the sea, and was promptly arrested. `
- theme: non-violence
What is the Bengal Partition?
Bengal was a hotbed of Indian national resistance. Lord Curzon, the then Viceroy of India divided Bengal into 2 parts without Indian consultation. Before the partition, the INC politely asked the British not to divide Bengal, and resorted to a boycott of British goods to resist → the boycott was a great success.
- Significance: Intended to weaken Indian nationalism, resulted in a boycott of British goods → the British responded to the boycott by cracking down on civil rights.
- Themes: ethnic and religious conflict, idea of divide and conquer
What is the Rowlett Acts?
allowed for British to have trials without juries in India, and to jail protesters for 2 years without trial, anti-sedition laws
- Significance: Led to a lot of civilian outrage and resulted in protests
What is the Official Mind?
collective mind of the government, more or less unifying how they think about the world. Some key elements are: Focus on imperial interest(stewwardship and self serving view of the empire), Fear if Islam, Concern for prestige, Orientalism, Desire to Analogize.
What makes up the imperial structure?
the British imperial structure comprised a metropole (center) and periphery (subordinate territories).
Central structure: Prime Minister and Cabinet
Peripheral structure: FO (ambassadors in foreign countries), CO (governors in colonies (and mandates)), and IO (viceroy).
- Significance: things can get lost in translation, imperial officials did not effectively learn lessons from other parts of the Empire, people running the colonies were almost never on the ground
What is Orientalism?
a style of thought based on a fundamental distinction between the Oriental and “us.” The Oriental originally referred to India and the Middle East, but came to include all of the “Far East” (India, China, Japan, etc. + the Muslim world). To “Orientalists,” “Orientals” are childlike, irrational, dishonest, lazy, incapable of order, and depraved. Orientalists, however, perceive themselves as rational, mature, fully of clarity, noble, and direct → think white savior complex
- Significance: These ideologies heavily impacted British treatment of South Asian and affected legislation that they made in India/Palestine- i.e. Rowlatt Acts (legalized lawlessness)
Who is Akram Zu’aytir?
ditor of Palestinian nationalist newspaper in the 1930s. He urged the use of Gandhian techniques (i.e. the Salt March) to encourage similar action through the organization of strikes, boycotts, and youth. He understood the value of mass media.
- Significance: many Palestinian Arabs valued links with India → they used lessons from other nationalist movements for inspiration and techniques. Zu’aytir and his support of Gandhian techniques can serve as an example of the cross-border movement of ideas. He planned march across Palestine to protest land sales to Jews → like Gandhi & Salt March
- Themes: International sharing of ideas and techniques
Who is Maj Amin Al Husseini (the Mufti)?
In 1920, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for inciting
1920 riots. In 1920, he was granted amnesty and returned from exile. He was appointed the Mufti of Jerusalem (appointed by Britain) and was also elected President of the Supreme
Muslim Council.
- Themes: British obession with finding natural leaders
Who is Chaim Weizman?
a Russian-born biochemist. In 1905, he moved to England and during WWI he offered scientific knowledge to the allied powers (explosives). He was charasmatic and had a wide range of connections. In 1920, he became the president of the World Zionist Organization. He then served as the head of the Jewish Agency, and the head of the WZO again from 1935-1946.
What is the Arab Uprising?
Uprising by Palestinian Arabs against British Colonial rule as a demand for independence and opposition to mass Jewish immigration
- Significance: the initial use of non-violence and use of Gandhi’s techniques is an example of cross-border dissemination of ideas
- Themes: Fear of crowds and violence, action & reaction, learning lessons from other parts of the Empire
Who is George Antonius?
Writes the Arab awakening in 1938-. This book traces the evolution of Arab nationalism from Ottoman colonialism, to Anglo-French imperialism, and finally to political independence. Antonius demonstrates Arab nationalism from Ottoman colonialism, to Anglo-French imperialism, and finally to political independence. Antonius demonstrates how the Arab nationalist movement was a positive force that advocated for political rights. Antonius’s original research traces the shaping of the modern Middle East and remains of significant historiographical value for scholars and activists.
What is the McMahon-Hussein Correspondence?
a series of letters that were exchanged during World War I in which the government of the United Kingdom agreed to recognize Arab independence after the war in exchange for them fighting against the Ottoman Empire. The primary reason for the arrangement was to counteract the Ottoman declaration of jihad (“holy war”) against the Allies, and to maintain the support of the 70 million Muslims in British India
What is the Sykes-Picot Agreement?
British and French had a secret agreement on how they would divide the Ottoman Empire territory that they hoped to win. Here, British promise French that Palestine will be under international control
What is the Palestine Mandate?
the League of Nations granted Palestine Mandate to Britain, which gave Britain administration over Palestine.
- Significance: during WWI, the British made conflicting promises about the future of Palestine. They promised Palestine to both Jews and Arabs → think strategic vagueness
What is the 1st White Paper (1922 White Paper/ Churchill White paper)
(Churchill White Paper) promised to limit Jewish immigration into Palestine to “the economic capacity of the country”
- Significance: another vague statement by the British. While Churchill did not explicitly oppose the creation of a Jewish state, his statement was interpreted as a setback to the Zionist movement.
What is the Peel Commission?
the British government proposed Palestine be partitioned into 2 different states—Jewish and Arab
- Significance: fear of violence, imperial rule
What is the Woodhead Report?
Basically rejected Peel Commission proposal to have an Arab-Zionist state in Palestine and limited Jewish immigration into Palestine, said financially it didn’t make sense to have 2 separate states for Jews and Arabs in Palestine
- Themes: Religious/ethnic conflict, fear of imperial decline
What is the 2nd White Paper(1939 White Paper)?
policy paper issued by the British government that rejected the idea of partitioning the British Mandate in Palestine, instead advocated the creation of an independent Palestine governed by Arabs and Jews according to their share of the population. It set a limit of 75,000 Jewish immigrants for the period from 1940 to 1944.
Who is Chaim Weizman?
a Russian-born biochemist. In 1905, he moved to England and during WWI he offered scientific knowledge to the allied powers (explosives). He was charasmatic and had a wide range of connections. In 1920, he became the president of the World Zionist Organization. He then served as the head of the Jewish Agency, and the head of the WZO again from 1935-1946.
Who is Akram Zu’aytir?
editor of Palestinian nationalist newspaper in the 1930s. He urged the use of Gandhian techniques (i.e. the Salt March) to encourage similar action through the organization of strikes, boycotts, and youth. He understood the value of mass media.
Who is Maj AMin Al-Husseini (the Mufti)?
In 1920, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for inciting
1920 riots. In 1920, he was granted amnesty and returned from exile. He was appointed the Mufti of Jerusalem (appointed by Britain) and was also elected President of the Supreme
Muslim Council.
Who is Sir Charlies Tegart in the Palestine context?
(Irish born police officer) Tegart, in Palestine, used his experience as the head of counterintelligence in India to “improve Palestine Police reorganization” Tegart used COIN methods which would have a lasting effect on Palestine and British policing of colonies. Supported tourture and imprisonment of protesters
