Relations with indigenous peoples (18) Flashcards
Conflict in Ireland leading to independence
- July 1914 - Conflict between the ‘Ulster Volunteers’ in the North and the ‘National Volunteers’ in the South led to deaths and casualties
- Home Rule had to be suspended during the war
- Southern pro-independence group, Sinn Fein organised the Easter Rising riot in Dublin, 1916 - seized Dublin General Post Office
- Sinn Fein won a majority of seats in the 1918 election
- Declared independent Ireland and the Irish Republican Army (IRA) began a guerrilla war against the British. Britain reinforced the Royal Irish Constabulary with the ‘Black and Tans’
- 1921 - Anglo-Irish Treaty ended conflict = Irish Free State as a self-governing Dominion
Ireland post-independence
- 1922/23 - Irish civil war - Eamon de Valera of the South opposed the Treaty. He was defeated.
- 1931 Statute of Westminster = Southern Ireland full independence
- 1937 Ireland became a republic and named Eire
- 1948 Republic of Ireland Act - Ireland achieved independence
The Amritsar Massacre
- The 1919 Government of India Act failed to satisfy the nationalist demands for independence
- Fear of further uprisings led to 1919 Rowlatt Acts
- In Amritsar 20,000 people gathered
- 1919 Amritsar Massacre - rioting had brought British deaths - British Army Troops led by Dyer then fired on the crowd - INC said deaths of 1000
- INC responded saying that the British no longer possessed any moral authority to rule
- Led to Gandhi’s Non-Co-Operation Movement of 1920-22
Further Indian Conflict
- Chauri Chaura incident of 1922, violence erupted amongst protestors, police then opened fire, the demonstrators then set fire to a police station - 3 civilians dead and 23 policemen killed
- Emergence of the Muslim League in the 1930s, increasingly militant and did not agree with Gandhi’s peaceful non-cooperation
- Massive sweep of violence after WW2 - offer of Dominion Status put forward by Stafford Cripps in 1942 was rejected and Hindus and Muslims fought for ascendancy
- India was given independence in 1947
400,000 then died during the conflict that had led to the partition
The Quit India Movement
- 1942 - the All-India Congress called for a wide scale civil disobedience, calling for an ‘orderly British withdrawal’ from India.
- The British, backed by the All Muslim League, the Princely States and many business men arrested nearly the entire INC leadership until 1945
- campaign failed - due to heavy hand suppression and its weak coordination/ lack of clear action
Conflict in Egypt
Egypt - countrywide uprising by Egyptians and Sudanese against the British occupation in 1919 when the British exiled the nationalist leader, Saad Zaghlul and other members of his party - civil disobedience - rioting - demonstrations - strikes - encompassed all classes regions and genders
Attacks on British military bases, civilian facilities and personnel, in which Egyptian villages were burnt and railways destroyed. At least 800 Egyptians killed and 1,600 wounded
- Britain accepted the ‘Milner’ Report and granted Egypt Independence in 1922, Britain failed to recognise full Egyptian Soverignty over Sudan, or to withdraw its forces, even after a further treaty in 1936 British troops remained in the Suez area
Conflict in Palestine
Increased Jewish-Arab disputes - increasing Jewish migration to escape Nazism
- Created the Haganah (Jewish militia) = to protect themselves
- And Stern Gang (militant Zionist terrorist organisation ) = waged open war on both British and Arabs.
- 1945 - open conflict and British could not control the situation
- 1947 - the British left Palestine and gave it to United Nations to sort troubles
Famine in India
1943-44 - terrible famine in Bengal
- 3 million Bengalis died of starvation.
Gandhi and Indian Nationalism
- 1918 - The Indian Congress Movement grew in popularity in response to Britain’s failure to offer the Indians a satisfactory constitutional arrangement
- Gandhi led civil disobedience and peaceful protest e.g boycotting elections in the 1920s.
- Gandhi wanted an agricultural, rural based society with social and racial equality
- Gandhi supported British during WW2
Opposition:
- Criticised by ‘The Untouchables’ leader for refusing to reject the caste system completely but did want equality between castes
Nehru and Indian Nationalism
Nehru became a close ally of Gandhi but had differing views
- Nehru wanted modernisation and industrialisation through state economic planning
- He did support Britain in 1939, but gave reluctant support to Quit India Campaign
Opposition:
Subhas Chandra Bose:
- Wanted the INC to adopt a more militant line
- 1939 - Allied himself to British enemies
- 1943 - Formed Indian National Army
West African Nationalism
- 1914 - Nigeria, Gambia, Sierra Leone and the Gold Coast already African representation in the Legislative councils (although limited)
- 1919 - Prompted political activists to hold meeting in Accra to found the National Congress of West Africa
Dominated by educated elite from the Gold Coast and the black middle class European Educated
Few concessions were granted in the 1920s
BUT
spread of education, with new work = a new, young group of radical leaders emerged.
-1925 - The West African Students Union (WASU) formed - educated West Africans and increasing nationalism in India inspired radicalism.
Azikiwe and Nkrumah from the Gold Coast were among them.
WW2 accelerated these trends
- 1945 - Pan African Congress convened in Manchester, calling for ‘autonomy and independence of black Africans’
East African Nationalism
Harry Thuku developed the first East African political protest movements
- Initially formed the Young Kikuyu (non-militant group) to recover Kikuyu lands that had been lost when Kenya became a crown colony
- 1921 - Formed the East African Association - larger more representative organisation
- 1922- Jomo Kenyatta joined - broadened into campaign for African rights and representation
- 1946 - Thuku established the the Kenya African Union in 1946
- 1947 - Jomo Kenyatta became the president and played a significant role in decolonisation
Colonial Identity
Is an abstract concept so hard to measure or define
The way colonies reacted to British rule depended how they were treated:
- E.g colonies which experienced economic growth/ prosperity tended to see it more positively e.g Indi a
BUT
- Where colonies which experienced hardships and deprivation had a more negative attitude E.g South Africa
Evidence for support for Empire loyalty:
- Support given by Empire and Dominions during World Wars
- The Coronation of George VI in 1937 as widely celebrated and covered by 23 hours of continuous broadcasting in Canada
- Empire day brought thousands to celebrate on the streets/ globe
- Millions tuned in for the monarch’s Christmas message
