Relations with Indigenous Peoples 1914-1967

Question 1

What was the state of Ireland just before WW1 (3)?

Answer 1

1) Prospect of civil war in Ireland, with a religious divide between the 6 northern counties (Protestant majority) and the rest of Ireland (Catholic majority). This threatened to destroy the 1912/13 Home Rule Bill granting Irish self-government.
2) In March 1914, British soldiers in Kildare refused to enforce Home Rule on the hostile north.
3) Conflict occurred between the ‘Ulster Volunteers’ (north) and the ‘National Volunteers’ (south). There were 3 deaths and further casualties in July 1914, and Home Rule was suspended for the rest of WW1.

Question 2

When did WW1 start and end?

Answer 2

28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918.

Question 3

Who are Sinn Fein?

Answer 3

A southern Irish pro-independence organisation, meaning ‘We Ourselves’.

Question 4

Who were the ‘Black and Tans’?

Answer 4

A force of temporary policemen, assisting the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC). Many were British WW1 veterans, and were famous for their violence and attacks on civilians and their property.

Question 5

When, where and what was the Easter Uprising, and how did the British react?

Answer 5

An armed uprising (organised by Sinn Fein) taking place in Dublin, Ireland on the week of Easter (April) 1916. It was severely repressed by Britain, with the surrender of the rebels, and the execution of most leaders.

Question 6

When was the Anglo-Irish War/Irish War for Independence?

Answer 6

January 1919 - July 1921.

Question 7

How did the Anglo-Irish War/Irish War for Independence start and end?

Answer 7

1) In 1919, delays to Irish Home Rule led to Sinn Fein declaring an Irish Republic, and the Irish Republican Army (IRA) began a guerrilla war against Britain. Britain reinforced the RIC with the ‘Black and Tans’ to fight the IRA.
2) Ended with the Anglo-Irish Treaty, creating the Irish Free State, a self-governing Dominion in 1921.

Question 8

What caused the Irish Civil War, when did it take place, and how did it end?

Answer 8

1) The 6 northern counties opted out of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, and Eamon de Valera refused to accept it. This was because the Irish Free State was not a republic and involved splitting the country.
2) June 1922 – May 1923.
3) Valera and the Republicans were defeated.

Question 9

Who was Eamon de Valera?

Answer 9

An Irish independence leader and a member of Sinn Fein. He opposed the Anglo-Irish Treaty which split Ireland.

Question 10

How did Valera continue to oppose Britain after the Irish Civil War?

Answer 10

Even after Southern Ireland became a Dominion, and gained autonomy through the Statute of Westminster 1931, Valera refused to attend the Imperial Conference in 1937, drawing up a new constitution making Ireland a republic - Eire.

Question 11

What position did Eire take in WW2?

Answer 11

Neutrality - the only Commonwealth country to do so.

Question 12

What was the Republic of Ireland Act 1949, and what was the significance to other colonies?

Answer 12

1) It acknowledged that Ireland was no longer a Dominion nor part of the Commonwealth. Ireland became the Republic of Ireland.
2) It showed that British imperialism could be successfully challenged.

Question 13

How was India loyal to Britain in WW1 (2)?

Answer 13

1) They sent men to fight in WW1 - over 1 million.
2) They spent around £150 million - worth around £34 billion now.

Question 14

Who tried to encourage Indian uprisings during WW1 (4)?

Answer 14

1) The Ghadar Party - expatriate Indians, particularly in the USA, Canada, and Germany.
2) Irish Republicans.
3) Germany.
4) Turkey.

Question 15

What were the two failed mutinies in the British Indian Army in WW1?

Answer 15

1) The Ghadar Conspiracy (1915).
2) The Singapore Mutiny (1915).

Question 16

Why did the Government of India Act 1919 cause further protest in India?

Answer 16

It failed to satisfy nationalist demands for independence.

Question 17

What were the 1919 Rowlatt Acts, and what was the consequence of it?

Answer 17

Fearing further uprisings, the Rowlatt Acts allowed for political cases to be tried and suspects to be imprisoned without jury. This created an extreme state of tension and fear.

Question 18

What was the Amritsar/Jallianwallah Bagh massacre (date, location, cause, events)

Answer 18

1) April 1919.
2) At Jallianwallah Bagh, in the Punjab.
3) Britain were angered by riots in the region, with near breakdown of civil order.
4) The British Army, under Reginald Dyer, fired into a crowd of Indians (gathered to protest the arrest of 2 nationalist leaders) and Sikhs (celebrating the Sikh New Year).

Question 19

What were the consequences of the Amritsar/Jallianwallah Bagh massacre (4)?

Answer 19

1) The INC declared that Britain had no moral authority to rule.
2) It galvanised the Non-Co-operation Movement 1920-22.
3) Officially 379 deaths, but realistically around 1000. Around 1200 - 1500 wounded.
4) Dyer was censured and resigned, but British public opinion was split, and some spoke out in his defence.

Question 20

What was the Chauri Chaura incident (date, location, events, consequences (2))

Answer 20

1) February 1922.
2) United Province.
3) Violence erupted amongst participants of the Non-Cooperation Movement, and the police opened fire. Demonstrators attacked, setting fire to a police station.
4) 3 civilian and 23 policeman deaths.
5) INC called for an end of the Non-Co-operation Movement.

Question 21

When was the All-India Muslim League (AIML) founded?

Answer 21

1906.

Question 22

What was the Quit India Movement (date, purpose, opposition, reason for failure, consequence)

Answer 22

1) 1942.
2) Aimed to force an orderly British withdrawal from India through a mass campaign of civil disobedience.
3) Opposed by Britain, who were supported by the AIML, the Princely States, and many businessmen.
4) Failed because of heavy suppression and weak coordination.
5) Britain imprisoned nearly all of the INC leadership until 1945.

Question 23

Why did violence consume India in the aftermath of WW2?

Answer 23

Hindus and Muslims, polarised by Britain’s policies, fought for ascendancy.

Question 24

When did Britain offer India Dominion status, and did India accept?

Answer 24

India rejected the Cripps proposal of 1942, which would have granted Dominion status to India at the end of WW2.

Question 25

When did India gain independence?

Answer 25

1947.

Question 26

How many died in the partition of India?

Answer 26

Around a million.

Question 27

Why was there revolution in Egypt against the British in 1919?

Answer 27

Egyptians and Sudanese were angered by the British exile of the nationalist leader Saad Zaghlul and other party members.

Question 28

What were the features (4) and casualties of the 1919 Egyptian revolution?

Answer 28

1) Widespread civil disobedience, rioting, demonstrations and strikes.
2) All classes (men, women, Muslim, Christian, etc.) took part.
3) Attacks on British military bases, civilian facilities, and personnel.
4) Egyptian villages were burnt and railways destroyed.
5) At least 800 Egyptians were killed, and around 1,600 wounded.

Question 29

When did Egypt gain independence, and through what report?

Answer 29

1922, through the Milner report.

Question 30

Why did Anglo-Egyptian tensions remain after Egyptian independence in 1922 (2)?

Answer 30

1) Britain refused to acknowledge full Egyptian sovereignty over Sudan, and refused to withdraw its forces.
2) Britain retained their troops in the Suez area, even after the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty of 1936.

Question 31

What was the Haganah?

Answer 31

An underground Jewish militia in Palestine (1920-48) that became the national army of Israel after the partition of Palestine in 1948.

Question 32

What was the Stern Gang?

Answer 32

A militant Zionist terrorist organisation founded in 1940 by Avram Stern.

Question 33

How did conflict escalate in Palestine in the 1930s and 40s (3)?

Answer 33

1) More and more Jews entered Palestine, fleeing Nazism.
2) Arab protests and interracial violence increased, as the Jews armed themselves, forming the Haganah.
3) More militant Jews formed secret units (e.g. the Stern Gang), waging war on Arabs and the British.

Question 34

When did Britain withdraw from Palestine, and who did they give control to?

Answer 34

On 15 May 1948, Britain withdrew from Palestine, handing it to the UN.

Question 35

What is the idea of colonial identity?

Answer 35

The sense of being a ‘colonial’, under British rule.

Question 36

How had Britain imposed their culture on indigenous peoples?

Answer 36

Imposition of British ideals, culture, religion, and economic demands in an attempt to ‘civilise’ the colonies.

Question 37

When was the Coronation of King George VI?

Answer 37

1937.

Question 38

How did British colonies display loyalty to Britain 1914-47 (3)?

Answer 38

1) The Coronation of King George VI was celebrated across Empire, with Canada covering it for 23 hours of continuous broadcast.
2) Empire Day and other festivals were celebrated across the Empire.
3) Many nationalist leaders tempered their demands with expressions of loyalty to the British Crown.

Question 39

In what countries did Britain experience nationalist movements in the interwar years (10)?

Answer 39

1) Ireland.
2) Greece.
3) Turkey.
4) Palestine.
5) Egypt.
6) Persia.
7) Afghanistan.
8) India.
9) China.
10) West Africa.

Question 40

How was the concept of Empire undermined 1914-47 (5)?

Answer 40

1) Education, economic development, and spread of communication built ideas of race, nation and religion within colonies.
2) WW1 increased nationalism and independence movements.
3) The collapse of the Ottoman Empire raised hopes of Arab nationalists.
4) Lenin’s October Revolution in 1917 demonstrated the power of the masses.
5) The collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Question 41

Who was Jawaharlal Nehru (6)?

Answer 41

1) Educated at Cambridge.
2) He joined the INC in 1919, becoming an ally of Gandhi.
3) He became President of the INC in 1928, and imprisoned during the anti-salt tax campaign.
4) He became President of the INC again in 1936, supporting Britain in 1939.
5) He reluctantly supported the Quit India campaign, and was imprisoned 1942-45.
6) He became India’s first Prime Minister 1947 - 1964.

Question 42

What were the 2 main differences between Gandhi and Nehru?

Answer 42

1) Nehru was a socialist, believing in the industrialisation and modernisation of India through state planning. Gandhi wanted an agriculture, rural-based, ‘village India’ society.
2) Nehru supported in the British in WW2, in comparison to Gandhi.

Question 43

How did the Indian National Congress develop following WW1 (2)?

Answer 43

1) Following Britain’s failure to offer a satisfactory constitutional arrangement in 1918, the INC grew.
2) Under Gandhi’s leadership, the INC focused on peaceful protest and civil disobediance.

Question 44

Who was Subhas Chandra Bose (4)?

Answer 44

1) INC President in 1938 and 1939.
2) Broke with the INC over disagreements over support for the British, placed under house arrest by Britain before fleeing to Germany.
3) In 1943, he established the Indian National Army in Japanese-held Sumatra, intending to lead the forces to free India.
4) He died in a Japanese plane crash in August 1945.

Question 45

What were 4 conflicts amongst Indian nationalists?

Answer 45

1) Criticism of Gandhi’s refusal to abandon the caste system.
2) Divisions over strategies and tactics over protests.
3) Many wanted the INC to adopt a more militant line, such as Subhas Chandra Bose.
4) Some wanted a partition of India, especially the AIML.

Question 46

Who was Muhammad Ali Jinnah (3)?

Answer 46

1) A member of the INC until 1920, leaving due to disagreements over non-violent protests.
2) Leader of the AIML from 1913.
3) By 1940, he argued for a separate Muslim state, and was appointed Pakistan’s first Governor General in 1947.

Question 47

What was the National Congress of West Africa, and when was it formed?

Answer 47

A group of activists from Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Gambia, and the Gold Coast, who disliked their minimal representation in their respective legislative councils. The NCoWA was founded in 1919.

Question 48

Who were the main supporters of the National Congress of West Africa?

Answer 48

Black, middle class lawyers, teachers, and doctors. Many of whom were European educated.

Question 49

What was the West African Students’ Union (WASU), and when was it founded?

Answer 49

Est. in 1925, it helped to bring together students from varying West African colonies studying in London, inspiring greater radicalism amongst members at the time of growing nationalism in India.

Question 50

Why did nationalism in West Africa increase in the interwar years?

Answer 50

Greater economic development was experienced, accelerating trends of nationalism and independence.

Question 51

What did the Pan African Congress call for in Manchester, 1945?

Answer 51

The ‘autonomy and independence’ of black Africa.

Question 52

Who was Harry Thuku (3)?

Answer 52

1) A member of the Kikuyu Association, later leaving due to his objection to direct and illegal methods of resistance to British rule.
2) He helped found the East Africa Association in 1921, but was imprisoned in 1922 for a protest that turned violent.
3) He was released in 1931, and became President of the Kikuyu Central Association in 1932.

Question 53

What was the East African Association, and when was it founded?

Answer 53

Founded in 1921, it campaigned for East African rights and representation.

Question 54

What was the Kikuyu Association?

Answer 54

A non militant group that aimed to recover the Kikuyu lands lost when Kenya became a Crown Colony in 1920.