Relations with indigenous peoples and challenges to British Rule, 1890 - 1914 Flashcards
Nature of INC - threatening
The INC included at least 73 representatives, covering every province of British India.
Early campaigning for political reform of the British gov. arguably led to the 1892 Indian Council Act, allowing 39 Indian officials on Provincial and Imperial Legislative Councils – effective pressure on Government
Nature of INC in early stages - not threatening
In the early 1890s the INC remained a large meeting held once a year (not very ambitious or effective).
Early activity directed at raising money to fund a small organisation, office and newspaper in London and demands generally confined to increasing education and access to political positions (didn’t even achieve that because by 1913, only 5% of the INC was made up of Indians).
The Partition of Bengal:decreased threat of Indian nationalism (date)
- 1905
- “Divide and Rule’ tactic effectively decreased nationalist threat: In 1905, all Muslims were expelled from Congress (because of divided attitudes towards Partition of Bengal – the partition created a Muslim majority of 6 million in Eastern Bengal)
- Led to the split of the Indian National Congress 1907: radical members were excluded from the organisation for a decade, and several radical leaders, including Tilak, were convicted of incitement to terrorism and deported to Burmese territories – leaves Gokhale in charge, who was in tune with the liberal government
Swadeshi movement - threatened British rule
Swadeshi movement following the Partition of Bengal: encouraged Indians to buy locally made products and boycott British goods, especially Lancashire cotton (dominated industry in India and was a major course of income for the British)
Several millions Indian settled abroad also became involved in the movement.
Protests against the partition took place in the form of widespread press campaigns, public meetings, and petitions.
There were also an increasing number of terrorist acts: in 1908, Bengali nationalists dropped a bomb intended for British judge, but ended up accidentally killing two European women instead.
political consequences of general pressure created by Swadeshi movement
- Morley-Minto reforms 1909: The number of Indian officials in the Provincial and Imperial Legislative Councils increased from 39 to 135. General pressure from the Swadeshi movement was threatening/disruptive enough for the British to make a major political concession.
- Bengal reunited in 1911 under Lord Hardingale – demonstrates effective pressure of Bengali nationalism and INC
Chinese nationalism - threatening
June 1898: The Empress Tzu-hsi committed imperial troops to join 30,000 boxers in an attack on Peking
Chinese nationalism - not that threatening or effective
Not that threatening because anti-imperialism wasn’t that popular or widespread: the Empress’s pro-boxer policy was swiftly rejected by the more realistic provincial mandarins.
British forces could easily supress nationalism: on 14th August, an international army, 18,000 strong, entered Peking and relieved the legations.
Egypt - threatening
National Party (al-Hizb al-Watani) revived in Egypt in 1896 – indicates rise in nationalist sentiment
Denshawai incident, 1906: clash between British Army officers and Egyptian villagers in which an Egyptian was accused of murdering an officer and shot.
- 50 Egyptians imprisoned and 4 accused of murder and sentenced to death – inflamed nationalist sentiment as trial was unjust
- The public hanging of Hassan outside his family’s house was described by the Egyptian nationalist press as being especially cruel and an ‘outright symbol of tyranny’.
Egypt - not threatening
- Incident itself was very small (four Egyptian villagers wounded, one dead Egyptian villager, one dead British officer) – doesn’t demonstrate widespread nationalism throughout Egypt
- Nationalism/resistance was contained by British (50 imprisoned, 4 hanged – instilled fear and shut down resistance)
Lord Cromer appoints nationalist Saad Zaghuls Pasha as minister of education (1906), minister of justice (1910) and vice president of the Legislative Assembly (1913).
- British gov. was responsive to nationalism and made political concessions to diminish threat.
- By 1905, there were some 1000 Egyptian officials in gov.
No major resistance movement
Sudan - main event and not threatening
Battle of Omdurman, 1898
Kitchener’s conquest in Sudan culminated in the Battle of Omdurman: British long-rang rifle, machine-guns and artillery killed 11,000 and wounded 16,000.
- Could say nationalism is not threatening because of British military superiority and ability to crush resistance
Sudan - threatening
- Could suggest that massacre increased nationalist sentiment and meant that British would never really be able to gain trust or support of native Sudanese
There were many Sudanese feuds and uprisings because they refused to pay taxation or renounce customs: British responded by excessive use of the death penalty and a total of 33 punitive expeditions to force tribesmen to accept the new order.
Four Madhist uprisings 1900, 1902-3, 1904, and 1908 in which rebels were publicly hanged to set an example.
Took the British more than 30 years to subdue various tribes in the south of Usdan who were resisting British control.
West Africa - threatening
In 1898, a new severe tax on dwellings (‘hut tax’) was introduced and met with widespread resistance, causing the British to use ‘scorched earth’ tactics in which they set fire to villages, farms and crops.
Hundreds were killed in the process – relatively widespread conflict.
West Africa - not threatening
The protests wasn’t specifically anti-colonial, and merely aimed to get rid of the ‘hut tax’.
Military resistance was managed by the British relatively easily: ‘scorched earth’ tactics were successful and secured a surrender in November 1898.
The British instilled fear in natives by hanging 97 chief’s warriors – made an example to firmly put down nationalism.
nationalism in Kenya
The revolt was only over taxation not specifically anti-imperialist.
The revolt was still very widespread and the growing grievances of natives contributed to the growth of nationalism. A revolt among the Nandi people in Kenya in 1905 over taxation and land had prompted a military sortie by the British that left over 1000 people dead – widespread resentment and nationalist sentiment.
nationalism in the Somaliland - threatening
Following instances of natives allegedly converting to Christianity, Mohammed Abdullah Hassan stated that the British ‘have destroyed out religion and made children their children’ and declared his intention to drive all Christians into the sea. This instance of nationalism was specifically anti-colonial and anti-missionary so was a big threat.
He built up an army of around 20,000 Dervishes.
From 1900, his forces mounted raids on British Somaliland, antagonising the local communities.
The British conducted joint military actions to counter Hassan and his army, but were not able to supress his resistance until 1920 when he utilised aerial bombing.
