Section 4: Winds Of Change Flashcards
What was labours aim + ideas regarding Empire 1945-51? (Post war)
- Guide colonial territories to self-gov within commonwealth
- Ensure fair standards of living + Freedom from oppression
- Self Gov goal but considered far distance
- Pre-mature withdrawal = anarchy, Soviet subversion, dictatorship, loss of GB influence
What’s GB Relationship with Old Dominions
- GB most reliable friends
- Dominions tied to GB by; Common interests, ancestral, cultural ties
- Dominions had own; Interests, separated identities
- 1951 ANZUS military pact (Australia, NZ, USA) = USA taken over GB role in pacific?
What was the idea of the New commonwealth?
- Association of ‘free + equal’ independent states transcending race
- Surrendering costs of formal Empire whilst maintaining ties (protecting GBs economic interest + influence)
- Commonwealth idea = Big family of nations which can mediate over disputes
- 1948 Attlee ‘We are not solely a European power but a member of Great Commonwealth’
Problems with New common-wealth post WW2?
- Not all Countries enthusiastic (India, Pakistan, Ceylon)
- Members enjoyed no natural unity + little in common
- GB didn’t offer enough reward for association
Compromises to prevent collapse of new Commonwealth?
- Before 1948 dominions required recognise GB Crown as head of state
- GB no effort to allow Eire (Ireland) or Burma to become republics + stay in Commonwealth
- India determination to be republic = issue as it was big trading partner + vital ally in communist continent
- compromise = India become republic whilst remaining in commonwealth + accepting GB as head of commonwealth rather then head of India
How did Sterling Area bring the commonwealth together?
- GB struggling after WW2 this reinforced commonwealth solidarity
- Almost all dominions + several independent countries used sterling + banked overseas earnings in London
- Had to support GB BECAUSE danger of pound collapse 1947 = threatened all with bankruptcy
- Sterling area members tied more closely to common trade policy (obliged them to buy more Imports from GB)
- Became a closed economic block = 1/4 population + trade
What was the sterling Area?
- Sterling area refers to the countries which were tied to GB due to the Pound
- Countries which used the pound as currency or base their currency on the pound + Banked overseas earning in London
GB hopes for African colonies after WW2?
- Supply them mineral wealth, men for armed forces (replace Indian army) + estimated 400k imperial army could be provided
- Development colonial economies = boost purchasing power for colonial consumers THUS helping compensate GB industry for lost markets due to WW2
What GB did to encourage African development after WW2?
- Attlee’s (Arthur Jones) colonial secretary determined aid colonies as economic + social development = crucial for self GOV
- 1945 Colonial development + Welfare Act (120 mil + loads of money compared to other acts and at a time where GB was poor due to WW2 + NHS)
- 1948 Colonial Development Corporation + Overseas Food Corporation (improve living standards)
When + What was Colonial development and Welfare Act?
- 1945
- £120m over 10 years to assist colonies – way more money compared to previous acts + GB poorer at time due to WW2 + NHS
What is meant by the term second colonial occupation?
- GB anxious to develop colonial economies to provide GB urgently needed raw material
- GB Gov interfered in all areas of economic life (people sent to Africa with schemes for agricultural improvement)
- New Aggressive approach (Nicknamed ‘Economic Colonialism’
- GB didn’t lack will to maintain empire + role as global power THUS empire took new role post WW2 (GB wanted 3rd force in world politics)
What + when was Tanganyika Ground nut scheme? + consequences?
-1948
- Attempt to reduce deficit of oils + fats in GB
- Cost GB 36m
- But failed to provide oil or employment for Africans
- Example of economic mismanagement (wasn’t isolated case)
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Labour Government ideas VS reality
IDEAS
- Claimed to abolish old capitalist imperialism
- Idea to genuinely raise colonial living standards
- Stress continuously placed on mutual benefits which GB + Colonial ppl would have due to overseas investment
REALITY
- Exploited colonies of all worth
- Restricting investment
- Controlled trade + Prices of commodities + rationing goods which they could purchase from GB
- Sometimes rather less power given To indigenous leaders
- 1945-51 Colonies forced to lend GB more money then GB invested
- Attlee’ Gov allowed GB dependencies to be exploited more then ever
Hod did Labour Gov reform GB colonies in West Africa? Why?
- WW2 = need to widen representative Gov + develop timetables for self gov
- Tried to convey idea of working with nationalists to prepare colonies for independence
- 1948 Accra Riots = System of universal suffrage to elect an assembly in Gold Coast (BUT GB still control finance, police, civil service)
- Nigeria, aware of events of Gold Coast successfully pressed for more political participation
Why were Gold Coast + Nigeria considered an exception?
- Well populated
- Educated elites capable of taking Gov responsibility
- Neither had large numbers of white settlers
- Gold Coast especially was on way to independence by time labour left
Result of Attlee GOV introduced?
- Helped create conditions in which colonial politicians would have means to organise on a large scale = Dive out GB rule
- African independence movement gathered momentum = No Gov could have prevented it
How was GB rule of Malaya organised?
- GB allied with Malayan elites
- Population multi-racial (Malayan + Chinese)
Why was Malayan Important to GB?
- Economically; 1/3 worlds tin + loads of rubber (bulk of these products being sold to USA = important source of dollars)
- Rubber alone had earned more currency than all of GB exports to USA in 1940s
Labour proposed political reforms for Malaya? Why?
- Wanted stronger more viable political unit
- 1948, Grouped states + settlements into Federation of Malaya
What was Malayan Emergency?
- Malayan communists (exploited Chinese community dissatisfaction + encouraged by communist Success in China) Strikes up
- State I’d emergency declared = thousands GB troops
- 1000+ civilians + security forces killed in 1951
- Lasted till late 1950s
How were GB able to counter the communists in the Malayan emergency?
- Most Malayan population still pro GB
- Resettled hundreds of thousands Chinese in specially guarded villages
- Claimed to battle for Malayan hearts + Minds
