Why were the British drawn further into the Nile Valley? Flashcards
What did the Khedive charge Gordon with doing in 1873?
Appointed him as governor of Equatorial Provinces of Sudan.
-His role was to end the slave trade, which he did.
-His work also destabilised the economy and control over society as the slave traders were generally the most powerful in society.
What caused destabilisation in the Sudan?
Gordons suppression of the slave trade.
-The rise of the Mahdi who capitalised on resentment of Egyptian authority, the powerful figures (who were removed by Gordon) could have opposed this rise.
How many survived the Mahdi’s attack on William Hicks?
300 out of 8000 survived.
What were Gladstone and Barings opinions on the situation in Sudan by 1883?
-They were concerned by the rise of the Mahdi but were prepared to cut Sudan loose to protect Egypt from rebellion by the Mahdi. –> led to the evacuation of garrisons in the Sudan.
-The rise of radicalism made Gladstone fear a long and drawn out war against the Mahdi.
Describe Gordon:
Used to taking matters into his own hands and fervently Christian. Not particularly trustworthy.
What is the main interpretation for why Gordon didn’t evacuate Khartoum immediately?
That he was trying to get enough publicity to change it from an evacuation to an intervention by the Government. Another is that he didn’t have enough reinforcements to carry out the mission.
What did Gordon spend his time in Khartoum doing?
-He tried to hand power to an anti-Mahdist ex-slave trader and sending messages to Baring asking for more troops.
-His diary shows that he had contempt for the politicians who ad gotten him into this situation.
-When the Mahdist forces approached, he wanted to hold his ground rather than evacuate by river as there were still more people to leave the area.
What happened in 1885?
After extensive campaigns to get relief to Gordon, Gladstone reluctantly sent relief but it arrived 2 days too late and Gordon and everyone in the garrison was dead.
- Gordon was labelled ‘murderer of Gordon’ by the press and the queen even rebuked him. This was a part in why the Liberals fell from power.
What did Gladstone’s cabinet decide to do with the Sudan?
They decided to withdraw from the Sudan as it was difficult to annex the area and there was a threat from Russia at the time.
What long term impact did Gordons death have?
Had a profound impact on Kitchener who was sent to end the Mahdi in the 1890s and how the reconquest was structured in 1896.
- Gordons death became an imperialist legend and books, paintings etc depicted his death.
- Alfred Tennyson even wrote poems about Gordon and statues were erected of him.
From 1896, what 2 threats dictated British policy in North Africa?
- Anglo French rivalry in trying to control the source of the Nile which Salisbury saw as very important to protect their interests.
- The Mahdist forces and how this might cause pan-Islamic nationalism in Egypt.
What did Salisbury order in 1896 and why did he do this at that time?
He launched an expedition to address the 2 threats in the region led by Kitchener. It was to culminate with the defeat of the Mahdi and reclamation of Sudan at Omdurman.
-The reason he saw this as very important was due to the defeat of the Italians by the Mahdi in the battle of Adowa in 1896.
What did Britain declare in 1890?
The Nile Valley was its ‘sphere of influence’. Italy, Germany etc. recognised this but not the French.
How did Britain act against French aggression in the NV?
Moved from declaring sphere of influence to actually making it one. This was to thwart French expansion and have enough water to irrigate Egyptian cotton.
What were the French interests in the NV?
To link Djibouti to its western colonies.
