Decolonisation in Africa and Asia

Question 1

What were the 5 key reasons for decolonisation?

Answer 1

1) Economic impact of WW2.
2) The new international situation.
3) Nationalist movements.
4) Changing priorities in Europe.
5) Specific problems.

Question 2

How did the economic impact of WW2 lead to decolonisation?

Answer 2

All imperial powers emerged from WW2 much poorer than when they entered. None could afford to fight a series of colonial wars against growing insurgent nationalist movements.

Question 3

How did the new international situation lead to decolonisation?

Answer 3

The 2 new superpowers, USA and USSR, both becoming nuclear powers in 1945 and 1949 respectively, were anti-imperialists. As Britain was dependent on the USA for defence and economic support, they were susceptible to US pressure to decolonise.

Question 4

How did nationalist movements lead to decolonisation?

Answer 4

Independence movements and growing insurgency across the colonies made governing difficult for imperial administrators, whilst also proving costly to suppress.

Question 5

How did changing priorities in Europe lead to decolonisation?

Answer 5

In the 1950s, Western Europe experienced a dramatic economic recovery. The establishment of the EEC helped focus trade within Europe itself. This meant that support and desire for Empire dwindled, especially from big businesses.

Question 6

How did specific problems lead to decolonisation?

Answer 6

Many instances of decolonisation came in response to specific situations, such as in Palestine, Burma or India. Decolonisation was often forced by specific developments, opposed to an immediate, post-war shift in policy.

Question 7

What is insurgency?

Answer 7

Displaying armed hostility to an established authority.

Question 8

What was the European Economic Community (EEC)?

Answer 8

A free trade community, founded in 1957. It later became a part of the EU in 2009.

Question 9

What was the Burns Convention 1946, and what was the reaction in the Gold Coast?

Answer 9

It established a Legislative Council, of 12 British nominees and 18 elected African members, in the Gold Coast. Final power still remained in the hands of the British Governor, which caused unrest, with protests against the British gathering momentum.

Question 10

What is a plebiscite?

Answer 10

A direct vote by all elected members in a country on an important public question, e.g. a change in the constitution.

Question 11

What is suffrage?

Answer 11

The right to vote in elections.

Question 12

When was the Convention People’s Party (CPP) founded, and who by?

Answer 12

Founded by Kwame Nkrumah in 1949.

Question 13

What was the significance of the CPP on British political concessions (1949-52) (2)?

Answer 13

They pressured Britain to make further concessions in the Gold Coast. The Legislative Council was enlarged, renamed the Legislative Assembly. The number who could vote for it increased, but the British Governor retained ultimate power.

Question 14

How did the Gold Coast become independent (4)?

Answer 14

1) Nkrumah was jailed in 1950, but the CPP won 2/3 of the seats in the Legislative Assembly in 1951.
2) Britain realised that the CPP would have to join the government to control the resistance. Nkrumah was released and became Prime Minister in 1952. CPP members became government ministers.
3) The elected government was given control over internal affairs, and the CPP’s popularity grew.
4) The support for independence in 1957 was so much, elections were held on full adult suffrage. Due to the popularity of nationalist parties in the general election, Britain made Gold Coast independent in March 1957, as Ghana.

Question 15

When did the Gold Coast become independent, and under what name?

Answer 15

March 1957, as Ghana.

Question 16

What was the Richards Constitution 1946 (3)?

Answer 16

1) It divided Nigeria regionally and ethnically.
2) A Legislative Council was created to discuss national issues, with an assembly for each of the 3 regions (West, South, East) to discuss regional issues and to advise local British governors.
3) The British Governor-General retained ultimate power.

Question 17

What was the Macpherson Constitution 1951 (2)?

Answer 17

1) Extended the right to vote.
2) Created a National Council of Ministers, answerable to a Federal House of Representatives.
(Nigeria).

Question 18

What was the effect of the Macpherson Constitution on Nigeria (3)?

Answer 18

1) Nigerian political parties grew, as they could now compete in elections to the new house.
2) The regions were strengthened, as each region were allowed their own government. The Federal House of Representatives could not overrule these regional governments.
3) This exacerbated tensions between the different ethnicities.

Question 19

How did Nigeria gain independence (3)?

Answer 19

1) New political parties, representing different ethnic groups were founded, with the British being forced to grant concessions quicker than envisaged.
2) In 1954, a government was formed consisting of 3 British officials, and 9 ministers from various regional parties. Power was increasingly granted to regional governments.
3) After 1959 federal elections, moves were made towards independence, granted in October 1960.

Question 20

When did Nigeria gain independence?

Answer 20

October 1960.

Question 21

When did Sierra Leone gain independence?

Answer 21

April 1961.

Question 22

When did Gambia gain independence?

Answer 22

February 1965.

Question 23

Why was progress towards independence violent in East Africa (3)?

Answer 23

1) Rapid economic growth had brought about urbanisation, political consciousness, political activism, nationalism and labour disputes.
2) White settler colonies were more common in the region, and viciously opposed any decolonisation that did not guarantee their continued dominance.
3) Populations had massively increased during the years of war, exacerbating inflation, poor housing and overcrowding.

Question 24

What was the Tanganyika Groundnut Scheme (2), and what was its significance on independence movements?

Answer 24

1) In 1946, many countries suffered a shortage of cooking fats. Britain aimed to grow, in Tanganyika, large quantities of groundnuts (peanuts), process them to cooking oil, and sell to the world economy.
2) Despite spending £49 million on the project, it was abandoned in 1951, with the terrain proving too difficult to cultivate. The land was turned into an uncultivatable dust bowl.
3) This made East African peasants support nationalist movements.

Question 25

What was the significance of the Mau Mau uprising on independence movements in East Africa?

Answer 25

It was ruthlessly crushed by the British Army, using propaganda to describe the insurgency as ‘dark’, ‘evil’, ‘degraded’, ‘foul’ and ‘secretive’. Britain divided the Kikuyu, rewarding loyalists with lavish privileges. This increased nationalist support across the region.

Question 26

When did Tanganyika gain independence, and under what name?

Answer 26

December 1961, as Tanzania.

Question 27

When did Uganda gain independence?

Answer 27

October 1962.

Question 28

When did Kenya gain independence?

Answer 28

December 1963.

Question 29

What is apartheid?

Answer 29

A policy of discrimination and segregation on grounds of race.

Question 30

How was apartheid implemented in South Africa, and what was its effect on the population (1948-60) (3)?

Answer 30

1) In 1948, the Afrikaner Nationalist Party gained power in South Africa, implementing the policy of apartheid.
2) Non-whites were severely repressed, causing opposition to apartheid, mainly from the African National Congress.
3) In the 1950s and 60s, the South African state brutally suppressed all protests. E.g. 69 protestors killed by the police in Sharpeville, March 1960.

Question 31

Why did relations become strained between South Africa and Britain 1948-60 (2)?

Answer 31

1) International opinion of South Africa became increasingly stained due to apartheid.
2) From 1948, South Africa had pressed for Britain to hand over Bechuanaland, Swaziland, and Basutoland to South Africa, which Britain did not do.

Question 32

Why did South Africa leave the commonwealth?

Answer 32

After Britain refused to hand over Bechuanaland, Swaziland, and Basutoland to South Africa, the South African white population voted to become a republic and leave the commonwealth in 1961.

Question 33

When did South Africa leave the commonwealth?

Answer 33

May 1961.

Question 34

How did the British aim to counter South African influence in the 1950s (2)?

Answer 34

By building up nearby colonial possessions like:
1) Northern Rhodesia - minerally rich province (especially in copper).
2) Southern Rhodesia - agriculturally rich, with a substantial white settler population.
3) Nyasaland - relatively economically underdeveloped.
By joining these colonies together through the Central African Federation.

Question 35

Why and when did Britain create the Central African Federation (CAF)?

Answer 35

During WW2, Nyasaland, Northern and Southern Rhodesia had worked together to assist the war effort, and Britain thought that a joint colonial state would counter the influence of South Africa. The CAF was created in 1953.

Question 36

When did Northern Rhodesia gain independence, under what name?

Answer 36

October 1964, as Zambia.

Question 37

When did Nyasaland gain independence, under what name?

Answer 37

July 1964, as Malawi.

Question 38

When did Basuto gain independence, under what name?

Answer 38

October 1966, as Lesotho.

Question 39

When did Bechuanaland gain independence, under what name?

Answer 39

September 1966, as Botswana.

Question 40

How did the CAF fuel independence movements, and what was the British response?

Answer 40

1) The constitution included some protection for African rights (although discriminatory legislation could be vetoed by Britain) and limited African representation in a new Federal Assembly. However, independence movements emerged in all 3 territories, led by Africans suspicious of British intentions.
2) White governors responded fiercely, arresting and imprisoning nationalist leaders, causing disorder.

Question 41

In what year was the CAF formally dissolved?

Answer 41

1963.

Question 42

How did Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland gain independence?

Answer 42

After concluding decolonisation was necessary in Africa, Britain in 1960-61, ordered the release of nationalist leaders and drew up new constitutions paving the way for majority rule and independence.

Question 43

How did Southern Rhodesia gain ‘independence’ (2), and what was the British reaction?

Answer 43

1) The white settlers there were determined to avoid being absorbed into an independent black African-dominated country. In 1961, with the CAF looking doomed, a large section of the white population switched allegiance to the Rhodesian Front Party, aiming to achieve independence, but under white control.
2) In 1961, the RFP won the elections, and in 1965, Ian Smith (Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia) illegally declared independence.
3) The British imposed sanctions, but they proved unsuccessful.

Question 44

When did Southern Rhodesia gain independence, under what name?

Answer 44

April 1980, as Zimbabwe.

Question 45

Why and when did the Rhodesian Bush War take place, and between who?

Answer 45

In 1969, Rhodesia became a republic and the country was plunged into a guerrilla war, between the ruling white and the black nationalist population.

Question 46

Who was Harold Macmillan?

Answer 46

British Conservative Prime Minister 1957-63, presiding over a time of post-war prosperity.

Question 47

What is a constituent assembly?

Answer 47

A body elected to draw up a constitution for a state.

Question 48

How did Burma gain independence (4), and what was the significance for Britain?

Answer 48

1) In January 1947, talks between Aung San and Attlee’s government in London agreed elections for a Constituent Assembly would take place in April 1948.
2) This approved a huge AFPFL majority, but the different AFPFL factions could not agree on Burma’s future path.
3) Aung San and 6 cabinet ministers were assassinated by a rival political faction in July 1947.
4) Independence in January 1948 led to Civil War, with Burma rejecting the idea of joining the commonwealth, turning their backs on Britain.

Question 49

When did Burma gain independence?

Answer 49

January 1948.

Question 50

Why did Britain regard Malaya as important after WW2?

Answer 50

As a major rubber producer, it promised to earn Britain lots of money post-war.

Question 51

Why did Britain regard Singapore as important after WW2?

Answer 51

It was militarily and strategically important to Britain’s wider interests in Asia, with a major military and a naval base on the island.

Question 52

Who were the 2 main ethnic groups in Malaya, and who represented them (2)?

Answer 52

1) Malaya suffered from ethnic tensions between the Malay and the Chinese and Indian populations. The United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), est. 1946, was created to argue the rights of the Malay peoples.
2) The Chinese were represented by the Malay Chinese Association (MCA) or the Malayan Communist Party (MCP). The Chinese population were represented in labour unions and were involved in strikes 1945-48.

Question 53

When was the Federation of Malaya created, and what was the significance on Malayan politics (3)?

Answer 53

The Federation of Malaya was enacted in January 1948, establishing:
1) The Federation of Malaya Executive Council, headed by the British High Commissioner.
2) The Federation of Malaya Legislative Council of 62 members representing different groups became an elected body in 1955.
3) Governments within individual states were granted some financial power.

Question 54

What is a State of Emergency?

Answer 54

The suspension of normal constitutional procedures during a situation of particular national danger.

Question 55

What was the Malayan Emergency 1948-52 (3)?

Answer 55

1) Due to post-war circumstances, and Chinese grievances, Britain feared the potential impact of rebel attacks on rubber plantations. They declared a State of Emergency in June 1948.
2) This allowed colonial authorities to use military force, arrest suspects, and were granted new legal powers.
3) This caused insurgency and the British High Commissioner, Sir Henry Gurney, was assassinated in October 1951.

Question 56

How did Malaya gain independence 1952-57 (3)?

Answer 56

1) To keep support during the Malayan Emergency, Britain had promised independence.
2) 1952-54, the Malays and the Chinese united against the British, gaining 81% of the votes in 1955. Britain knew that if they denied independence, there would be a military rebellion (reflecting France’s defeat in Indo-China in 1955).
3) The Reid Commission was est. in 1955 to draw up a democratic constitution, and in 1957, Malaya gained independence.

Question 57

When did Malaya gain independence?

Answer 57

August 1957.

Question 58

What is meant by the imperialism of decolonisation?

Answer 58

How Britain were able to maintain economic and/or political influence in independent nations through decolonisation.

Question 59

What was the aftermath of Malayan independence 1957-65 (4)?

Answer 59

1) A continued British military presence in Singapore was accepted.
2) Malaya would still collaborate economically with Britain, remaining in the Sterling area.
3) In 1963, Malaya united with Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak to form Malaysia.
4) In 1965, Singapore was expelled from the federation.

Question 60

What were the political developments in Singapore 1947-55 (3)?

Answer 60

1) 1947-48, they were granted their own government, with an Executive and Legislative Council. Although 6/25 on the Legislative Council were elected, only British subjects (around 10% of the population) could vote.
2) The government struggled to contain Communist insurgency. Alongside arrests and imprisonments, the Legislative Council was enlarged to 32 seats in 1953.
3) By 1955, the elected Council was dominated by left-wing parties, such as the Labour Front, the People’s Action Party and the UMNO/MCA alliance.

Question 61

What was the State of Singapore Act (1958)?

Answer 61

Britain implemented full internal self government for Singapore, remaining a part of the Empire.

Question 62

Why was Singapore expelled from Malaysia?

Answer 62

Race riots between Chinese and Malays led to a breakdown in public order, and in August 1965, Singapore was expelled from Malaysia and became fully independent.

Question 63

When did Singapore gain independence?

Answer 63

August 1965.