Chapter 13- Expansion and Contraction of Empire in India, Africa, Middle East and Asia (SECTION 3)

Question 1

1) How many men from the following countries of the Empire volunteered to fight?:
India, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Britain.

Answer 1

1) India: 1.4million
2) Canada: 630,000
3) Australia: 420,000 (30% of all eligible males)
4) South Africa: 136,000
5) New Zealand: 129,000 (over half of those who were eligible)
6) Britain: 5million.

Question 2

What did the Empire supply Britain with which played a major role in the eventual victory in 1918?

Answer 2

1) The Empire supplied Britain with vital raw materials and food. It was the resources of the empire which made Britain the most formidable power engaged in the war.

Question 3

What was the Imperial War Cabinet? How did it come about, when so and what is its purpose and limitations?

Answer 3

1) There was a move towards joint decision making to meet pressure from colonial leaders who wanted a say in the direction Britain was taking their troops.
2) The Presidents of the Dominions and nominated Indian representatives joined the war cabinet in London in 1917.
3) The war cabinet symbolised the union of the British empire in the war.
4) However, there were only two sessions and Britain still dominated the proceedings.

Question 4

Who became Prime Minister in December 1916? What did this mean for the war effort?

Answer 4

1) David Lloyd George.
2) A greater effort was put into the use of the resources of manpower and materials from the empire.
3) Imperial preference was introduced for suppliers and schemes for future imperial self-sufficiency discussed.

Question 5

What did the First World War reveal about the empire?

Answer 5

1) The war revealed the undercurrents of racial tension and prejudice. Britain was unwilling to let a black man fight a white for fear it would compromise the law and order of the empire in peacetime.

Question 6

Who were the most keen to help Britain to fight in the war?

Answer 6

1) The white dominions were mostly keen to help Britain and to start with the dominions had relied on volunteers because of notions of individual freedom.

Question 7

What was conscription and what parliamentary act enforced this? How did the white dominions act in response to this?

Answer 7

1) In January 1916 the Military Service Act was passed imposing conscription on all single men aged between 18 and 41 except the medically unfit and workers.
2) Dominions had the final say in whether to adopt conscription and it was introduced in New Zealand in 1916 and Canada in 1917. South Africa did not consider conscription for fears of causing a rift between the pro-British and the pro-German.

Question 8

What were the Australians, Canadians and New Zealanders applauded for?

Answer 8

1) They were applauded for their bravery i the Gallipoli campaign (April-December 1915).
2) The Canadians were applauded for their part in the battle for Vimy Ridge in April 1917.

Question 9

Why was the evacuation of Gallipoli a humiliation?

Answer 9

1) Because a Turkish army had beaten a predominantly white one proving that white people were not invincible.

Question 10

What did Canada supply the British with?

Answer 10

1) 1/3 of the munitions used by the British in France in 1917-18 and wheat.

Question 11

Who setup the South African Defence Force? What did it do? What did this lead to?

Answer 11

1) General Smuts set up with SADF which successfully fought against the Germans in its colonies.
2) Smuts became a member of the Imperial War Cabinet and attended the London Imperial War Conference and advised on the military strategy in Europe despite once fighting against the British in the Boer War.

Question 12

How did certain communities in the dominions react to conscription?

Answer 12

1) French Canadians in Quebec regarded the war as a pro-British affair, and in March 1918 there were protests against conscription in Quebec City.
2) The Australians rejected conscription in two referendums in October 1916 and December 1917.

Question 13

What led to growing alienation from British identity during the war?

Answer 13

1) The Australians and Canadians were appalled by the rigidity of Britain’s social systems.
2) Australian troops were puzzled by the servile obedience of English soldiers for their officers.
3) A republican movement in South Africa led by JBM Hertzog grew and the Afrikaner movement questioned the imperial connection

Question 13

What led to growing alienation from British identity during the war?

Answer 13

1) The Australians and Canadians were appalled by the rigidity of Britain’s social systems.
2) Australian troops were puzzled by the servile obedience of English soldiers for their officers.
3) A republican movement in South Africa led by JBM Hertzog grew and the Afrikaner movement questioned the imperial connection

Question 14

What did the War ultimately do for the dominions?

Answer 14

1) It ultimately promoted a desire for independence and control. The experience of the war had been a right of passage to manhood for the dominions.

Question 15

How did WW1 affect the white dominions?
What did people from the dominions do regarding conscription? Were they applauded?
What did Canada, NZ, AU, SA do?

Answer 15

1) White dominions mostly keen to help Britain, to start with the dominions had relied on volunteers because of notions of individual freedom.
2) Large number of volunteers joined the armed forces. They fought in Europe, Middle East and Africa.
3) Dominions had the final say in whether to adopt conscription for fears of causing a rift between the pro-British and the pro-German.
4) French-Canadians in Quebec regarded the war as a pro-British affair. March 1918, protests against conscription in Quebec city. Australians rejected conscription in 2 referendums in October 1916 and December 1917.
5) Australians and NZ were applauded for their bravery in the Gallipoli campaign (April-December 1915) and the Canadians for their part in the battle for Vimy Ridge in April 1917.
6) Canada supplied Britain with 1/3 of the munitions used by the British in France (1917-18)
7) South African Defence Force fought successfully against the Germans in its colonies.
8) General Smuts (who set up the South African Defence Force) became a member of the imperial war cabinet.
9) Australians and Canadians appalled by the rigidity of Britain’s social systems, leading to an increased alienation from British identity.
10) War boosted the confidence and self-worth of the participating dominions. It ultimately promoted a desire for independence and control. Right of passage to manhood.

Question 16

How did WW1 affect India?

Answer 16

1) Indian Army and its senior officers were physically and mentally unprepared to fight a modern European war.
2) Around 1/3 troops in France in the autumn of 1914 were either British or Indian soldiers who had formerly served in India.
3) They’d fight for the Empire, but they would fight because they aspired to become an equal part of it.
4) Muslims were the main source of recruits for the army but they were always more likely to place faith before loyalty to the King and would defect.
5) Indian troops made a major contribution to fighting in the Middle East and in Africa.
6) 1917, the Indian government contributed £100million to the war effort.
7) Extraordinarily heavy losses to a decay of moral and disquiet amongst the sepoys.
8) Secretary of State for India Edwin Montagu promised more ‘responsible’ self-government for India in August 1917, including democratic representation for ordinary Indians and made it necessary to review India’s status after the war had ended.

Question 17

How did WW1 affect the British colonies in Africa?

Answer 17

1) Egypt was turned into a protectorate in 1914 which caused resentment amongst Egyptians as it was clear they were under an Imperial power.
2) 1.2 million Egyptians recruited to defend Egypt and the Middle East.
3) 100,000 Egyptian troops fought in Empire. 50% were killed.
4) 70,000 West and East African troops fought in Africa.
5) Cost of campaigns in Africa included the death through famine and disease of 10% of the estimated million porter and labourers employed by both sides, in addition to civilian casualties and widespread destruction.
6) Black people from tropical colonies and South Africa did not fight but recruited to work in France as labourers and carriers.
7) First Pan-African Congress was held in France in 1919.
8) A delegation from SA attended the Versailles Peace Conference of 1919 to present the African case.
9) Black and brown men discovered new worlds, exposed to new ideas.

Question 18

Explain the background of the League of Nations Mandates.

Answer 18

1) TOV stripped Germany of its former colonies.
2) Wilson’s 14 points stated that decisions as to the future of ex-German colonies and the Ottoman provinces would be reached after balancing the interests of the populations concerned.
3) They became mandates administered by the newly created League of Nations. Britain dominated it because America was in isolation.

Question 19

What did the mandates entail?

Answer 19

1) Post war arrangements based on the Skyes-Picot agreement in 1916 which defined the boundaries of the official and non-official British and French empires in the middle east.
2) Treaty of Sevres (1920) and Treaty of Lausanne (1923) also stripped the Ottoman Empire of its colonial territories.
3) Mandates were supposed to help territories become independent nations.
4) However, the mandate powers (Britain and France) secured virtually imperial control over their mandates.

Question 20

1) Explain the categories system used by the mandates.

Answer 20

Under the mandate system the allied powers had to fulfil certain obligations for the Mandates defined by a series of categories:
1) Category C: Territories where independence was not considered feasible (eg: Samoa)
2) Category B: Territories that ‘needed’ a much longer period of guidance (eg: Cameroon)
3) Category A: Territories were seen as quite developed and independence might be possible in the near future (eg: Mesopotamia and Palestine.

Question 21

What did Britain argue about the mandate system?

Answer 21

Britain argued:
- German and Ottoman colonies were politically and economically underdeveloped with uneducated populations.
- These colonies were not ready to govern themselves and needed a ‘guiding hand’.
- Britain and Franc were the most experienced at governing less developed territories.
- Wanted to retain their dominant status as a global and all that entailed.
- Britain controlled a number of strategically important states in the Middle East and financial and commercial pre-eminence in many other areas.
- Around 1.8million square miles were added to the empire and around 13million new subjects.

Question 22

Why did Britain want to acquire Palestine?

Answer 22

1) Strategic reasons:
- The main overland route to Britain’s Indian + Asian empire.
- Close proximity to the Suez canal.

Question 23

Why did Britain want to acquire Mesopotamia (Iraq)?

Answer 23

1) Economic reasons:
- It was oil rich.

Question 24

What did Britain and France secretly do during the course of WW1?

Answer 24

1) Britain secretly plotted with France during the course of the war to divide the Ottoman Empire’s Middle Eastern possessions between them.

Question 25

What was the Sykes-Picot agreement of 1915?

Answer 25

1) Britain would take Jordan, South Iraq and Palestine.
2) France would take East Turkey, Northern Iraq, Syria & Lebanon

Question 26

What other promises had the British made during the war that made the maintenance of the new mandates a problem for them? (Palestine and the Balfour Declaration)

Answer 26

1) Britain had made promises to the Jews about Palestine.
2) The 1917 Balfour Declaration:
- Foreign Secretary sent a letter to Lord Rothschild (banker and leader of British Jewish community) which was leaked to the public. The letter expressed sympathy for Jewish zionism. It promised British support for:
- a ‘national homeland’ for the Jews out of sympathy for Jews in the East.
3) The Declaration did not promise a separate Jewish state or the undermining of Arab rights.
4) The declaration was motivated by a desire to:
- Keep British Jewish bankers supportive of the war.
- Win the support of anti-imperialist American public to accept British influence in the Middle East.

Question 27

Why was the Balfour Declaration troublesome for Britain’s Palestinian Mandate?

Answer 27

1) Jews set up the Zionist Commission in 1918 to campaign for more rights.
2) Arabs set up Muslim-Christian Association in 1918 as a response.
3) 1918-1920 there were violent clashes between Arabs and Jews.
4) More Jews began to migrate to Palestine. 175,000 by 1931.

Question 28

Explain the story of Egyptian independence.

Answer 28

1) Egypt became a protectorate in 1914.
2) There were serious demonstrations in 1919. Convinced British officials that Britain’s annexation shouldn’t be permanent.
3) Britain however still wanted to protect its strategic and economic interest in Egypt - the Suez canal.
4) 1922 Britain recognised Egypt’s independence. It was still effectively a client state but it no longer had to pay for its development.
5) But Britain maintained control of Egypt’s foreign policy and defence.
6) Britain kept an army in Egypt to defend the Suez canal.

Question 29

What was the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty? When was it signed? What did it entail?

Answer 29

1) Signed in August 1936.
2) It entailed:
- British troops withdrew to defend only ‘Suez Canal Zone’.
- 10,000 troops were allowed in the ‘Suez Canal Zone’ but an unlimited number of troops permitted in Egypt in an emergency.
- Egypt was assisted to join the League of Nations

Question 30

Explain how the creation of the Irish Free State unravelled.

Answer 30

1) Ireland had been part of Britain since 1801.
2) Gladstone and Asquith had both failed to deliver independence as PM.
3) Irish Volunteers prepared an armed uprising against the British - Dublin Easter Rising (1916). The risings brutal suppression radicalised popular opinion in Ireland.
4) After WW1 there was a period of guerrilla warfare led by the IRA and MPs of the Irish Nationalist Party Sinn Fien set up Irish parliament in Dublin.
5) British attempts to maintain control became more aggressive and increased resentment among Irish nationalist.
6) Many Britains lost confidence in the justice of their cause.
7) Fighting was ended by Anglo Irish Treaty of 1921.
8) Irish Free State only gained complete parliamentary independence in 1931 under the Statute of Westminster.
9) Eire (new name of irish free state) was declared a republic in 1949 and left the commonwealth.

Question 31

What were the terms of the Anglo-Irish Treaty?

Answer 31

1) New Catholic Irish Free State setup- but the King remained the Head of State.
2) Six protestant northern counties not included (partitioned in 1922)
3) Irish Free State granted Dominion Status - remaining part of the British Empire.

Question 32

How did Iraqi independence unravel?

Answer 32

1) As a ‘Category A’ mandate, Mesopotamia was always supposed to be granted independence but Britain had governed for 12 years from 1920 and maintained control thereafter.
2) Mesopotamia was never a stable Mandate to govern.
3) Nationalists caused problems and revolt in 1920 was suppressed with difficulty.
4) Colonial Secretary Winston Churchill was determined to find a rule that was acceptable to Iraqis and friendly to the British.
5) Feisal I, son of a trusted Arab leader was chosen to be ‘elected’ King of Iraq.
6) Iraq was granted independence from Britain under Feisal I in 1932. But the British government kept close economic and military ties with Iraq:
- Britain retained its air bases in the country.
- Britain had the right of transit for its forces through the country.
- Britain still had a virtual monopoly on all oil exploration and production in Iraq though its control of the Iraqi Petroleum Company.

Question 33

In what ways were the mandates in the Middle East of benefit to Britain?

Answer 33

1) Beneficial to Britain’s strategic position in regards to India since it protected land routes to India and other Asian territories.
2) It was important to prevent an absence of empire in the middle east to help restrain the growing Indian nationalism.
3) They were rich in oil which was needed to fuel British industries and the navy.

Question 34

In what ways were the mandates in the Middle East a burden to Britain?

Answer 34

1) The conflict between the Arabs and the Jews that they had created had to be policed to try to prevent violence.
2) The area disliked the rule of the Ottomans but Britain simply swapped one imperialism for another so the problem still existed.

Question 35

To what extent was Britain in control of the contraction of the British Empire in Egypt, Ireland and Iraq?

Answer 35

1) Although Britain lost formal control of the areas, they still had strong influences and got what they wanted from them, especially in Egypt and Iraq.
2) They effectively remained client states.

Question 36

What was the significance of the creation of the Irish Free State?

Answer 36

1) Showed that violent uprising and government action could lead to independence from Britain.
2) The fact that this was achieved in Britain’s oldest ‘colony’ made others think that it could be achieved elsewhere.

Question 37

What was the overall aftermath of WW1 for the British?

Answer 37

1) Navy remained strong. 42 capital ships afloat. The rest of the world had 44 combined.
2) RAF helped to provide cheap and effective methods of policing large areas.
3) Britain faced no serious international competition. Germany was shattered by defeat. France was an ally. Russia was weakened by civil war and the USA retreated into isolation.
4) Early 1920’s, British forces were stretched near to breaking point as they struggled to keep control in Ireland, Egypt, Iraq and India.
5) Britain economically weakened by the war. Forced to sell many of its overseas investments.
6) Empire had never been bigger, but nor had the costs of victory.
7) No combatant outspent Britain.
8) Before 1914, the benefits of Empire had seemed to most people on balance to outweigh the costs. After the war, the costs suddenly outweighed the benefits.

Question 38

How was WW2 different from WW1 regarding Empire?

Answer 38

1) Empire was a major theatre of war such as South East Asia and Northern Africa.
2) The involvement of the colonies led to new demands for greater autonomy in the aftermath of the war.

Question 39

What role did Empire play in WW2?

Answer 39

1) Empire was never the source of strength to Britain that it had hoped.
2) By the late 1930’s it was widely regarded as a strategical and military burden, an impossibly extended frontier which stretched Britain’s resources further than they would go and consequently weakened considerably her diplomatic hand against the dictators.
3) Dominions and colonies contributed 5million troops. Half of them were from India.
4) Australia resented what they saw as half-hearted efforts in the east.

Question 40

How did WW2 affect the Empire in South East Asia and India?

Answer 40

1) Viceroy Linlithgow declared war on India’s behalf without consulting Indian leaders. Despite this, many Indians still contributed to the war effort (2.5mil volunteered to fight).
2) Mohammed Ali Jinnah, leader of the Muslim league, pledged to support Britain, hoping to win British support for a separate Muslim state of Pakistan.
3) However, some Indian’s opposed the war:
- Gandhi.
- Some Indian nationalists were prepared to work with Germany and Japan.
- The Congress Party refused support for the war unless India was first granted independence. When this was refused Congress called on provincial governments to resign office which they did, although many relucatantly.
4) By 1942, Japan seized the major European imperial possessions in South East Asia.
5) Britain lost Singapore in Feb 1942. 132,000 British subjects were taken prisoner.
6) Japan seized Hong-Kong, overran Malaya and Burma and by summer 1942 seemed poised to attack India.

Question 41

What happened to India and their quest for independence during the war? What happened to the ‘Quit India’ campaign?

Answer 41

1) The US urged Churchill to give India such measures of freedom and democracy to rally the people to fight for those ideals in the global conflict.
2) Churchill agreed to send Sir Stafford Cripps to India to negotiate. Churchill reluctantly offered India independence after the war in return for support during it but Congress leaders, settling for nothing short of immediate full independence turned down the offer.
3) The Quit India campaign started after Cripps’ visit to India:
- British authority arrested Congress leaders.
- Congress rank and file supporters tried to dislodge the war effort by sabotaging railways, cutting telephone lines and attacking government buildings.
- Troops and aircraft helped the police to quell the disturbances but several thousand Indians were killed and wounded and 100,000 were arrested.
4) An attempted Japanese invasion in 1944 was narrowly averted and thereafter the allied forces were able to roll back the Japanese conquests in the region.
5) Success of the Japanese ended the myth of ‘white invincibility’, giving independence movements greater confidence.
6) 30,000 Indian troops captured by Japanese in Singapore joined the Indian National Army which aimed to rid India and Asia of the British.
7) In the last 2 years of the war, inflation grew and Bengal suffered a severe famine in 1943-44. This raised doubts over whether the Raj could discharge even the most basic duties of any government there.
8) Linlithgow professed concern but did not visit Bengal. His successor, Lord Wavell did, however, and he galvanised the relief work.

Question 42

How did WW2 affect Empire in North Africa and the Middle East?

Answer 42

1) North Africa was an important battleground between Britain, Germany and Italy.
2) Britain desperate to preserve its influence in Egypt and access to Suez and oil in the Middle East.
3) Germans were only driven back in November 1942.
4) Egyptians and Palestinians saw the opportunity for exploiting British weakness.
5) Egyptians and the Arabs felt resentful for how their countries had been treated by Britain during the war.
6) In Iraq, there was an army rebellion against the British garrisons in May 1941, which was successful for a while.
7) Africans by reason of their contacts with other peoples, including Europeans, had developed a political and national consciousness.
8) Travel and contact and new expectations prompted new political activity.
9) Serious and violent strike on the Northern Rhodesian Copperbelt in 1940.

Question 43

What was the position of the Empire after WW2?

Answer 43

1) British leaders saw no reason to abandon the empire.
2) War prompted a deep re-examination of the imperial relationship and urgent reappraisal of the importance of self-reliance as a national strategy.
3) Colonial Development Acts of 1940 and 1945 gave grants to colonies for their development and welfare.
4) The Colonial Secretary announced in 1943, that the government was ‘pledged to guide colonial people along the road to self government within the British empire.
5) Britain’s economic position was severely weakened:
- The destruction of houses, factories and shipping cost Britain almost 1/4 of its wealth.
- Most foreign assets had been sod to pay for wartime imports.
- 1945, British exports totalled £350mil, 40% of the pre-war figure.
- Britain £3.5bil in debt, becoming dependant on the USA which ended Britain’s existence as an independent great power.
- Britain was too poor to buy the produce of the empire.

Question 44

What impact did the 1945 general election have on the Empire?

Answer 44

1) Labour and Attlee were more sceptical about the empire and questioned the majority of conquering other countries. Shocked many people and reflected people’s desire for social reform.

Question 45

What did Britain have to do to save her empire?

Answer 45

1) She had required the assistance of powers who were opposed to her having it.
2) Both the USA and USSR were anti-imperialist:
- USSR had enormous conventional forces and there were deep fears about their aims.
- USA emerged from the war easily the richest country on earth. Having suffered neither bombing nor invasion the economy had thrived. By 1945, the US produced half the world’s manufactured goods. It was a great military power. American alliance was vital to Britain both during the war against the Axis powers, and also against the USSR in the Cold War.
- Dominions turned to the USA. 1940, Canada set up a Joint Defence Board with the USA and the rollback of British power in South East Asia highlighted Britain’s inability to defend Australia and New Zealand. Under threat of invasion, they turned to the US.
3) In an attempt to win US support, Churchill met US president Roosevelt in August 1941. Atlantic Charter- declaration of Anglo-American principles.

Question 46

To what extent did WW2 signal the end of the British Empire?

Answer 46

1) Signs of strength:
- Dominions came readily to the aid of the British.
- Indians contributed to the war.
- Muslim pledged to support Britain.
- Britain effectively took over 1939.
- Attlee’s government had no intention of abandoning empire.
- British forces had played a major part in the Allied victory.
- Dominions and colonies contributed 5mil fighting men.
- Hitler had expected the empire to crumble at the first nudge. The fact that it didn’t was a tribute to resilience of Britain’s colonial methods.
2) Signs of weakness:
- Atlantic Charter enraged Indian nationalists.
- Some Indians opposed the war.
- PM of Iraq tried to negotiate with Germany.
- Quit India campaign showed the extent of Nationalism in India.
- By 1945, Britain owed India £1.375 bil.
- Britain could not compare in size and strength with the USA and the USSR.
- Severe economic problems left Britain dependent on.
- Ireland and SA did not fight on Britain’s side.
- The ideological struggle against Hitler had made the assertion of pre-war colonial principles unfashionable.
- Dominions turned to the US support.
- Most members of the UN opposed imperial rule.
- Imperial issues attracted little attention during the election campaign in 1945.
- Attlee committed to granting Indian independence.

Question 47

How did Britain deal with India in the inter-war period? (1919-39)

Answer 47

1) Government of India Act 1919 led to the sharing of powers between Indian ministers and the British Viceroy.
2) Adopted ‘twin-track’ - a combination of reforms, signalled that any resort by the nationalists to create mass resistance to create mass resistance would be dealt with ruthlessly.
3) Rowlatt Act 1919 gave the authorities harsh powers to arrest and imprison anyone who protested against British rule.
4) Potential Dominion status for India at the Round Table Conferences in London in the early 1930’s failed.
5) All India Muslim League wanted a separate Muslim state of Pakistan.
6) Hindu Congress Movement wanted a united Indian state.
7) Gandhi preached Hindu-Muslim unity, but Muslims were suspicious of him.
8) British favoured the Muslim league.

Question 48

What did the Government Act of 1935 do?

Answer 48

1) Increased the number of Indians eligible to vote and strengthened the elected provincial assemblies.
2) Granted autonomous government for the Indian provinces, with protected Muslim representation, but nationalist opinion still favoured complete Indian independence.

Question 49

In what ways did Britain struggle to keep control of India during WW2?

Answer 49

1) A civil-disobedience campaign inaugurated by Gandhi in 1940 filled the prisons with 14,000 protestors in 6 months and later serious riots and disorders all over India killing 900. The ‘Quit India’ movement was a massive emergency - the gravest threat to the Raj since the mutiny.
2) Britain adopted a policy of repression for civil disobedience, imprisoning congress leaders and placing Congress under a ban after demanding immediate reforms.
3) March 1942, Churchill sent Cripps, a labour member of the wartime coalition government to promise the Indians full dominion status - but this was not enough and talks broke down over Congress’ leaders insistence on a larger share of control over India’s war efforts.
4) In August 1942, Gandhi and other Congress leaders launched a ‘Quit India’ campaign, calling for the British to leave India entirely. Gandhi and others were arrested and spent the rest of the war in prison.

Question 50

Why did the Labour government decide to withdraw from India in 1947?

Answer 50

1) No longer desirable or feasible to keep India and decided to grant independence as soon as possible.
2) They feared if they tried to keep India there would be widespread violent resistance which would stretch military resources.
3) Public opinion was in favour of granting independence.
4) Activities of the INA and strength of the nationalist feeling meant the Indian army might not be reliable and large numbers of British troops might have to be deployed which would be extremely protective and unpopular with the public.
5) India was no longer a great market for Britain cotton exports so the cost of keeping it outweighed the economic benefit.
6) The world opinion was against Britain remaining in India.
7) Britain had wanted to keep India but by the end of 1946 their priority had changed and their main concern was now to leave India before it was engulfed in civil war.

Question 51

How was India given independence?

Answer 51

1) In 1947, the new Viceroy, Lord Mountbatten was told to bring about Indian independence as soon as possible - no later than June 1948.
2) It was decided that India would be partitioned in April/May 1947 and independence for Pakistan and India would be granted by 15th August 1947. The lines of partition were deliberately kept secret to avoid further upheaval and violence.
3) The deadline was met, but violence between Muslims and Hindus escalated as millions of people fled to the security of the country which their religion dominated. At least 1mil people died in the violence - leaving a bitter legacy between India and Pakistan.

Question 52

To what extent did Britain withdraw from India with honour and dignity?

Answer 52

1) Honour and Dignity:
- The speed at which the withdrawal occurred drew praise.
- British submitted to the wishes of the Muslim league to have a partition.
- Pakistan and India both became dominions within the Commonwealth.
- Britain appeased the wishes of the international community (US and UN opinions).
2) Little Honour and Dignity:
- Britain refused to commit troops to the transition of power
- Left because it had become an economic burden.
- Pakistan and India refused to sign a defence agreement with Britain showing continued distrust and that Britain was no longer a great power.
-Attlee achieved none of his initial aims

Question 53

What were the key events/developments regarding Britain’s withdrawal from Palestine?

Answer 53

1) Nov 1945:
- Arab-Jewish relations deteriorating from migration increasing from Europe.
- Anglo-American Committee - American and British politicians who discussed how to reduce tensions and the future of Palestine. Recommended the immediate admission of 100,000 Jewish immigrants into Palestine.
2) May 1946: Committee recommended 100,000 Jews to be allowed in.
3) July 1946: King David hotel in Jerusalem blown up by Jewish terrorists. 100,000 British occupied Palestine.
4) Jan 1947: New talks, partition opposed.
5) Sep 1947: Sterling Crisis weakened the economy.
- UN report: proposed Palestinian independence, partition, Jerusalem under UN control, 55% of Palestine would be the Jewish state, Britain to remain a mandatory power and admit 150,000 immigrants over 2 years.
6) Nov 1947: Britain announced they would quit Palestine because they disagreed with the UN’s plans.
7) May 1948: The state of Israel proclaimed. Britain abstained from the vote.
8) Jan 1949: Israel recognised by Britain.

Question 54

Why did Britain withdraw from Israel?

Answer 54

1) Migration: huge influxes of Jewish migrants after WW2 led to a deterioration in the Arab-Jewish relationships.
2) Violence: Outbreak of Jewish terrorism and Britain struggled to police the violence. By early 1947, 100k British troops occupied Palestine at the annual cost of £40 mil but the British still struggled to maintain order.
3) Economics/Resources: Britain had spent over £100million on governance since 1945. The economic situation was particularly dire in Feb 1947 with bread rationing and fuel shortages in Britain. The economy could not maintain this level of commitment in Palestine.
4) Unable to compromise: Bevin’s (British Foreign Secretary at the time) main aim was to find a compromise that would satisfy Jews and Arabs but this seemed an impossible goal. The Jews wanted a separate Jewish state but the Arabs favoured a unitary state where they would dominate. Bevin did not want to alienate the Arab world due to desire for access to oil.
5) Actions of the United Nations: September 1947, UN stated that independence should be granted to Palestine as soon as possible and that Palestine should be partitioned with 55% in the Jewish state despite the Jews only being 1/3 of the population. Britain strongly disagreed with the UN’s plans.

Question 55

In what ways was withdrawal from Palestine successful or unseuccessful?

Answer 55

1) Successful:
- Left for the international community to decided what to do in the area.
- Did not take either side in the conflict so it didn’t alienate either side. Managed to maintain its standing in the Middle East with the Arabs and the US.
2) Unsuccessful:
- Violence increased and the British army intervened less - allowing it to happen.
- Britain did not maintain their position as a global power since it was clear that it could not compete with the USA and the USSR.
- UN went against British wishes for Palestine.
- Many Jews accused Bevin of being anti-semitic and opposing the creation of Israel.
- Failed to give Palestine independence which was obliged to do by the league of nations.

Question 56

To what extent can Britain be blamed for the problems in Palestine?

Answer 56

1) They were to blame for the problems:
- Protected their own interests instead of preparing Palestine for independence.
- Allowed the mass Jewish immigration into Palestine.
- Balfour Declaration - didn’t consider the Arab population and made promises they couldn’t keep to the Jews.
- Britain could be accused of abdicating its responsibilities and giving into the USA’s wishes.
- Failed to keep peace in Palestine.
2) They weren’t to blame:
- Truman demanded large-scale immigration and supported Zionism.
- Jewish terrorism increased the tensions.
- Anglo-American Committee encouraged further immigration, not just Britain.
- The Holocaust caused sympathy for Jews around the world.
- Britain opposed the partition of Palestine into Arab and Jewish provinces. It was the UN’s idea.

Question 57

What were the key developments and events regarding Britain and Burma?

Answer 57

1) 1937- Burma separated from British Raj becoming a colony in its own right.
2) 1942- Anti facist Organisation formed nationalist groups unhappy with change.
3) Sep 1945- Mountbatten agreed that the Burmese Independence army could be incorporated into a new Burmese army led by Aung San which legitimised him as a potential leader.
4) Dec 1946- Attlee declares Labour government was not able or wiling to commit any more British troops to maintain authority in Burma.
5) Jan 1947- Talks between San and Attlee’s government agreed on elections for a Constituent Assesmbly.
6) April 1947- Elections for a Constituent Assembly produce huge Anti-Fascist People’s Freedom League majority.
7) July 1947- San and his cabinet minister are assassinated by a political rival faction.
8) Jan 1948- Burma achieved independence and chooses not to join the commonwealth.

Question 58

What were the main reasons for Britain’s withdrawal from Burma?

Answer 58

1) Nationalism:
- Burmese hated British rule and there were several nationalist movements causing Britain problems.
- By Sep 1946, there was a great deal of civil disobedience in Burma.
2) War:
- Many of the Burmese had collaborated with the Japanese to help take over Burma in 1942. Britain failed to recognise it and still tried to reinstate control after the war.
3) Economic problems:
- Britain couldn’t afford to maintain control of Burma.
4) Political developments:
- Attlee declared that his government was neither willing or able to send sufficient amounts of troops to Burma to secure British authority, mainly due to how Britain was losing the Indian army which was used to control Burma.

Question 59

How successful was British withdrawal in Burma?

Answer 59

1) Successful:
- Britain responded to civil disobedience by using more liberal policies and tried to reach a compromise.
- In 1947, Britain worked closely with San and reached the agreement on an elected Constituent Assembly civilly.
2) Unsuccessful:
- Dorman Smith delayed change in Burma which turned the Anti Fascist Organisation against Britain after the war.
- Forced to replace the governor due to mass civil disobedience.
- Unable to have a controlled withdrawal. Had to make a fast exit because of the breakdown.
- Civil war broke out in Burma.
- Through spending little money on support and funding for Burma, the people turned against British rule