3.4.2

Trusteeship

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Trusteeship

After the First World War, international powers began to question the world order and their role in upholding it. This was largely driven by demands for independence and self-governance from nationalist leaders around the world.

Illustrative background for TrusteeshipIllustrative background for Trusteeship ?? "content

Trusteeship

  • In 1918, President Wilson argued for the self-determination of nations in his Fourteen Points which he brought to the Versailles discussions.
  • British politicians began to think about what they could do to quell demands for self-determination abroad.
    • The proposed solution was to use "trusteeship" to govern Africa.
  • The aims of trusteeship were to:
    • Work with indigenous people, involve them in government and protect their interests.
    • Stimulate economic growth (important in the context of the Great Depression.)
    • Work towards a point where Britain felt the nation could govern itself.
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Amery's White Paper

  • In 1927 the Colonial Secretary, Leo Amery, wrote a White Paper on trusteeship in East Africa.
    • In this document, he argued that white settlers should form part of trusteeships.
    • These settlers had been demanding that the crown gave them greater influence in African government.
    • This went against the original aim of trusteeship which was to protect African interests.
  • In 1929 all chance of self-government and the possibility of creating a political federation in East Africa disappeared when a Royal Commission under Sir Edward Hilton Young ruled in favour of trusteeship involving white settlers.
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"Dual mandates"

  • In 1931, Lord Passfield established the idea of "dual mandate" which purported to find a middle ground between the demands of the white settlers and indigenous people in East Africa.
    • Trusteeship had basically been abandoned.
    • Yet, European settlers were still unhappy about the rights of East African people.
    • The settlers objected to enfranchising indigenous people based on their relative lack of westernised education.

Jump to other topics

1High Water Mark of the British Empire, 1857-1914

2Imperial Consolidation & Liberal Rule, 1890-1914

3Imperialism Challenged, 1914-1967

4The Wind of Change, 1947-1967

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