13.1.16

Britain & its African & Middle Eastern Colonies

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Britain and its African & Middle Eastern Colonies, 1914-1947

International relations in the Middle East were strained. By 1947, issues had not been resolved. In the African colonies, nationalism was gaining momentum.

Illustrative background for Britain in Egypt after WW1Illustrative background for Britain in Egypt after WW1 ?? "content

Britain in Egypt after WW1

  • After World War One, Egypt expected to be granted sovereign status as a country.
  • On the 8th of March 1919, amid protests demanding Egyptian and Sudanese independence, the British exiled the main Egyptian Nationalist leader, Saad Zaghlul.
  • There were weeks of strikes, demonstrations, and attacks on British facilities in Egypt and Sudan.
  • As a result, in 1922, Britain was forced to give Egypt its independence, as long as 'foreign' (probably read British) interests were protected in Egypt.
  • In 1924, Zaghlul became Egypt's first Prime Minister.
  • As part of the agreement, Britain retained troops by the Suez Canal, protecting their shipping route to India.
Illustrative background for Palestine after WW1Illustrative background for Palestine after WW1 ?? "content

Palestine after WW1

  • Arab-Jewish tensions rose over Palestine in the 1930s as Hitler persecuted more Jews in Europe.
  • The Jewish population of Palestine rose from 150,000 in 1926 to 400,000 in 1936. The total population of Palestine was 1.2 million.
  • In 1937, the Peel Report recommended a partition as a solution to disorder in the region. However, Palestine's mandate status and resistance from the Arab population of Palestine made this impossible.
  • Jews formed Haganah (a paramilitary group) to protect themselves.
  • In 1947, the British handed Palestine over to the UN, hoping they could resolve the issues in the country.
Illustrative background for West AfricaIllustrative background for West Africa ?? "content

West Africa

  • In 1914, Southern Nigeria and Northern Nigeria were united. This was mainly done for economic reasons - the north was spending too much money & couldn't raise taxes, whilst the south had a budget surplus.
  • In 1919, the National Congress of West Africa was created by the black elite in the Gold Coast. It had branches in the Gambia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.
  • In 1925, the West African Students’ Union was founded. This organisation united London-based West Africans and worked towards independence.
Illustrative background for East AfricaIllustrative background for East Africa ?? "content

East Africa

  • Kenya was made a formal colony in 1920.
  • In 1920, Harry Thuku's 'Young Kikuyu' group began to campaign against British rule in Kenya.
  • In 1922, Thuku led protests against identity cards for African males and tax increases. Thuku was arrested, unlike the Nandi leader, Samoei, who was killed for his resistance in Uganda.
  • In 1921, the East African Association was created by Thuku and later joined by Jomo Kenyatta. The East African Association also tried to recover Kikuyu lands.

Jump to other topics

1The Medieval World: 450-1450 AD

1.1Anglo-Saxon England

1.2The Contest for the English Throne

1.3Conquering the Holy Land, 10-96-1396 AD

1.4King John

1.5The Magna Carta & Parliament

1.6The Black Death

2Worldviews

3The Empire of Mali

4The Renaissance & Reformations, 1500-1598 AD

5The British Empire, 1583-1960 AD

6The Peasants' Revolt

7Religion in the Middle Ages

8Slavery, 1619-1833 AD

9The English Civil War, 1642-1660

10The Industrial Revolution, 1750-1840

11US Independence, 1775-1783

12The French Revolution, 1789-1815

13The British Empire, 1857–1930

14Suffrage

15World War 1, 1914-1918

16The Inter-War Years, 1919-1939

17World War 2, 1939-1945

18The Cold War, 1947-1962

19Civil Rights in the USA, 1954-1975

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