Nationalism 1914-1945

• Egypt:

  • A countrywide revolution in 1919 against British rule after they exiled nationalist leader Saad Zaghlul and other members.
• Egypt:

  • There were attacks on British military bases, Egyptian villages were burnt and destroyed railways.
  • At least 800 Egyptians were killed and 1,600 wounded.
• Egypt:

  • Gained independence in 1922 following the 'Milner Report'.
  • Anglo-Egyptian Treaty in 1936 secured British presence in the Suez.
• Egypt:

  • Egypt gained independence earlier than most colonies due to the intense violence as well as Britain being able to secure their overall interests of the Suez Canal.
• India:

  • Government of India Act and the Rowlatt Acts in 1919 caused protests and tension.
  • Conflict came about that same year during the Amritsar Massacre after several Britons as well as other Europeans were killed due to rioting.
• India:

  • The Amritsar Massacre galvanised Gandhi's Non-Co-operation Movement 1920.
  • The massacre also provoked a huge reaction from the Indian National Congress.
• India:

  • Chuari Chuara Incident 1922- violence erupted among a large group of protestors participating in the Non-Co-operation Movement and the police who opened fire.
  • The attackers set fire to a police station, killing 23 policemen.
• India:

  • Violence erupted after WW2 between Hindus and Muslims, polarised by Britain's divide and rule policies, fought for ascendancy and rejected British offers of Dominion status.
  • When India received independence in 1947 amidst scenes of violence where 400,000 people died during the conflict that led to partition.
• Ireland:

  • Religious divide (Protestants and Catholics) threatened to wreck the 1912/13 Home Rule Bill granting Irish self-government.
  • Conflict occurred as both sides armed themselves in July 1914 and Home Rule had to be suspended for the duration of WW1.
• Ireland:

  • Sinn Fein organised an unsuccessful uprising in Dublin during Easter 1916.
  • However in the 1918 general election to establish an Irish Assembly in Dublin Sinn Fein won a majority of Irish seats in Westminster.
  • They declared an Irish Republic and the IRA began a guerrilla war against the British.
• Ireland:

  • Conflict ended in 1921 with the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty.
  • This created the Irish Free State as a self-governing Dominion within the Empire.
  • In 1948 the country separated itself entirely from the rest of Britain.
• Palestine:

  • Inter-racial violence from Arabs increased and Jews armed themselves forming the Haganah.
  • More militant Jewish units such as Stern Gang waged an open war on both the British and Arabs.
• Palestine:

  • By 1945 open conflict proved too much for the British, unable to control the violence.
  • In 1948 Britain withdrew leaving it to the UN to sort out.
• West Africa:

  • The Gold Coast had limited self-government in 1914 which prompted political activists to found the National Congress of West Africa in 1919.
  • The Congress's demands for greater representation were initially ignored.
• West Africa:

  • The WASU (West African Students Union) founded in 1925 helped bring together students from various west African countries studying in London.
  • Nnamdi Azikiwe and Kwame Nkrumah emerged as significant figures.
• East Africa:

  • Harry Thuka developed the first East African political protest movements.
  • He also founded the East African Association (EAA).
• East Africa:

  • Jomo Kenyatta joined the EAA in 1922 and the movement gradually broadened.
  • In 1947 Jomo Kenyatta became president of the Kenya African Union (formed in 1946).
• East Africa:

  • With the absence of violence it was hard to gain momentum and Britain had to use limited resources to maintain control. Therefore decolonisation happened much later than other colonies.
• Which countries experienced successful nationalism before WW2 which led to their independence?

  Egypt

  Ireland (experienced some success)