- Britain gained vast amount of land after end of First World War. British Empire reached greatest extent with addition of 1.8 million square miles and 13 million new subjects because of League of Nation ‘mandates’.
- Treaty of Versailles in 1919 stripped Germany of former colonies and gave them to League of Nations to be administered as ‘mandates’. Guiding principle of treaty was Woodrow Wilson’s belief for ‘self-determination’.
- Mandate system set apart 3 categories.
- Category A was for countries that were seen as quite developed and independence would be a viable future option.
- Category B was for countries which required long period of guidance before independence.
- Category C was for small islands and areas which couldn’t be feasibly independent.
- Treaty of Sevres in 1920 and Treaty of Lausanne in 1923 continued this to the Ottoman Empire.
- The Treaty of San Remo in 1920 divided these territories amongst the allied powers.
- The British gained land in Middle East, Africa and Palestine.
- Britain already seemingly had interest in the Middle East as shown by its former foreign endeavours. In 1915, the McMahon-Hussain Correspondence between Arab king and British High Commissioner of Egypt was where Britain promised support for an Arab state in exchange for defeating Turks. Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916 was also evident of Britain’s interest as they essentially divided up the Middle East with France, paying no attention to ethnic borders. The Balfour Declaration of 1917 also shows how Britain wished to have influence by promising the Jewish in their hopes for a Zionist state in the Middle East to gain the support of Americans in their influence in the Middle East. Eventually proved problematic as Jewish and Muslim relations strained severely, with violent clashes occurring due to increased Jewish migration.
- Britain gained Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq), Palestine, Tanganyika, Togoland (Gold Coast), German South-West Africa and many of the dominions gained mandates of their own (Australia and Papea New Guinea).
- Britain’s oldest colony Ireland was lost because of war.
- Ireland had joined in 1801 and had vociferous Home Rule movement. Gladstone had failed to carry Irish independence and though Asquith had come close, never happened à Third Home Rule Bill in 1913 provoked uprising in Ulster, which wanted to remain united.
- Because of war, it was never implemented. Irish prepared armed rising against British. April 1916 Dublin Easter Rising was put down but followed by period of guerrilla warfare only ending in 1921 when Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed. New Catholic Irish Free State established and giving ‘Dominion’ status. 6 northern territories objected and remained in Northern Ireland.
- 1937 Statute of Westminster gave Ireland full independence as ‘Eire’.
- Britain also lost its mandates Egypt and Mesopotomia in the inter-war years.
- In 1922, Egypt was granted formal independence after being made a protectorate at outbreak of First World War, though remained British client state till 1954. British stationed in Egypt until signing of Anglo-Egyptian Treaty in 1936 where troops would withdraw but stayed in Suez Canal zone.
- Britain already seemingly had interest in the Middle East as shown by its former foreign endeavours. In 1915, the McMahon-Hussain Correspondence between Arab king and British High Commissioner of Egypt was where Britain promised support for an Arab state in exchange for defeating Turks. Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916 was also evident of Britain’s interest as they essentially divided up the Middle East with France, paying no attention to ethnic borders. The Balfour Declaration of 1917 also shows how Britain wished to have influence by promising the Jewish in their hopes for a Zionist state in the Middle East to gain the support of Americans in their influence in the Middle East. Eventually proved problematic as Jewish and Muslim relations strained severely, with violent clashes occurring due to increased Jewish migration.
- Mandate system set apart 3 categories.
- Treaty of Versailles in 1919 stripped Germany of former colonies and gave them to League of Nations to be administered as ‘mandates’. Guiding principle of treaty was Woodrow Wilson’s belief for ‘self-determination’.
In Iraq, Anglo-Iraqi Treaty of 1932 granted independence but maintained economic and military ties with Britain, including air bases in the country.