📍Topic 7.5: Unresolved Tensions After World War I

📖 AMSCO p.493 - p.499

Main Idea

Key Timeline

Image Courtesy of Riya

Things to Know

Effects of the War

• War-torn nations in Europe faced severe economic challenges in the aftermath of World War I.
• In the aftermath of World War I, the Big Three—Woodrow Wilson, Georges Clemenceau, and David Lloyd George—dealt with Europe's economic challenges, rising independence movements in South Asia and West Africa, and the exposed vulnerabilities of imperial powers, shaping their efforts to establish a new world order.
• The war sparked aspirations for independence in South Asia and West Africa, renewing colonial nationalist hopes. African and Asian troops played a crucial role in supporting the Allied war effort during World War I.
• The war revealed vulnerabilities of imperial powers like Britain and France.
• Rebellion in French West Africa against the French resulted in the recognition of colonial obligations.
• War experiences increased expectations for self-determination, with hopes for respect and recognition from Western Europe & become decolonized
• President Wilson's Fourteen Points aimed for the principle of self-determination to lead to self-rule.
• European powers mainly granted self-determination in Eastern Europe, while Middle Eastern and African lands remained under European control.
• The League of Nations Mandate System placed Middle Eastern lands under French and British control, while former German colonies in Africa faced a similar fate.
• Wilson's refusal to meet Vietnamese nationalists fueled stronger nationalist movements.
• African, Arab, and Asian nationalism were planted post World War I, however not much would occur until years later

The Mandate System

• Arab rebels were promised self-rule by British during the war, but post-war outcomes left them disappointed.
• The establishment of the League of Nations mandate system further contributed to Arab discontent.
• League of Nations Charter - Article 22 stated that colonized people in Africa and Asia needed "tutelage" from advanced nations, providing a framework for the mandate system.
• France, Great Britain, and Japan expanded their imperial holdings through mandates.
• The fall of the Ottoman Empire led to significant changes in the Middle East. Palestine, Transjordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq became League of Nations mandates.
• Despite being mandates, these Arab states were still sovereigned by Great Britain and France. This fueled Pan-Arabism, advocating the unification of North Africa and the Middle East.
• The Balfour Declaration (1917) declared Palestine as a permanent home for European Jews, contributing to tensions as European Jews moved to Palestine under British control.
• Supporters of a Jewish homeland, known as Zionists, saw increased migration to Palestine after the Allied victory in World War I, intensifying conflicts.

Anti-Colonialism in South Asia

• The Indian National Congress, formed in the late 19th century, evolved into a strong advocate for independence by the end of World War I.
• The Amritsar Massacre in 1919, where British forces killed hundreds of Indian nationalists, radicalized many and convinced Congress members of the necessity for independence.
• Mohandas Gandhi led the Indian National Congress in the 1920s, initiated the satyagraha movement, promoted civil disobedience and boycotted British goods.
• In 1930, Gandhi's Salt March challenged Britain's salt monopoly, showcasing nonviolent resistance against unjust laws.
• Muslim leader Muhammad Ali Jinnah proposed a two-state solution for South Asian independence, fearing Muslim interests would be overlooked in an independent India.
• The interwar years were crucial, setting the stage for India and Pakistan's independence after World War II. Tensions between Hindus and Muslims during this period led to the later partition of South Asia.

Nationalism in East Asia

• Resentment grew in Korea because of Japanese control since 1910, this led to the March First Movement in 1919, where Koreans stood up against Japanese rule.
• China supported the Allies during World War I, and in 1919, the May Fourth Movement showcased the growth in Chinese nationalism and a demand for democracy.
• In China, there were two groups who wanted power which led to the Chinese Civil War in 1927.
  • The Communist Party, led by Mao Zedong, focusing on helping peasants
  • The Kuomintang, led by Sun Yatsen and later Chiang Kaishek, wanting independence and progress.
• The Long March (1934-1935) was when Mao's group strategically retreated to Yan'an in Shaanxi province, showing their commitment and gaining support from peasants.
• In 1935, Chinese Nationalists and Communists briefly united against Japan, but Japan's aggressive expansion and creating Manchukuo caused more tension.
• Japan seized territories, claiming it was for a "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere," claiming to free Asia from the West, but many saw them as conquerors.
• Movements like the March First and May Fourth showed a common desire for freedom, with leaders like Sun Yatsen and Mao Zedong displaying strong East Asian nationalism.

Resistance to French Rule in West Africa

• Africans were disappointed as their colonies did not gain independence after World War I.
• Pro-independence movements were started by European-educated intellectuals, including leaders like Jomo Kenyatta (Kenya) and Léopold Senghor (Senegal)
• African intellectuals in Europe recognized racial discrimination happening in their homelands
• Black workers in French West Africa engaged in various strikes, including a railway workers' strike in 1917 and a general strike in 1946.
• Strikes spread across French West Africa, including Senegal, Benin, Ivory Coast, and Guinea.
• Strikers protested against discriminatory wage and benefit policies imposed by the colonial administration.
• Some strikes resulted in compromise settlements. Resistance efforts demonstrated a collective pushback against colonial policies and discriminatory practices.

Terms to Remember