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World War I: The War in the Colonies. A “World” War. European nations’ colonial empires participated in World War I in 2 ways: 1) Colonized peoples were recruited in to the armed forces of the combatant nations And fought in all theaters of the war
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A “World” War • European nations’ colonial empires participated in World War I in 2 ways: • 1) Colonized peoples were recruited in to the armed forces of the combatant nations • And fought in all theaters of the war • 2) Battles were fought in the Colonial World, as the Europeans attempted to capture each others’ colonies
Colonial Soldiers • Some colonial regiments were brought to Europe to fight on the main fronts of the war; • But they were—of course—segregated from European troops • Often, colonial troops were given the most dangerous assignments during battle • Total military deaths from colonial empires: • British: 300,000 • French: 81,000 • German: 41,000 • *These numbers do not approach the number of civilians that were killed in the Colonial World; • From the Belgian Congo, 5000 soldiers were killed in battle; 150,000 civilians were killed during the war
Why fight? • Despite their poor treatment—and despite the fact of their colonization by the European powers—thousands of people from the Colonial World volunteered to fight in World War I • Why do you think this happened?
East Asia • Japan entered World War I on the side of the Allies in late 1914 • Over the next several years, the Japanese seized German colonies in China and the Pacific
India • Hundreds of thousands of Indians joined the British Army; • There was no actual fighting in India, but Indian troops served in all theaters of the war, most prominently in Africa
Africa • British and French (African) troops captured German colonies in West Africa, preventing the Germans from using those colonies as bases for naval attacks • The Ottoman Empire tried to take the Suez Canal from Great Britain, but British and Indian troops successfully defended it
The Middle East • Many Arabs joined the British in fighting against their Ottoman rulers (behind the lines) • (The British agent known as “Lawrence of Arabia” secretly promised the Arab Prince Faisal that the Arabs would be given independence in exchange for their help) • As aresult of the Arab uprising, the Ottomans were greatly weakened and did not contribute much to the war in Europe
Uganda: A Case Study in Social Darwinism • Major Ethnic/Cultural Groups in Uganda: • Acholi/Langi (North) • Baganda (South) • The British had used the Baganda to control the colony, because of: • Their history of centralized government • Their more “European-looking” features • During the war, the British troops recruited the northern people to serve as soldiers, because: • They were taller and darker; • So the British felt they would make better fighters
The Sykes-Picot Agreement: A Case Study in European Duplicity • During the War, the Arabs had essentially been promised their independence from the Ottomans • At the same time, the British and French were making their own arrangements: the Sykes-Picot Agreement: • In this secret treaty, the British and French outlined how they would divide the Middle East between them at the end of the war • Why did they do this? • Shortly before the war, massive oil deposits had been discovered in the Middle East
