The British Empire
Part One: The Interwar Period: 1919-1939
With the end of the Great War in 1919 the British Empire emerged victorious and was in arguably the best position of the Great Powers. The majority of the German Empire’s overseas territories were absorbed by Britain, along with most of the Ottoman Empire, expanding the already massive British Empire yet further. Despite the Empire now being at its height, however, the Great War also started the slow process of dissolution of British Imperial power.
King George V unveils the Cenotaph in London, a monument to the fallen of the Great War
The British Empire had suffered a total of 1,229,590 casualties during the Great War, and this would form a lasting impression on it, shaping a British foreign policy in the interwar period around the idea of peace at almost any cost, lest they suffer the horror of general war again. Another major issue facing Britain came in the form of the different territories of the Empire, which had fought semi-independently during the war, and thus began to forge their own national identities. This had already boiled over when Irish Republicans rebelled in 1916 with German support, and would occur again in 1919, with large scale rebellion across Ireland. Following two years of revolution and a following civil war, Ireland became independent in 1923. This territory, so close to home as part of the UK itself, did still more to make the home country appear weakened in the eyes of her subjects.
British constabulary men at their headquarters in Dublin following an IRA bombing
Difficulties would also arise in India, as independence movements gained traction. Mahatma Gandhi had returned to India in 1916, and by now had taken over the independence movement there, successfully expanding it into a mass movement, and advocating a policy of non-cooperation with authorities. This included the rejection of British honors by Indian veterans of the Great War, boycotts of British goods, mass resignations from government jobs, causing serious disruption of the colonial government of the British Raj, and eventually Gandhi was arrested and imprisoned. He was held only for two years, however, and resumed his leadership of the independence movement after release. He continued with his campaigns, and although by 1939 India was still under British control, it had become the arguably Empire’s most unstable territory.
Members of the Indian Non-Cooperation Movement demonstrate by burning western style clothes
Other territories would also assert themselves. Canada demanded a seat at the table during the negotiations at Versailles, and overcame British opposition due to their casualties during the war. In a similar situation, Australia gained a seat during the peace conference, and asserted her position in new League of Nations. Similar events transpired to varying degrees in New Zealand, South Africa, and elsewhere.
Another major blow would come in 1936, when King George V died. He was replaced by his son Edward VIII, who abdicated within a year due to a scandal stemming from his desire to marry an American divorcee. His brother Albert took the throne as George VI, but it would be an uphill fight to restore faith in the monarchy, which had been badly damaged, particularly with the religous and the political class.
A postcard showing the “Year of the three Kings” that occurred as a result of the death of George V and abdication of Edward VII
As Germany remilitarized in the 1930s the British would be put to the test as the arbiters of peace in Europe. They would watch in alarm as the Germans seized Austria in 1938, and began to make demands of Czechoslovakia. Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain would lead a conference with the Germans and French to preserve peace, signing over Czechoslovakia to the Germans to secure “peace in our time”. These words would come to sum up the legacy of Chamberlain, but not in the manner he intended. In 1939 the Germans made demands of Poland, and the British were finally forced to draw the line.
British and French leaders meet with Hitler in Munich
“The settlement of the Czechoslovakian problem, which has now been achieved is, in my view, only the prelude to a larger settlement in which all Europe may find peace. This morning I had another talk with the German Chancellor, Herr Hitler, and here is the paper which bears his name upon it as well as mine.”
