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Resistance: The British Colonies

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Resistance: The British Colonies

People have always desired freedom and the element of choice and any infringement on

this breeds resentment. This resentment grows and is fueled by denial of fundamental rights and

freedoms. Eventually, in a bid to reclaim what has been lost on them as individuals, region, or

country people rise against their oppressors. A resistance of a political nature is born of this need

to fight back the oppression.

One of the most prolific explanations of resistance can be seen through the British

Empire. The British had conquered and colonized nations all over the world America, Africa,

India, and others. The empire had grown and spread its dominance all over and seemed

unstoppable. However, this was not the case; people began to rise against the colonist nation.

Mau Mau uprising in Kenya was using guerilla tactics to fight the British in a bid to reclaim their

land and their freedom (Percox, 2005).

The imperialism practiced by the British knew no bounds, and as they were conquering in

Africa, they also set their sights on India. The Indians also did not take kindly to their

mistreatment through extortion schemes that asked them to pay high taxes to the British. This

lead to rebellions that came up in protest to the colonizers who were enslaving them, destroying

their way of life, and taking up residence in their country forcefully (Ashman, 1997).

It is clear that people who had the experience of living under the rule of the British

Empire had only tolerated it for a while. Africa initially became a target of colonialism and

imperialism in a bid to educate the ‘savages’ that lived there to become civil. The trigger for the

events that ensued was the Berlin conference of 1885 which set in motion the Scramble for

Africa by the European nations (Karai, 2018).

Kenya fell victim to this move, and the British Empire arrived at its doorstep. The main

agenda was to take over the land to control the people. This led to the introduction of land

ordinances which meant all natives had to pay rates to the crown. The land systems in place gave

rise to the ‘white highlands.’ Kenyans became of the opinion that they had no control of their

land and raised their grievances. The reaction was the introduction of capitalist systems that

allowed the natives to earn money to pay the crown (Percox, 2005).

Forced labor was easy to enforce since people required to make a living to keep up with

the taxes required of them to pay. The British then introduced the identification system known as

Kipande. The designated individual wore a metal collar that was attached to a book containing

personal details. This way the colonialists were able to separate people from the same ethnic

background in a move to divide and conquer. Religion also had a part to play in the colonization

scheme. The missionaries had set up churches and introduced schools in a bid to educate and

create a following for the institutions they established (Karai, 2018).

During this time the Kenya Land and Freedom Army, referred also as the Mau Mau, was

gaining momentum. They advocated for the white man to leave their land and to stop oppressing

them and give them back their freedom. The rebellion was led by Field Marshal Dedan Kimathi

who ended up being captured in 1956 (Page, 2011). The British fought the revolution by creating

a bad image for the rebellion by claiming they killed their people. The divide and conquer

mantra was working well for the colonialists. However, the insurgency had well-organized plans

for the attack and focused on loyalists as well as the British forces. The situation worsened, and

in 1952 a state of emergency was declared by Evelyn Baring in a bid to quell the resistance.

All these moves may have suppressed the rebellion, but it did not die off completely.

Arrests of high profile individuals were instituted, military sweeps were conducted, and any
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sympathizers were swiftly arrested. However, in the end, the rebellion bore fruit and Kenya

gained its independence in 1963 (Percox, 2005). The land that was taken from the Kenyan

people still elicits contention to date. Cases of compensation have been raised, and the British

Empire seems to be lurking around, but Kenya is still going strong against post-colonialism

(Wiener, 2013).

India was set in the best way as a prize to be won. British leaders considered it to be a

great trade center and at the same time a great source of cheap labor. The colony offered a great

revolution in industrialization, and the popularity of the British company set up in East India was

a clear indication of this development (Ashman, 1997). The Mughal Empire that had been

controlling trade partnered with the British, but eventually, the relationship went sour when the

Mughal Empire could not assure protection.

Local leaders led revolts against the British once they took over Bengal. This was as a

result of the land rates being increased drastically to line the pockets of the leaders in charge. In a

bid to make more money for the crown the British extorted the peasants, the peasants were also

being milked dry by landowners as well as money lenders. The pressure from all these sources

and the famine experienced in Bengal sparked the Sanyasi rebellion. The rebellion was also

motivated by the restrictions on pilgrims by the British (Ashman, 1997).

The political class clamored for more money and profits and kept pushing the Indians.

They even went ahead to introduce new crops and increase taxes and land rates. The Indigo

rebellion that took place between 1859 and 1862 was as a result of poor soils, reduced prices,

and preference to plant indigo instead of subsistence crops. Other popular uprisings instigated by

farmers against the British were the Wahabi and Farazi movements. The peasant revolts were
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mainly directed at changes from growing crops to cash crops which left peasants without food

(Ashman, 1997).

Rebellions by tribes were also a common occurrence based on the transgressions the

tribes felt were being committed by the British. They stole their property, killed their leaders, and

destroyed the coexistence of their communities with the surroundings. The Santhal had been

living quietly until the British showed up and forced them to buy and sell food and borrow at

high-interest rates that were paid back during harvests. They ended up losing even their land in

the process when they could not pay up the hefty fees. This saw the people of Santhal rebel, but

their struggle was short-lived, but it inspired others to stand and fight.

Perhaps, the tribal rebellion would have been more effective if the oppressed had banded

together to fight. Subsequent revolutions from tribes included the Munda, which took place after

the uprising of 1857. They mainly attacked churches, police stations, and eventually Munda their

leader was captured and died while in jail. Other tribes that had revolutions include the likes of

Mappila, Bhils, and Kol. Many of the tribes revolted because they considered the British to be

oppressors and outsiders (Ashman, 1997).

The most significant rebellion took place when soldiers of Indian descent led a mutiny.

They killed their commanding officers and then stormed Delhi. Peasants joined the rebellion, and

they plundered treasuries, government buildings, and went to the extent of attacking landowners.

This attack forced retribution that reshaped the leadership strategy in India. The British had not

expected this turn of events, and therefore crown rule reigned when Delhi was recaptured

(Anderson, 2007).

Pent-up frustrations were released towards oppressive strategies that had been

continuously used on the natives. High taxation, mistreatment of army members of Indian
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descent, and reduced wages formed part of the reasons leading the revolt. The fact that foreigners

had come in and taken over everything had also not been well-received for quite a long time. The

British had also desecrated the religion and social norms of the Indians, and to them, this was not

right. The British had even belittled the leadership of the Indian community by failing to

recognize the leaders they found (Ashman, 1997).

The British Imperialism always had the trait of acquiring land as a step towards

establishing dominance in every setting. The next strategy seemed to revolve around taxation to

ensure they made money off their colonial territories. The results seemed to always work in their

favor. However, they failed to incorporate the ideologies of the people they found in these

territories since they felt, they were superior. They felt that others needed to conform to them

(Wiener, 2013). It is such tendencies that led to the natives standing up for their rights and

choosing to fight and die for their rights. Resistance came in many forms but resulted in the

death of so many natives as well as British soldiers. The retaliatory tactics only led to the loss of

more lives which proved counterintuitive.

In our current society, these countries have gained their sovereignty and independence.

However, the lingering hold of the colonial powers is visible. The language spoken in these

former colonies is from Britain, education systems are similar, and religion that was ‘sold’ as the

way forward is still visible. The geography of the countries also changes with regions that

resisted showing greater promise in terms of development (Wiener, 2013).

Resistance applies even to conventional societal norms. The geography of the world has

been changing, and with globalization, the concept of borders is being lost. Eventually,

imperialism and colonialism will be pushed to platforms that exceed physicality but rather the

mind. The British Empire may have fallen, but the impact of its actions are still being felt to date.
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Colonization has left its effects but it is not entirely gone, and it is only a matter of time before

we have another nation clamoring for imperial supremacy.

References

Anderson, C. (2007). Indian Uprising of 1857-8. New York: Anthems Press.

Ashman, S. (1997). India: Imperialism, Partition and Resistance. International Socialism

Journal.

Karai, P. (2018). Modus Operandi of Oppressing the "Savages": The Kenyan British Colonial

Experience. Peace and Conflict Studies.

Page, M. (2011). King's African Rifles: A History. Barnsley: Pen and Sword Books.

Percox, D. A. (2005). Kenya: Mau Mau Revolt. Encyclopedia of African History, 2, 751-752.

Wiener, M. J. (2013). The Idea of "Colonial Legacy" and the Historiography of Empire. Journal

of Historical Society, 13(1).