Geo-Political and Economic Impacts of the Mandate SystemBy: Ben Hilse, Christina Morrissey, Conner Taylor, Kayla McCollum, Jesse Sutherland, and Amy Toner

What is a Mandate? Established by Article 22 of the League of Nations Covenant

June 28, 1919

Put into force by the League of Nations

Legal status for territories

Transferred power from 1 country to another

Africa pre-mandate

What is a Mandate?

The territories subject to the League of Nations Mandates

Countries Defeated in WWIGermany

Ottoman Empire

Process of establishing the mandate: Removal of sovereignty of state previously in control

Transfer of power to winning nationsFrance

Britain

Belgium

The Class “A” Mandates

Class A Mandates Class A Mandates were the holdings of the Ottoman Empire that were broken up and divided by the League of Nations.

These were territories deemed to "... have reached a stage of development where their existence as independent nations can be provisionally recognized subject to the rendering of administrative advice and assistance by a Mandatory until such time as they are able to stand alone. The wishes of these communities must be a principal consideration in the selection of the Mandatory.“ – Article 22, Treaty of Versailles

The Class A Mandates were divided amongst Britain and France.

The Ottoman territories were first addressed by the League in the Treaties of Sevres (1920), formally divided up at the San Remo Convention (1920), and finalized in the Treaty of Lausanne (1923)

Class A Mandates

British Mandate of Palestine

September 29th, 1923 – May 15th, 1948

The land was taken by the British in 1917 to prevent the Ottomans from cutting off Britain’s access to India.

British control of Palestine facilitated trade between Britain and India.

Gave British better access to Middle Eastern oil.

The mandate was divided into two sections:

- Palestine, which was ruled directly by the British.

- Transjordan, which was autonomous but still under heavy British influence.

British Mandate of Palestine

Geopolitical ImpactIn 1917, the British expressed support for the Zionist movement in the Balfour Declaration.

In In 1922, in the Transjordan Memorandum, Britain proposed the establishment of a National Home of the Jewish People west of the Jordan River.

Britain had promised Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca independence for an Arab country covering most of the Arab Middle East in exchange for his support, while also promising to create and foster a Jewish national home in Palestine in the Balfour Declaration of 1917, in return for Jewish support.

According to official records, 367,845 Jews and 33,304 non-Jews immigrated legally between 1920 and 1945. It was estimated that another 50–60,000 Jews and a small number of non-Jews immigrated illegally during this period.

By the end of World War II, roughly one third of the population of Palestine was Jewish. This has led to the longest-running conflict in the Middle East and one of the most dramatic clashes between East and West in history.

Present-Day Israel

Estimates place the number of causalities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at around 15,000 since Israel’s creation, but the number of civilians killed is probably much higher.

5 full-scale wars have been fought between Israel and the Arab states over Palestine.

The conflict has made it much more difficult for the nations of Europe to accomplish anything in the Middle East, as a result of strained diplomatic relations because of European support of Israel.

During the Interwar Period, fighting happened almost everyday between Arab natives and Jewish settlers. Eventually, the economically advanced Jews won out, leading to the creation of Israel after WWII.

British Mandate of Mesopotamia (Iraq)

Mesopotamia was given to Britain in August of 1920 after the Ottoman Empire was divided (Treaty of Sevres)

In the beginning, the mandate was met with much opposition because Islamic rules state that Muslims should not be ruled by non-Muslims.

The Great Iraqi Revolution of 1920: brought Sunnis and Shias together.

Britain assigned Faisal ibn Husayn as the first king, they assigned an army under British control, and proposed the Anglo-Iraqi Treaty of 1922 (Cairo Conference of March 1921)

Anglo-Iraqi Treaty – the king would follow all British advice on all matters affecting British interests and on fiscal policy, and British officials would be appointed as advisers and inspectors.

British Mandate of Mesopotamia (Iraq)

Military was stronger than the political structure of Iraq. Sunnis that had served for the Ottoman Empire were in the higher ranks and the tribal Shias filled the lower ranks.

Iraqi politics shifted towards an alliance of important personalities and cliques rather than a democracy.

New Anlgo-Iraqi treaty signed in 1930; a close alliance, consultations between countries about foreign policy, and mutual assistance in case of war

Intended to last 25 years and become relevant when Iraq joined the League of Nations (1932)

British Mandate of Mesopotamia (Iraq)

Turkish Petroleum Company – owned by Britain and claimed the Mosul region, but French had 25% of the share (1919).

In 1923, the Iraqis attempted to get a share of the TPC, but were unsuccessful when the League of Nations voted on their demands.

Syria and Lebanon

Given to France in 1923 by the League of Nations after the division of the Ottoman Empire.

Skyes-Picot Agreement – between Britain and France saying that Britain controlled Ottoman Mesopotamia and the southern part of Ottoman Syria, while France controlled the rest of Ottoman Syria (Syria, Lebanon, Alexandretta and parts of Turkey).

French were oppressive

Syria and LebanonFrance established a loose federation between states in Syria.

There was general unrest in the states.

1936, the Franco-Syrian Treaty of Independence - was not ratified by the French, just intended to make peace.

The Class “B” Mandates

Class “B” MandatesNot considered advanced enough politically/economically to have complete independence

Greater level of control from mandatory power

Former German territories in Western and Central Africa"...the Mandatory must be responsible for the administration of the territory under conditions which will guarantee freedom of conscience and religion.“

Article 22, Treaty of Versailles

Mandates-Rwanda and Burundi (Belgium) July 20th, 1922

Tanzania (Great Britain) July 20th, 1922

Cameroon (France) July 20th, 1922

Togo (Great Britain/ France) July 20th, 1922

Rwanda and Burundi Geo-Political Impact

Most of East Africa mandated to Britain

Rwanda- Belgium

Economic ImpactEconomy relies mostly on agriculture

Coffee/ tea

Belgium took tons of money from the revenue of the coffee and tea industry in Rwanda and Burundi

Treated natives with little respect

TanzaniaGeo-Political Impact

Fell under British control

Didn’t suffer an influx of European settlers

Significant factor when the country approached independence

Economic ImpactEconomy relies mostly on agriculture

Resources also include valuable minerals

Diamonds

Gold

British were greedy when it came to Tanzania’s valuable resources

CameroonGeo-Political Impact

Mandated to France2 small sections on the border given to Britain (British Cameroon)

British Cameroon was neglected

Large influx of people from Nigeria

Britain wanted ports in Cameroon to aid their landlocked African colonies.

Economic ImpactFrench Cameroon

Agriculture development growth, limited growth in industry

TogoGeo-Political Impact

Split along an east/west line1/3rd to the west went under British control

2/3rd to the east went under French control

Became part of French West Africa

Economic ImpactThe economy was booming under German rule

Agriculture (Cocoa, Coffee, Cotton)

Togolese weren’t happy with German rule

Welcomed British with “open arms”

Parts of Ghana used to be part of Togo

The Class “C” Mandates

Class “C” Mandates

not considered capable of sustaining an independent state due to its

sparse population

small size

remoteness

Class “C” Mandate Distribution

former German possessions:Namibia to South Africa

New Guinea and Naura to Australia

Samoa to New Zealand

North Western Pacific Islands to JapanSouth Pacific Mandate

Namibia

October 1, 1922

Rich in resources, mining was the single most important contributor to the economy

Uranium

Rich amounts of diamonds

gas deposits in the Atlantic Ocean

Economy was similar to South Africa

The Territory of New Guinea

1919

Australians expected New Guinea to be profitable

New Guinea was costly

Served more as a militarist base

Had to fight off various countries including

Japan

1884:Germany claims

1906: total responsibility transferred Australia.

During the war, Australian forces seized German New Guinea

1920:became the Territory of New Guinea by League mandate territory of Australia.

NauraWorld’s smallest island

Phosphate Mining

few other resources, and most

necessities are imported

Nauru was captured by Australian troops.

Nauru Island Agreement (1919): Australia, New Zealand, and UKCreates British Phosphate Commission (BPC) which took over the rights to phosphate

1923: the League of Nations gives Australia a trustee mandate over Nauru, with the UK & New Zealand as co-trustees.

Western Samoa

Germans produced mass amounts of cocoa beans and rubber

The value of natural rubber fell drastically, about the end of the World War I

Then New Zealand government encouraged the production of bananas, for which there is a large market in New Zealand.

Samoan cocoa beans are of very high quality and used in fine New Zealand chocolates.

The Only crops that can be successfully grown are copra, cocoa beans, and bananas.

Tripartite Convention: splits into two parts(eastern goes to US)Germans get after Britain vacated all claims to Samoa and accepted termination of German rights in Tonga and certain areas in the Solomon Islands and West Africa.

Aug. 29th,1914: New Zealand seize German authorities.Britain said: "great and urgent imperial service.“

From the end of WW1until 1962, New Zealand controlled Samoa as a class C mandate under trusteeship of the League

South Pacific Mandate(South Sea Mandate)

Included:PalauNorthern Mariana IslandsFederated States of MicronesiaMarshal Islands

Area was more for its strategic military usefulness The mandated territories produced significant quantities of sugar cane, bananas, pineapples, taro, coconuts and other tropical farming productsFishingLarge qualities of pearlsMineral production of phosphates The population of the South Seas Mandate was too small to provide SUBSTANSTIAL markets and the indigenous people had very limited financial resources for the purchase of imported goods

Bibliography

http://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/League-of-Nations-Mandate.pdf

http://www.library.pima.gov/inperfectharmony/clip_image005_0000.jpg

http://www.sfu.ca/archaeology/museum/ndi/History.html#The%20mandates

http://www.sos-childrensvillages.org/where-we-help/africa/togo/pages/country-information.aspx