20th century – 20th century
Africa
African resistance during the First World War took the form of armed risings, religious opposition, rejection of forced recruitment and labour, economic protest, and efforts to recover recently lost independence. Revolts strained Allied colonial regimes already short of European personnel and troops, delaying the restoration of control in parts of French West Africa and Dahomey. Resistance also reflected the apparent weakening of European authority caused by wartime mobilization and administrative withdrawal.
Continue exploring
The Story
Allied colonial regimes faced armed risings and other protests while their military resources were being diverted to campaigns against Germany and the Ottoman Empire. In regions such as southern Ivory Coast, Libya, and Karamoja in Uganda, colonial control remained tenuous. French authorities lacked sufficient troops to reassert control quickly: large areas of Haut-Sénégal-Niger and Dahomey remained outside effective French control for as long as a year.
The motives of resistance varied. Some movements sought to restore independence or an earlier political order; others reacted against compulsory recruitment, forced labour, wartime economic hardship, or particular colonial policies. Religious and pan-Islamic opposition also shaped wartime politics, especially after Turkey entered the war on Germany’s side. The departure of European officials and soldiers provided visible evidence that colonial power could be weakened, encouraging some groups to revolt.
Examples included the Borgawa and Ohori-Ije in French Dahomey, Igbo groups in Owerri province, and the Egba rising in southern Nigeria. In Madagascar, 500 Malagasy, mainly intellectuals, were arrested in late 1915 and accused of belonging to a secret society seeking to expel the French and restore a Malagasy government. In Portuguese East Africa, the German invasion encouraged Portuguese subjects to attempt to overthrow their colonial rulers.
Muslim populations were a particular concern for Allied authorities after the Ottoman call to jihad. The British feared Islamic propaganda in Northern Nigeria, although cooperation between the Sultan and emirs of the Sokoto Caliphate and the British preserved the loyalty of most northern Muslims. In Libya and Egypt, the Sanusi movement responded more directly: it captured al-Sallum in November 1915, advanced toward Sidi Barrani and Mersa Matruh, and was later driven back into Libya by British forces.
20th century – 20th century
Africa
African resistance during the First World War took the form of armed risings, religious opposition, rejection of forced recruitment and labour, economic protest, and efforts to recover recently lost independence. Revolts strained Allied colonial regimes already short of European personnel and troops, delaying the restoration of control in parts of French West Africa and Dahomey. Resistance also reflected the apparent weakening of European authority caused by wartime mobilization and administrative withdrawal.
Continue exploring
The Story
Allied colonial regimes faced armed risings and other protests while their military resources were being diverted to campaigns against Germany and the Ottoman Empire. In regions such as southern Ivory Coast, Libya, and Karamoja in Uganda, colonial control remained tenuous. French authorities lacked sufficient troops to reassert control quickly: large areas of Haut-Sénégal-Niger and Dahomey remained outside effective French control for as long as a year.
The motives of resistance varied. Some movements sought to restore independence or an earlier political order; others reacted against compulsory recruitment, forced labour, wartime economic hardship, or particular colonial policies. Religious and pan-Islamic opposition also shaped wartime politics, especially after Turkey entered the war on Germany’s side. The departure of European officials and soldiers provided visible evidence that colonial power could be weakened, encouraging some groups to revolt.
Examples included the Borgawa and Ohori-Ije in French Dahomey, Igbo groups in Owerri province, and the Egba rising in southern Nigeria. In Madagascar, 500 Malagasy, mainly intellectuals, were arrested in late 1915 and accused of belonging to a secret society seeking to expel the French and restore a Malagasy government. In Portuguese East Africa, the German invasion encouraged Portuguese subjects to attempt to overthrow their colonial rulers.
Muslim populations were a particular concern for Allied authorities after the Ottoman call to jihad. The British feared Islamic propaganda in Northern Nigeria, although cooperation between the Sultan and emirs of the Sokoto Caliphate and the British preserved the loyalty of most northern Muslims. In Libya and Egypt, the Sanusi movement responded more directly: it captured al-Sallum in November 1915, advanced toward Sidi Barrani and Mersa Matruh, and was later driven back into Libya by British forces.
Continue the journey
Other paths related to this story.