 |
| Comic strip on the war |
The War to end all Wars - That is how leaders of that era sold the war to people at large ! It did not of course, end all wars. Not even in Europe where it was largely fought.
This is a year when many people around the globe are celebrating the memory of that war. However, as nations pay homage and hold grand ceremonies to commemorate the `Great War' and the generation which fought it, many forget the reasons why the war was fought in the first place.
Was it about naval rivalry? National Pride? Naked German aggression ? The inherent conflict between European royalty, all of whom were closely related to each other, triggered by the assassination of one of them in distant Sarajevo ?
All these were certainly factors, but the underlying reason for most wars are economic. The First World War too was no different. The war in truth, was a conflict over the spoils of colonialism.
The first world war was preceded by a mad scramble to occupy Africa. All European powers joined in the race to claim bits and pieces of the `Dark Continent' with its immense riches. The major European powers had already carved up the Americas and much of Asia in the centuries before and in the process increased the per capita income of their citizens manifold. This was the last habitable bit of Earth which could be had to add to Imperial `estates.' In this battle for land and influence, as first movers, France and Great Britain, had an advantage over late comers like Germany and Austria and that triggered the tensions which transformed into a World War.
This is a year when many people around the globe are celebrating the memory of that war. However, as nations pay homage and hold grand ceremonies to commemorate the `Great War' and the generation which fought it, many forget the reasons why the war was fought in the first place.
Was it about naval rivalry? National Pride? Naked German aggression ? The inherent conflict between European royalty, all of whom were closely related to each other, triggered by the assassination of one of them in distant Sarajevo ?
All these were certainly factors, but the underlying reason for most wars are economic. The First World War too was no different. The war in truth, was a conflict over the spoils of colonialism.
The first world war was preceded by a mad scramble to occupy Africa. All European powers joined in the race to claim bits and pieces of the `Dark Continent' with its immense riches. The major European powers had already carved up the Americas and much of Asia in the centuries before and in the process increased the per capita income of their citizens manifold. This was the last habitable bit of Earth which could be had to add to Imperial `estates.' In this battle for land and influence, as first movers, France and Great Britain, had an advantage over late comers like Germany and Austria and that triggered the tensions which transformed into a World War.
The rivalry between the two camps – newly arrived
Germany and land-locked Austria-Hungary on the one hand and older sea-borne colonial powers – was not just for colonies, but
also colonial trade, trade routes and privileges.
An insight into the scramble for colonies
can be had from the two Moroccan crisis which occurred just before the Great War began –
In 1904, France had concluded a secret treaty with Spain partitioning Morocco and agreeing not
to oppose Britain’s moves in Egypt in exchange for a
free hand in the till then independent kingdom of Morocco. The next year, German emperor Wilhelm II visited Tangier and declared for Morocco’s
independence, not really in support of an oppressed people, but because he
wanted to parley with fellow European kings over colonial rights and needed a bargaining chip. This `First Moroccan Crisis’, was resolved in January–April 1906 at the Algeciras Conference, where German economic rights in the region were upheld, while the French and Spanish were entrusted with the policing of Morocco.
 |
| The World Carved Up Among European Powers |
The Second Moroccan Crisis sparked in
1911, when the German gunboat Panther
was sent to Agadir
ostensibly to protect German interests during a local uprising in
Morocco but in reality to cow the French. This “Agadir Incident” sparked a
flurry of war talk during that year, but international negotiations continued, and
the crisis averted with the conclusion of a convention in November 1911, by
which France became `protector' of Morocco and, in return, Germany was
given strips of territory from the French Congo. Obviously, the local people
were never consulted when they were bought or sold!
 |
| Map of the proposed railway |
However, the Germans had ambitions further
afield, which included nebulous control over the newly found oil wealth of Mesopotamia.
A Berlin-Baghdad railway line was planned which could be later extended to
Teheran. Germany would be supplied by oil and other supplies from the east, by
this railway, while the Ottoman Empire which controlled Baghdad would gain a
railway network for quick military mobilization into the Balkans were they were
facing up to Russia's expansionist threats. The problem was that a German railway up to Baghdad or
Persia, was just a step away from India !
Let me quote the American Orientalist Morris
Jastrow, to explain what was at stake : "It was felt in England that
if, as Napoleon is said to have remarked, Antwerp in the hands of a great
continental power was a pistol leveled at the English coast, Baghdad and the
Persian Gulf in the hands of Germany (or any other strong power) would be a
42-centimetre gun pointed at (England's dominion over) India."
Europe readied for war. The older colonial
powers – France, England, Russia and Italy to protect their colonies and
trading privileges, the newer ones – Germany and Austria, hand in glove with
a threatened tottering power – the Turkish Ottomans, in
search of fresh colonies and trade routes. The assassination of Archduke
Ferdinand of Austria at Sarajevo by
Serbian-Bosnian rebels in 1914, was merely an excuse for the war to begin.
We, Indians, had no say in the war at all. Most
Indians wanted only one thing - independence. Not rule by King George V
or by Emperor Wilhelm II. However, without any strong national leadership,
Indians joined in the war effort in large numbers for the pay and job
opportunity which came their way. Boys
from rural India fought bravely and possibly won the larger part of the war in
the Middle East. Damascus, Palestine, Jerusalem, Gaza, Haifa, Kut-Al_Amara, Baghdad, Basra and Tigris, all figure in the battle honours list of the Indian Army. (Lawrence of Arabia and his motley crew of supporting Sheikhs, were considered by many as merely extras in that battle for Arab lands. The real muscle power was mostly Indian.) More than half of the Indian brigade thrown at Gallipoli died in a brave but futile attempt to take on Turkey's brilliant General, Kemal Pasha, side by side with the ANZAC (Australia and New Zealand) troops, though in the national memories of the West, that epic folly of a battle is associated with Australians alone. In all some 65,000 Indian soldiers died fighting the King's war. The Sub-continentals won some 13,000 gallantry medals including 12 Victoria Crosses, the highest gallantry award the British gave to a fighting man.
 |
| Recruitment Poster |
Quite rightly, we need to celebrate our boys' bravery and mourn those who died. However, should we really celebrate this war which was not ours ? There is after all a distinction to be made in celebrating our own people’s bravery and someone else’s victory.
Neither was the victory ours nor the defeat.
It was a white man's war fought also by brown and black boys, who were not
allowed to be promoted to officer ranks nor get the same pay or perks that
their white brethren received. The 140,000 Indian soldiers rushed to defend France were sent in without adequate winter clothing or footwear ! Despite that they fought and were decisive in the battles of -Ypres, Givenchy, Neuve Chaplle, Festubert and Loos. Modern medi-care was given to the Indian wounded, but in segregated hospitals on the English coast. Barbed wire surrounded these hospitals and sepoys were not allowed into town un-chaperoned ! Even in matters of food they were discriminated.
Britain is right in celebrating the first World War. It was indeed her hour of glory. Britain is also right in apportioning some credit (belatedly?) to the 1.4 million Indians who donned the colours to fight for Britain.
An Indian soldier’s daily ration during the Great War consisted of
:
1⁄4 pounds (lb) meat
(Non-meat eaters received 2 ounces of gur (coarse, unrefined sugar made from sugar cane juice) or sugar or 3 ounce (oz) of milk in place of 4 ounces of meat); 1⁄8 lb potatoes; 1⁄3 oz tea; 1⁄2 oz salt; 1 1⁄2 lb atta (raw flour); 4 oz dhal (dried lentils or peas or beans); 2 oz ghee (clarified butter); 1⁄6 oz chillies; 1⁄6 oz turmeric; 1⁄3 oz ginger; 1⁄6 oz garlic and 1 oz gur (unrefined sugar)
While a British soldier received : (Non-meat eaters received 2 ounces of gur (coarse, unrefined sugar made from sugar cane juice) or sugar or 3 ounce (oz) of milk in place of 4 ounces of meat); 1⁄8 lb potatoes; 1⁄3 oz tea; 1⁄2 oz salt; 1 1⁄2 lb atta (raw flour); 4 oz dhal (dried lentils or peas or beans); 2 oz ghee (clarified butter); 1⁄6 oz chillies; 1⁄6 oz turmeric; 1⁄3 oz ginger; 1⁄6 oz garlic and 1 oz gur (unrefined sugar)
1 & 1/4 lb fresh or frozen meat, or 1
lb preserved or salt meat
1 & 1/4 lb bread ; 4 oz. bacon; 3 oz. cheese
5/8 oz. tea; 4 oz. jam ; 3 oz. sugar ; 1/2 oz salt ; 1/36 oz. pepper
1/20 oz. mustard ; 8 oz. fresh or 2 oz. dried vegetables ; 1/10 gill lime juice (if fresh vegetables not issued);
1/2 gill rum (at discretion of commanding general) ; up to 2 oz. tobacco per week (at discretion of commanding general)
1 & 1/4 lb bread ; 4 oz. bacon; 3 oz. cheese
5/8 oz. tea; 4 oz. jam ; 3 oz. sugar ; 1/2 oz salt ; 1/36 oz. pepper
1/20 oz. mustard ; 8 oz. fresh or 2 oz. dried vegetables ; 1/10 gill lime juice (if fresh vegetables not issued);
1/2 gill rum (at discretion of commanding general) ; up to 2 oz. tobacco per week (at discretion of commanding general)
Britain is right in celebrating the first World War. It was indeed her hour of glory. Britain is also right in apportioning some credit (belatedly?) to the 1.4 million Indians who donned the colours to fight for Britain.
This leads me to the logical question,
could we in any way be described as part of the victors' party? I would not hesitate to
say `No'. Please remember Indians were not even allowed to enter certain
streets and clubs inside India at that time or aspire to most of the higher
ranks of service within their own motherland. India's revenues were being used to finance British colonial wars in all parts of the world - ranging from China to Africa and even to the European theatre, without our agreement, and by beggaring our people in the process. During World War I, Britain stripped India of 3.7 million tonnes of supplies worth 80 million pounds and 146 million pounds of revenues for the war effort, the largest contribution by any country's colony. To understand the value of that contribution at today's rate multiply the figures by 340 and that gives you the mind-boggling figure of 76.84 billion pounds or Rs 783,760 crore. This happened even as teenagers were being
jailed for reciting `Vande Mataram' and hung for fighting for India's freedom.
Landmarks in our nation's history - the Komagata Maru incident - happened in May 1914, while - the Jalianwala Bagh massacre - happened in 1919. Should we not commemorate those sad milestones in India's freedom struggle from Britain, rather than applaud a victory in an European war, which merely deprived us ?
Landmarks in our nation's history - the Komagata Maru incident - happened in May 1914, while - the Jalianwala Bagh massacre - happened in 1919. Should we not commemorate those sad milestones in India's freedom struggle from Britain, rather than applaud a victory in an European war, which merely deprived us ?
Postscript:
India's First Flying Ace : Indra Lal Roy
 |
| First Day Cover to Commemorate India's first flying ace |
Indra Lal Roy, India's first ace pilot, was born in Calcutta on 2 December 1898. Despite initial
prejudices against him, Roy, a schoolboy at St Paul’s, London, managed to win a commission in the Royal
Flying Corps in 1917, at the young age of 18, within three months of joining
the Corps. Credited with 10 kills including 9 in a span of just 14 days over
the skies of France, he died a hero in 1918, to be posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying
Cross.
The citation in the London
Gazette on 21 September 1918 praised Roy as 'a very gallant and determined
officer' whose 'remarkable skill and daring' had enabled him on occasion to
shoot down 'two [enemy] machines in one patrol'.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
