What if control of your country was placed in the hands of a foreigner without your consent? This was true for Tanzania after the League of Nations Mandate allowed Britain to take control over Tanzania after defeating Germany in World War I. While the League of Nations had good intentions of helping Tanzania prosper, Britain had selfish intentions. In this essay, I will discuss the League of Nations intentions, Britain’s intentions, and how these intentions led to an uprising against the British for Tanzania to gain its independence.  

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           With Germany losing World War I, it meant that they lost their colonies in East Africa, including Tanzania. With the war having affected these areas so greatly, the League of Nations created a mandate in hopes of helping Tanzania. In the article, “Tanganyika,” it states, “After the war, responsibility for the administration of German East Africa, was awarded to Britain under a League of Nations Mandate.” When the League of Nations allowed Britain to have control over Tanzania, their intentions were good and focused around helping Tanzania’s economy after the war.  

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           While the League of Nations’ intentions were good, the British had their own self-interest in mind of furthering their expansion of African colonies. In the article “Tanganyika,” it states, “The League doctrine, largely drafted by Britain, effectively became the basis of future British colonial policy, with the colonies seen as embryo self-governing Dominions within the British Commonwealth.” The British had no intention of losing control of Tanzania because they would no longer make a profit off Tanzania if they lost it as a colony. In chapter four of Eustace Palmer’s textbook, he discusses how the League of Nations was anti-colonialist meaning they did not support the colonization by European Nations within foreign nations (pg. 82). The League of Nations had no idea that Britain had planned for these East African countries to become colonies.

 

           Although the British intentions were ill, they established a well-balanced economy for Tanzania. According to the article, “Tanganyika,” it states, “A system of civil government was set up which had the potential for development on more modern and democratic lines; and at district level, local administration was based on the principal of indirect rule, in which, in varying degrees, authority was exercised by and through indigenous institutions and structures, with the guidance of colonial officials.” The British were able to implement a government system that worked for their society, but Tanzania was still under their control meaning all decisions were still made by Britain. Due to Britian still being the main decision maker, it led to a revolt led by Julius Nyerere. Chapter 4 states, “They had all arisen from the masses and could be called ‘men of the people.’ And they were successful because they had the vison and the organizational ability to mobilize the masses.” Nyerere had been one of the “men of the people” for Tanzania and led them to their independence on December 9th of 1961.  

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           The League of Nations’ intentions of allowing Britain to control Tanzania had been innocent with the intent to form a self-governing country, but Britain saw it as another opportunity to further their expansion. Their self-interest later led to a revolt in Tanzania led by Julius Nyerere who gained Tanzania’s independence. Tanzania may not have been the first to gain their independence from Britain, but they were surely not the last.