Wind of Change:

The British Empire in the 20th Cebntury

ß BACK

ß HISTORY

ß HOME

ß HISTORY IN ENGLISH

Timelines

 

1900

 

1901

Federated Commonwealth of Australia formed

 

British Protectorates in India

1902

Treaty of Vereening ends Boer War

 

Ashanti territory incorporated into Gold Coast

1903

 

1904

First Empire Day celebrated

1905

British New Guinea transferred to Australia

1906

Muslim League established in India

1907

New Zealand gains Dominion status

1908

 

1909

 

1910

King George V’s coronation

1911

Coronation durbar at New Delhi (new capital of India)

1912

African National Congress formed in South Africa

1913

 

1914

Imperial troops assembled for war

 

Egypt becomes British protectorate

 

Occupation of German West African colonies

1915

Gilbert and Ellice Islands annexed

1916

Easter Rising in Dublin

1917

Balfour Declaration promises a National Homestead in Palestine for the Jews

1918

Troops take Syria and Palestine

1919

Amritsar massacre in India

 

Arab rebellion in Egypt

 

German African colonies acquired

1920

Gandhi becomes leader of Congress in India

 

British East Africa becomes Kenya

 

Palestine governed by Britain under League of Nations mandate

1921

Irish Civil War (1921-1925)

1922

Egypt becomes independent

1923

Rhodesian self-government

1924

Northern Rhodesia becomes a protectorate

1925

Cyprus becomes a colony

1926

Imperial Conference gives Dominion status to settler colonies

1927

 

1928

Women over 21 given vote

1929

 

1930

Nehru’s declaration of Indian independence

 

Gandhi’s second disobedience campaign

 

First Round Table Conference between British and Indian parties

1931

Statute of Westminster gives Dominions control over Parliaments

1932

 

1933

 

1934

 

1935

Government of India Act allowing limited local government

1936

Abdication of King Edward VIII: King George VI

1937

Arab Jewish conflict in Palestine

1938

IRA bombings start in England

1939

Mobilisation of Dominion and imperial forces for Second World War

1940

 

1941

Atlantic Charter

1942

Fall of Singapore, Malaya and Burma

1943

 

1944

 

1945

Pan-African conference

1946

Trans-Jordan becomes independent

 

Sarawak ceded

 

North Borneo becomes a colony

1947

Indian independence

 

Partition of India and Pakistan

1948

Ceylon and Burma become independent

 

Communist insurgency in Malaya

 

Israel created

1949

Ireland leaves the Commonwealth

1950

 

1951

Cyprus bids for independence

 

Festival of Britain

1952

Mau Mau Rebellion in Kenya

1953

Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland

1954

Withdrawal from Sudan

 

Troops removed from Egypt

1955

 

1956

Suez Crisis

1957

Gold Coast becomes independent Ghana

 

Malay states become independent

1958

West Indies Federation formed

1959

Cyprus joins Commonwealth

1960

British Somaliland and Nigeria become independent

 

End of Malayan emergency

1961

Sierra Leone and Tanganyika become independent

 

South Africa leaves the Commonwealth

1962

Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Uganda become independent

 

Commonwealth Immigrant Act

1963

Kenya and Zanzibar become independent

1964

Northern Rhodesia becomes Zambia

 

Nyasaland becomes independent Malawi

 

Malta becomes independent

1965

Southern Rhodesia declares unilateral independence (UDI)

1966

Botswana, Lesotho and Gambia gain independence

1967

Aden becomes independent

1968

Mauritius and Zwaziland gain independence

1969

 

1970

Fiji and Tonga become independent

1971

Bahrain and Qatar become independent

1972

Asians expelled from Uganda

1973

Bahamas become independent

 

Britain joins European Community

1974

Grenada becomes independent

1975

 

1976

Seychelles becomes independent

1977

 

1978

Dominica becomes independent

1979

Rhodesian settlement reached

 

Gilbert Islands become independent Kiribati

1980

New Hebrides becomes independent Vanuatu

 

Southern Rhodesia independent Zimbabwe

1981

 

1892

 

1983

Brunei becomes independent

1984

Hong Kong handover agreement reached

1985

Britain isolated in Commonwealth over South African Sanctions

1986

 

1987

Fiji leaves Commonwealth

1988

 

1989

 

1990

South West Africa becomes independent Namibia

1991

 

1992

 

1993

 

1994

End of Apartheid in South Africa: Nelson Mandela president

1995

 

1996

South Africa rejoins Commonwealth

1997

Hong Kong handed back to China

1998

 

1999

 

2000

 

 

 

ß TOP

ß BACK

ß HISTORY

ß HOME