Modern History Quiz 5

According to Winston James, how did most of the inhabitants of the British West
Indies respond to the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, and why did they respond in this manner?

Most of them supported the war. A few felt indifferent about it, but in the end no one really opposed of it. They responded this way because they believed that they owed loyalty to the empire. They saw fighting for Britain as a matter of honor, duty and pride and believed that serving was a responsibility they owed.

Identify 3 specific and different duties that the British War Office assigned Afro-
Caribbean troops (members of the British West Indies Regiment)?

Handling ammunition at the railheads and carrying it up to the batteries, digging cable trenches, and washing the dirty linen of the Italian Labour Corps.

What “official” reason did authorities in the War Office publicly give to justify their
decision to keep Black Caribbean troops out of Europe? What was the real reason?

The public reason they gave was that Europe was too cold for black men to be effective soldiers there. The real reason was that they didn’t want black men killing the white men in Europe, even when those white men were Britain enemies.

Which British policy inspired members of the West Indies Regiment to shift from
individual to collective resistance?

Army Order No. 1 caused this shift. This policy gave pay increases to the white British soldier but excluded the black Caribbean soldiers.

According to James, why did many inhabitants of the British West Indies become
politically radicalized (i.e. developing and participating in Black nationalist and Marxist movements) by the end of the First World War? How did the experiences of the war help to change how many inhabitants of the British West Indies identified themselves?

At the beginning of the war, the west Indians saw themselves as loyal British people. However, later on they realized they were being identified as black, Caribbean, colonial subjects, and not loyal citizens.  Many of the west Indians shifted from identifying as loyal British subjects to embracing black nationalism and other anti-colonial movements.