1884-1918 1939-1960







British Protectorate, 1918-1939



When World War I ended in Europe in November 1918, Britain still faced the determined resistance of Muhammad Abdilla Hasau's (the 'Mad Mullah's) Somalis. Britain employed the Royal Air Force to attack his capital. Hasau died in 1920, and the rebellion collapsed with his death.
The British moved the capital from coastal Berbera to continental Hargeysa, with a more favourable climate.
Economically, the protectorate saw little development; it's major function was to supply meat to the colony of Aden. There was no white immigration, no plantation economy, no railway construction. British Somaliland economically was outperformed by neighbouring Italian Somalia.
In 1937 the native population of British Somaliland was estimated at 344,700, the non-native population given at 2,688, of whom only 68 were Europeans. Governor from 1935 to 1939 was Sir A.S. Lawrence.






EXTERNAL
FILES 		Articles from Infoplease : Somalia
Links on Somali history, from mogadiscio.com (click : historical notes), from Somalinet
Library of Congress, Country Studies : Somalia
DOCUMENTS Historical travelogues to Somaliland, from Somaliland Archive
REFERENCE South and East African Year Book and Guide, 49th edition 1949, pp.769, 894-895 [G]
Article : Somaliland Protectorate, in : Statesman's Yearbook 1919 pp.197-199, 1924 pp.206-207, 1925 pp.210-211, 1926 pp.214-215, 1928 pp.212-213, 1929 pp.213-214, 1932 pp.216-217, 1937 pp.236-237 [G]
Article : Somaliland Protectorate, in : Americana Annual 1927 p.794, 1928 p.726, 1930 p.713, 1931 pp.709-710, 1932 p.663, 1933 p.717, 1934 p.550, 1935 p.662, 1936 p.676, 1937 p.651, 1938 p.644, 1939 p.707, 1940 p.717 [G]



This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted in 2001, last revised on August 27th 2007

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