"To Hold the World in Contempt": the British Empire, War, and the Irish
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Florida International University FIU Digital Commons FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations University Graduate School 4-26-2013 "To Hold the World in Contempt": The rB itish Empire, War, and the Irish and Indian Nationalist Press, 1899-1914 Susan A. Rosenkranz [email protected] DOI: 10.25148/etd.FI13080503 Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd Part of the Asian History Commons, Cultural History Commons, European History Commons, Film and Media Studies Commons, Journalism Studies Commons, Mass Communication Commons, Military History Commons, Political History Commons, and the Social History Commons Recommended Citation Rosenkranz, Susan A., ""To Hold the World in Contempt": The rB itish Empire, War, and the Irish and Indian Nationalist Press, 1899-1914" (2013). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 895. https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/895 This work is brought to you for free and open access by the University Graduate School at FIU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of FIU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY Miami, Florida “TO HOLD THE WORLD IN CONTEMPT”: THE BRITISH EMPIRE, WAR, AND THE IRISH AND INDIAN NATIONALIST PRESS, 1899-1914 A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in HISTORY by Susan Ann Rosenkranz 2013 To: Dean Kenneth G. Furton College of Arts and Sciences This dissertation, written by Susan Ann Rosenkranz, and entitled "To Hold the World in Contempt": The British Empire, War, and the Irish and Indian Nationalist Press, 1899- 1914, having been approved in respect to style and intellectual content, is referred to you for judgment. We have read this dissertation and recommend that it be approved. _______________________________________ Gwyn Davies _______________________________________ Jenna Gibbs _______________________________________ Meri-Jane Rochelson _______________________________________ Rebecca Friedman, Major Professor Date of Defense: April 26, 2013 The dissertation of Susan Ann Rosenkranz is approved. _______________________________________ Dean Kenneth G. Furton College of Arts and Sciences _______________________________________ Dean Lakshmi N. Reddi University Graduate School Florida International University, 2013 ii © Copyright 2013 by Susan Ann Rosenkranz All rights reserved. iii DEDICATION To my wonderful parents, Mike and Sylvia, and my beautiful sister, Lanie: None of this would be possible without the magical gift of each of you in my life. You shared with me your passion for knowledge and you taught me to dream. Everything I am, everything I have achieved, everything I hope to be is only possible because of your support, your friendship, and, especially, your love. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my sincere and lasting gratitude to the members of my unrivaled dissertation committee for giving so generously of their time and talent, and sharing their unique insights with me. My thanks to Professor Gwyn Davies for his excellent and well-timed suggestion that I narrow my focus to coverage of imperial wars; to Professor Jenna Gibbs for her invaluable assistance in framing the central argument; to Professor Meri-Jane Rochelson for ensuring that the narrative flowed and was accessible to non-historians; to Professor Michael Brillman, for his spirited encouragement and for guaranteeing the integrity of my Indo-Irish scholarship; and to the Chair of my committee, Professor Rebecca Friedman, for her calm, splendid guidance, emphasis on the big picture, and unflagging support. Finally, I would like to thank my personal proofreader—my father—for all the late night editing sessions to which he so gallantly and cheerfully submitted. v ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION “TO HOLD THE WORLD IN CONTEMPT:” THE BRITISH EMPIRE, WAR, AND THE IRISH AND INDIAN NATIONALIST PRESS, 1899-1914. by Susan Ann Rosenkranz Florida International University, 2013 Miami, Florida Professor Rebecca Friedman, Major Professor The era between the close of the nineteenth century and the onset of the First World War witnessed a marked increase in radical agitation among Indian and Irish nationalists. The most outspoken political leaders of the day founded a series of widely circulated newspapers in India and Ireland, placing these editors in the enviable position of both reporting and creating the news. Nationalist journalists were in the vanguard of those pressing vocally for an independent India and Ireland, and together constituted an increasingly problematic contingent for the British Empire. The advanced-nationalist press in Ireland and the nationalist press in India took the lead in facilitating the exchange of provocative ideas—raising awareness of perceived imperial injustices, offering strategic advice, and cementing international solidarity. Irish and Indian press coverage of Britain’s imperial wars constituted one of the premier weapons in the nationalists’ arsenal, permitting them to build support for their ideology and forward their agenda in a manner both rapid and definitive. Directing their readers’ attention to conflicts overseas proved instructive in how the Empire dealt with vi those who resisted its policies, and also showcased how it conducted its affairs with its allies. As such, critical press coverage of the Boxer Rebellion, Boer War, Russo-Japanese War, and World War I bred disaffection for the Empire, while attempts by the Empire to suppress the critiques further alienated the public. This dissertation offers the first comparative analysis of the major nationalist press organs in India and Ireland, using the prism of war to illustrate the increasingly persuasive role of the press in promoting resistance to the Empire. It focuses on how the leading Indian and Irish editors not only fostered a nationalist agenda within their own countries, but also worked in concert to construct a global anti-imperialist platform. By highlighting the anti-imperial rhetoric of the nationalist press in India and Ireland and illuminating their strategies for attaining self-government, this study deepens understanding of the seeds of nationalism, making a contribution to comparative imperial scholarship, and demonstrating the power of the media to alter imperial dynamics and effect political change. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................1 I. “AN INSURRECTION IN PRINT”: THE PRESS AND THE BRITISH EMPIRE ..20 II. “A SMALL GUST OF WIND”: THE BOER WAR....................................................68 III. “PERDITION TO PIGTAILS”: THE BOXER REBELLION ..................................118 IV .“CONSCIENCE HAS LOST ITS HOLD”: THE BOER WAR REDUX.................163 V. “COMMON CAUSE, COMMON ACTION”: WAR AND ALLIANCE................212 CONCLUSION................................................................................................................269 EPILOGUE......................................................................................................................275 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................289 VITA……………………………………………………………………………………305 viii Introduction The British Empire was at its zenith—a marvel of modernity and a model of efficiency, confounding the world with its ability to colonize, civilize, and organize. British troops marched in formation across desert, mountain, and plain, the sound of their polished boots echoing from Sandhurst to the Hindu Kush.1 British missionaries fanned out across Africa and Asia, proselytizers determined to convince and convert, while a non-stop parade of civil servants—sufficiently civilized and servile—classified and categorized all things imperial. The envy of its rivals, Britain held dominion over the seas and dominated world trade, its factories alive with the hum of machinery and the soothing clink of profits. Railway and steamship made possible the smooth transportation of men and horses, guns and goods, all heading to the next site of conquest or point of resistance. It was the uninterrupted transmission of information, however, that transformed the Empire into a paragon of proficiency. Snaking under the ocean and strung across vast continents was a network of telegraph cables—the arteries of the Empire—carrying news to and from Britain, linking colony and settlement, territory and town. That splendid conduit of information not only helped maintain the efficiency of the Empire, but also fueled the rapid growth of the press—serving as a lifeline for journalists, now capable of relaying to their readership in Britain timely news of discovery, expansion, resistance, and war. 1 The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst has been the training ground of British Army officers since 1813. 1 For Britain’s restless subjects in Ireland and India, access to that information would prove invaluable. The years between the close of the nineteenth century and the onset of the First World War witnessed a marked increase in radical political agitation among nationalists in Ireland and India. Irish and Indian journalists were in the vanguard of those crusading vocally for self-government, and together constituted an increasingly problematic contingent for the British Empire. The nationalist press in India and Ireland facilitated