User:Tavantius/1945 Ugandan strikes

The 1945 Ugandan strikes were a group of disturbances and strikes throughout the major cities of the Protectorate of Uganda in January 1945.

Background

In the latter era of British colonialism in Uganda, Ugandans began engaging in targeted efforts to achieve political, economic, and cultural change. Historically, Uganda was viewed by British imperialists as a model protectorate, facilitated by the leadership of the Kingdom of Buganda, who were encouraging the usage of literacy, technology, and modern communication methods. By the early 1940s, Ugandans developed sophisticated networks for exchanging information, using telegrams and newspapers to express their opinions.

Beginning in 1939 and occurring throughout World War II, the Bugandan leadership suffered a series of crises and controversial land transfers which caused discontent throughout Uganda. In 1939, the Church of Uganda intervened in the disputed succession of the deceased Daudi Cwa II, intervening in the pregnancy and proposed re-marriage of the Namasole two years later, angering many Ugandans. These actions were further exacerbated when the Church misappropriated land for private use. Additionally, just after the war, a bout of inflation occurred, causing industrial unrest throughout the colony.

Timeline

January 15

• Soldiers opened fire on picketers halting a milk truck in Mukono Town, causing four to die, with another eleven suffering injuries.

Aftermath

Polly Hansen, a professor at Mount Holyoke College, noted that the 1945 strikes, unlike the parliamentary democracy created from the Ugandan Constitutional Conference, were built on an indigenous political logic. She argued that the strikes allowed the people of Uganda to "see themselves as part of a unit that was Uganda." Hansen also noted that the paranoid response of Governor John Hathorn Hall toward the strikes caused the nation to lose the "vision and commitment of good government" which alongside motivating many to keep quiet and avoid the public sphere, caused the nation's path to independence to be hindered.