The evolution of the Uganda protectorate

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Periodical article

Title:	The evolution of the Uganda protectorate
Author:	Roberts, A.
Year:	1963
Periodical:	Uganda Journal (ISSN 0041-574X)
Volume:	27
Issue:	1
Pages:	95-106
Language:	English
Geographic term:	Uganda
Subjects:	history protectorates
Abstract:	Of all the new territorial units created by the Partition of Africa, Uganda testifies most poignantly, perhaps, to the lasting effects of its birth trauma. The process by which it took shape is familiar enough: the very name 'Uganda' epitomises, in the form of synecdoche, the expansion of the Protectorate from the kingdom of Buganda to dimensions approximating to those of the present day. Yet this expansion deserves more attention than it has received, for it represents a pattern of evolution perhaps unique in recent imperial history, and it throws an interesting light both on 'the official mind of imperialism' and on the role of 'the man on the spot' in extending empire. In 1894, the extent of the Protectorate was a function of a treaty with a native state; in 1896, of the extent of British administration. Only in 1900 did it become equivalent in practice to the British sphere of influence on the Upper Nile as secured by international treaty and agreement. Partly by design, but also by accident, this evolution was the result of fluctuations in British policy with regard to Egypt. Notes.