The Mau Mau Uprising (also known as the Mau Mau Revolt, Mau Mau Rebellion and the Kenya Emergency) was a military conflict that took place in Kenya between 1952 and 1960. It involved a Kikuyu-dominated anti-colonial group called Mau Mau and elements of the British Army, auxiliaries and anti-Mau Mau Kikuyu.
The movement was violently repressed and failed to capture widespread public support. The capture of rebel leader Dedan Kimathi on 21 October 1956 signaled the ultimate defeat of the Mau Mau uprising, and essentially ended the British military campaign.
It has been argued that the conflict helped set the stage for Kenyan independence in December 1963. However, this view has been disputed by historians who claim that the rebellion merely delayed Kenya's independence, as the UK could not hand over control to the Kenyan authorities until stability had been restored. It created a rift between the European colonial community in Kenya and the Home Office in London, but also resulted in violent divisions within the Kikuyu community.
Read more about Mau Mau Uprising: Etymology, Nature of The Rebellion, Kenya Before The Emergency, British Reaction To The Uprising, Political and Social Concessions By The British, Deaths and Atrocities, Legacy, Mau Mau Status in Kenya
Famous quotes containing the word uprising:
“Ours is the old, old story of every uprising race or class or order. The work of elevation must be wrought by ourselves or not at all.”
—Frances Power Cobbe (1822–1904)