legitimising myth, instrument and propaganda". Historical analysis The revolt has been the subject of much research and has been interpreted in various ways by historians. At the time, the uprising was generally considered to mark a turning point in colonial rule. The Governor of Nyasaland, George Smith, declared that the revolt marked a "new phase in the existence of Nyasaland". According to the military historian Hew Strachan, the Chilembwe uprising tarnished British prestige in East Africa which contributed, after the appointment of the future Prime Minister Bonar Law as Secretary of State for the Colonies, to renewed pressure for an Anglo-Belgian offensive against German East Africa. Chilembwe's aims have also come under scrutiny. According to Robert I. Rotberg, Chilembwe's speech of 23 January appeared to stress the importance and inevitability of martyrdom as a principal motivation. The same speech depicted the uprising as a manifestation of desperation but because of his desire to "strike a blow and die", he did not have any idea of what he would replace colonialism with if the revolt succeeded. Rotberg concludes that Chilembwe planned to seize power in the Shire Highlands or perhaps in all of Nyasaland. John McCracken attacks the idea that the revolt could be considered nationalist, arguing that Chilembwe's ideology was instead fundamentally utopian and created in opposition to localised abuses of the colonial system, particularly thangata. According to McCracken, the uprising failed because Chilembwe was over-reliant on a small Europeanised petite bourgeoisie and did not gain enough mass support. Rotberg's examination the Chilembwe revolt from a psychoanalytical perspective concludes that Chilembwe's personal situation, his psychosomatic asthma and financial debt may have been contributory factors in his decision to plot the rebellion. See also Bussa rebellion—a 1915 uprising against British indirect rule in northern Nigeria Chimurenga—a rebellion against the British South Africa Company administration in nearby Southern Rhodesia in 1896–97. Maji Maji Rebellion—a war against German colonial rule in East Africa, 1905–08 History of Malawi References Bibliography External links John Chilembwe: Brief life of an anticolonial rebel: 1871?–1915 at Harvard Magazine African resistance to colonialism African theatre of World War I 1910s in Nyasaland 1915 in Africa 1915 in the British Empire Conflicts in 1915 Rebellions against the British Empire Rebellions in Africa Wars involving Malawi History of Malawi Millenarianism Nyasaland in World War I Opposition to World War I January 1915 events 20th century in Malawi 20th-century rebellions