2. The Cripps Mission Flashcards
Why was the delegation to India established?
- to secure full Indian cooperation and support in the war effort.
- this followed the German and Japanese threats of invasion.
Who led the mission?
• Sir Stafford Cripps (the lord privy seal) was appointed by prime minister Winston Churchill.
What did the British Government realise was necessary to gain Indian support?
• granting India some form of self-determination.
Churchill opposed Indian independence, who pressured him to involve this within the terms of the delegation?
- war cabinet colleagues- eg: Clement Attlee and Leo Amery.
* the Allies- particularly the USA, USSR and China.
Why was Sir Stafford Cripps thought to be ideal to lead the delegation?
- he was a Labour Party minister.
- friend of Nehru and Gandhi.
- personally sympathetic towards Indian aspirations.
- well known and well liked in Congress circles.
- much Indian optimism when he arrived in March 1942.
Why was viceroy Linlithgow unimpressed with the appointment of Cripps?
- he was concerned about his own status.
* feared the British government would impose some sort of settlement that went against his advice.
Why was the Cripps mission doomed from the start?
- what Cripps had to offer was not what Congress wanted.
* but Britain thought their offer was a bargain.
What did the British invite India to join as part of the bargain?
- all Indian parties were invited to join an interim government of national unity, under the viceroy and his council.
- this wills operate until the end of the war.
Why did Congress reject the first part of the bargain?
• they were not willing to accept a situation where states were allowed to opt out of a United India.
What were Congress willing to take from the British proposals?
- joining the interim government.
- this was only if it behaved like the Westminster one- the viceroy acting as prime minister while the defence ministry was out under the control of an Indian.
Why did Churchill and Linlithgow oppose Congress’s suggestions for the workings of the proposed interim government?
• the Raj had to remain in control of India while the war continued.
What was Indian opinion on the disagreements over the delegations proposals?
- they were angry and displeased.
* it was another sign that Britain would cling onto India at all costs and would not accept Indians as equal partners.
Why did Jinnah reject the bargain?
- he was willing to accept it for the proposal of a separate state.
- but he had to reject it so the Muslim League could remain a part of the constitution-making process.
How did the mission end?
• April 1942- Cripps leaves India empty handed.
What wad the main consequence of the Cripps mission?
• the Quit India campaign.
