2B. Further Action Flashcards
Who were the ‘young hooligans’?
- Subhas Chandra Bose
- Jayaprakash Narayan
- Jawaharlal Nehru
These three wanted renewed action for total independence (purna swaraj)
Opposed dominion status
Gandhi labeled these men the ‘young hooligans’ because they were attracted to socialism, which Gandhi regarded as deeply radical.
What was the Simon Commission 1927?
- Parliamentary Commission headed by Sir John Simon
- 7 Westminster politicians including Attlee → no Indian members!
- Make recommendations for 1929 review of GOI Act 1919
How was the Simon Commission recieved in India?
- Greeted with protesting crowds in major cities
- Police were barely able to control mass demonstrations
Boycotted commission:
- Congress
- Hindu leaders
- Liberal thinkers
- Large section of Muslim League
Helped commission (hoped for a better future than under Hindu India):
- Muslims from Muslim-majority provinces
- Anglo-Indians
- Sikhs
- Untouchables
What was recommended by the 1928 Nehru Report?
The Nehru Report, formed at the All-Parties Conference in 1928 by Motilal Nehru (Congress) and Tej Bahadur Sapru (Liberal Party), recommended the following:
- Dominion status on the same terms as for white self-governing countries
- Federation of British India and princely states
- No further devolution of power to provinces
What were the issues of the 1928 Nehru Report
- Hindus would form a permanent majority in central government
- Muslim separate electorates would be lost without guarantees of safeguards to religious freedom
How did Congress develop their boycott of the Simon Commission in 1928?
December 1928 - Congress met in Calcutta (under leadership of Motilal Nehru) and forwarded two motions:
- Instant dominion status as recommended by Nehru Report
- British to withdraw completely from India by 31st December 1929
(This second motion was completely unrealistic, but would provide an excuse for further non-cooperation)
What was the significance of the May 1929 election of a Labour Government?
PM Ramsay MacDonald and Secretary of State for India William Wedgewood were both sympathetic to the demands of Congress
What was the significance of the Irwin Declaration 31 October 1929?
- Reiterated 1917 Montagu Declaration - dominion status was natural evolution of British policy
- Indian representatives would be invited to London to a Round Table Conference to decide details of new constitution
Congress welcomed the declaration but called upon Irwin to declare amnesty for all Indian political prisoners as a sign of good faith. He refused
- Increased terrorist activity followed
- Bombing of the Viceroy’s train - carriage next to his exploded
What did Gandhi decide during the December 1929 Lahore Congress?
He would support the ‘young hooligans’ - purna swaraj (complete independence) would be Congress’ aim
- ‘Young hooligans’ had considerable support in districts, and particularly among the young and trade unions
- Would likely alienate more moderate Congress members
- Another non-cooperation campaign could end with violence
Why was opposing the salt tax a good move for Congress?
- Created little revenue for the Raj (4% its yearly revenue)
- Cost ordinary people little (3 annas / 1.5p a year)
- Necessary commodity for all citizens
- Emotive issue
What happened on 11 March 1930?
Gandhi organised a prayer meeting in Ahmedabad, attracting 10,000 people
(Day before beginning of salt march)
What happened on 12 March 1930?
Gandhi organised a second prayer meeting, attracting 75,000 people
He then set out from his house in Ahmedabad to walk 240 miles to Dandi on Gujarat coast
Accompanied by 78 chosen followers (including untouchables) who took part in the following activities:
- Spun cotton thread
- Prayed
- Kept diaries
- Behaved in a peaceful, non-aggressive manner
They were followed by thousands of other people, including the world press who reported his message of non-violence
What did Gandhi do once he reached Dandi, and what were the reactions to it?
At Dandi, he gave a public statement where he picked up tax-free salt, and encouraged his followers to do the same:
- Hundreds arrested and imprisoned
- Mass arrests of local and national Congress leaders including Jawaharlal Nehru
- Gandhi arrested in May, entire CWC arrested in June
How did the second phase of the 1930 Salt Satyagraha follow the arrest of Gandhi in May 1930?
The following mass civil disobedience was not centrally directed by Congress → authorised provincial committees to organise their own satyagrahas according to a recommended order of priority:
- Salt
- Boycott of foreign cloth
- Non-payment of taxes
- Refusal to cooperate with authorities who tried to prevent satyagraha
What were the effects of the decentralised organisation of the 2nd phase of the Salt Satyagraha?
- Priority list demonstrated agreeable extent of disobedience → reduced overall violence
- Autonomy for provincial communities → (hopefully) show that Congress was an umbrella organisation sensitive to local needs
- Decentralised non-cooperation made it more difficult for Raj to stop → could not simply arrest central organisation
