3B. Reaction to Outbreak of WW2 Flashcards
When did Chamberlain declare war on Germany?
3 September 1939
What was Congess’s inital reaction to war?
Reaction: Shock and horror
- Withdrew members from provinces where it had a majority to distance India from war
- Ordered all Congress members to resign from provincial ministries throughout India
What was the Muslim League’s initial reaction to the war?
Reaction: Rejoice!!
22 December 1939 - last Congress provincial minstry abandons post
- Jinnah designates day as Muslim India’s Day of Deliverance
- ML branches hold public meetings offering prayers of deliverance from Congress
- Cause no offence to ordinary Hindu neighbours - argument against Congress
Jinnah also privately looked for rapproachment with Nehru - gesture politics?
What was the March 1940 Lahore Resolution?
- Meeting in Lahore attended by 100,000 Muslims
- Set out basic principles (under strong influence of Jinnah) for any new constitution of India
What were the two main proposals of the March 1940 Lahore Resolution?
- Areas of the subcontintent where Muslims were a majority shoud be grouped to form separate independent states
- Minorities must be protected, whether in Hindu or Muslim states
A working party was also set up to frame a constitution based on these two principles
What was Gandhi’s reaction to the March 1940 Lahore Resolution?
- Believed that Lahore Resolution was tantamount to vivisection of India
- Personally appealed to ‘common sense’ of Muslims
- Mini satyagraha campaign breaks out - swiftly jailed
What was Nehru’s reaction to the March 1940 Lahore Resolution?
- Denounced Lahore Resolution
- Gave a tour of India to strengthen Congress
- Inspected body of young pseudo-militia whilst carrying an imitation field baton → swiftly jailed
Who created the 1940 August Offer?
- Viceroy Linlithgow invited Jinnah to Simla in May to discuss a range of issues
- Jinnah submitted his proposals, which were welcomed and became the foundation of the August Offer
What did the 1940 August Offer state?
- ‘Representative’ Indians would join his Executive Council
- War Advisory Council to be established - include the princes and other interested parties
- Gave assurance that no constitution would be adopted without the prior approval of Muslim India
When was the Forward Bloc newspaper first published?
September 1939
When and where was the Forward Bloc (party)’s first all-India conference?
Nagpur, 1940
When was Bose imprisoned, and when did he escape?
- Bose was imprisoned on 2nd July 1940 (first in Presidency Jail in Calcutta, then under house arrest)
- He escaped in January 1941 and went into exile, and was recieved by the axis powers after being rejected by Stalin
How did Bose work with the Axis powers?
- Bose went to Berlin, but was only recieved with lukewarm support
- Encouraged to broadcast propaganda to Indians to encourage rebellion, but was sent to Japan once he became of little use
- Established the Indian National Army from Indian POWs
What activity did the Forward Bloc continue in India after 1940, and how did the British react?
- Anti-British activity continued but without direction - FB members involved in underground resistance groups and spread anti-British propaganda
In response, the British:
- Banned Forward Bloc and its publications
- Ransacked party offices to destroy seditious material
What were the failures of recruitment for the Indian National Army (Bose)?
Indian National Army established from Indian POWs
- Some intially used as agents behind lines for sabotage / spying, but ↓
- Most agents were picked up by Indian authorities.
- Many agents became double agents for the British
- Some simply just took the train home
