british withdrawal from india and the middle east Flashcards
the montagu declaration
1917
promised india more self government after ww1 in recognition of their contribution
the government of india act
1919
the viceroy retained control of major areas, such as defence and foreign affairs, and his council remained a purely appointed body, but was required to defend its actions before the legislative council
the legislative council was split into:
- a lower house (the legislative assembly), of which 104 of its 144 members were to be elected
- an upper house (the council of state), of which 34 of its 60 members were to be elected
provincial councils run by elected indian ministers took responsibility for local government, health, education and agriculture
only 7 million could vote out of 350 million
rowlatt acts
1919
enacted in light of a perceived threat from revolutionary nationalist organisations
imprison any person suspected of terrorism living in the raj for up to two years without a trial, and gave the imperial authorities power to deal with all revolutionary activities
stricter control of the press
arrests without warrant
prohibited from taking part in any political, educational or religious activities
amritsar massacre
british army troops commanded by reginald dyer, fired upon a crowd containing a mixture of indians who had gathered to protest against the arrest of 2 leaders, and sikh pilgrims who had gathered in the public gardens to celebrate the sikh new year
indian congress politicians claimed that the way the british had dealt with the protest showed they no longer possessed any moral authority to rule
ghandi’s beliefs and background
began his career in south africa in 1893 and campaigned against racism and segregation, and championing civil rights of indians
returned to india in 1915 where he became president of the inc
favoured peaceful resistance to british rule
preached harmonious relations between hindus and muslims
wanted independence for india and an agricultural economy
non cooperation campaign
1920s
aimed to persuade the british government to grant india independence
chauri chaura incident
1922
violence erupted among a large group of protestors participating in the non cooperation movement, and the police opened fire
the demonstrators attacked and set fire to a police station, and 3 civilians and 23 policemen were killed
the muslim league and jinnah 1906
the all india muslim league promoted nationalism and grew more vociferous in its representation of india’s substantial muslim minority
jinnah disagreed with ghandi’s tactics and campaigned for the establishment of safeguards for muslims in the movement for independence
divisions in the inc - chandra bose wanted the inc to adopt a more militant line
civil disobedience 1930
organised by provincial committees
boycott elections to new legislative assemblies
withhold taxes
refuse to buy imported goods
salt march
march 1931
ghandi and his followers marched 240 miles to boil up brine to get free salt
80,000 imprisoned - made britain look bad for punishing such a minor offence
methods make it hard for britain to respond
the simon commission
john simon reviewed the india act and recommended that:
a federal system of government be created across india, incorporating both provinces under direct british rule and the princely states
the provinces be given more power
defence, internal security, and foreign affairs should remain in the hands of the british viceroy, ensuring overall british control
the round table conferences 1930 & 1931
opposition from the independence movement in india led to two round table conferences
ghandi represented the congress party
no agreement reached - britain rejected self governing dominion status for india because of doubts surrounding competency of non white leaders, as well as concern for india’s strategic and economic importance to britain
the government of india act 1935
created a federation of india by:
- making provinces completely self governing
- expanding the franchise from 7 million to 35 million people
opposed by congress party because it fell short of the independence enjoyed by white dominions and because of a desire to be completely free of british rule
cripps mission 1942
stafford cripps put forward the offer of dominion status for india
congress declined and called for complete independence
quit india campaign 1942
the all india congress proclaimed a mass campaign of civil disobedience, demanding an orderly british withdrawal from india
britain responded by imprisoning the entire inc leadership until 1945
sporadic small scale violence took place around the country, but the campaign failed because of the heavy handed suppression, its weak coordination, and the lack of a clear cut action programme
