Causes for Indian independence and partition

Question 1

1. Jinnah’s 14 points

Answer 1

(1928) – response to the Simon Commission (1927) in which Jinnah argues the British should give legal protection of minorities, not just sympathetic statements – clearly outlined the Muslim League’s political agenda, furthering Hindu-Muslim divisions and thus making partition more likely

Question 2

1. Lahore Resolution

Answer 2

(1940) – Jinnah publicly declares aim of creating a Muslim state (Pakistan) – radicalisation of the League’s demands makes it increasingly difficult for the British to find a solution for independence that doesn’t involve two separate states

Question 3

1. Simla conference

Answer 3

(1945) – Jinnah refuses to acknowledge the existence of other Muslim organisations – could’ve been a moment for real progress towards independence (there were delegates from Congress, the Muslim League and other smaller groups) BUT Jinnah’s obstinacy prevented this (another two years until solution found)

Question 4

“Direct Action Day”

Answer 4

(14th August 1946) – Jinnah’s response to Nehru’s comments at the press conference – led to horrific communal violence, with 10,000 injured and 4000 killed – Jinnah’s ambiguous calls for retaliation create near civil-war conditions, making both independence and partition more likely as Britain want to leave so that a civil war doesn’t break out under their supervision and make them morally responsible for violence

Question 5

2. A) First non-cooperation campaign

Answer 5

(1919-22) – mass movement explicitly aiming for swaraj within one year. Included boycotts of elections and schools (national disruption), and resulted in 30,000 arrests, including Gandhi (causes independence through exposing unjustified British repression on an international level AND forcing the British to make political concessions through disrupting the functionality of the Raj)

Question 6

2. A) Salt March

Answer 6

(set off March 12th 1930) – Gandhi marched to Dandi with 78 supporters against the 1882 Salt Act – results in Britain arresting over 80,000 Indians, bringing international attention to their repressive rule of indigenous peoples because of heavy publicization – internationalisation of nationalist movement places pressure on Britain to quit India, and also Gandhi’s success in galvanising the population makes the British take Indian nationalists seriously (they initially thought the march was not that serious)

Question 7

2. A) Gandhi-Irwin Pact

Answer 7

(March 1931) – Gandhi halts civil disobedience movement and agrees to represent Congress at a second round table conference, and Irwin also agrees to release some prisoners and lift various restrictions, as well as pledging that all future political changes would be in the interest of India herself – effect is either…

A) making independence more likely because it shows serious diplomatic negotiation between Indians and the British – Gandhi’s stature is elevated to that equal to the viceroy
B) hinders nationalist progress as Gandhi calls of the campaign unnecessarily and doesn’t really gain any tangible political concessions from the British in response

Question 8

2. A) Second Round Table Conference

Answer 8

(September – December 1931) – Gandhi is the sole Congress representative, and argued that the untouchables and Muslims shouldn’t have separate electorates or special safeguards (this was rejected by the 3 other Muslim participants) – lays the foundations for partition as it was impossible for an agreement to be reached on the issue of political protection

Question 9

2. A) Gandhi’s fast until death

Answer 9

Gandhi starts a fast in protest to the subsequent Communal Award (1932), which set out rights to separate representation for Muslims and the untouchables – furthers Hindu-Muslim tension paving the way for Partition

Question 10

2. A) “Quit India” campaign

Answer 10

(1942) – launched on 8th August by Gandhi – campaign becomes very violent; Congress cadres murder 93 policemen and blow up 332 railway stations, possibly responding to Gandhi’s instruction ‘go out to die, not to live’ – leads to independence as the chaos proves to the British the necessity of getting out and negotiating the terms quickly

Question 11

2. B) Reaction to papa Nehru’s report

Answer 11

(1928) – the report suggested reserved seats for Muslims on central councils in minority provinces, and baby Nehru thought this was too moderate – his radical stance furthers Hindu-Muslim divide

Question 12

2. B) Press conference

Answer 12

(1946) – responds to the Cabinet Mission’s proposal of a grouping system by predicting that Congress would ultimate dominate centrally, which triggers Jinnah’s call for a ‘Direct Action Day’ – this heightens the Hindu-Muslim divide (which seemed to be resolving) making partition more likely, but hinders nationalist progress as independence could’ve been achieved there and then

Question 13

Amritsar Massacre

Answer 13

(1919) – 376 civilians shot dead – turned Indians against the British as the idea of them as a civilising race was destroyed (e.g., triggers Gandhi’s 1919-21 non-cooperation campaign) – pre-undermines the Government of India Act

Question 14

British response to the Salt March

Answer 14

(1930) arresting over 80,000 including Gandhi – internationally embarrassed and condemned

Question 15

Cripps Mission

Answer 15

(1942) – offers full dominion status but only after WWII – accepted by the League but rejected by Congress

Question 16

“Quit India” repression

Answer 16

(1942) – over 100,000 arrests – response confirms Indian resentful attitudes towards the British, making independence even more likely and esp. in the near future

Question 17

Montagu Declaration

Answer 17

(1917) – suggests ultimately giving dominion status but without a specific timeline – gives false hope making political repression post WWI (e.g. Rowlatt Acts) seem hypocritical – arguably what causes the nationalist movements to take on such ambitious demands (swaraj then purna swaraj)

Question 18

Rowlatt Acts

Answer 18

(1919) – allows imprisonment of Indians suspected of nationalist activism WITHOUT trial – goes against principle of Montagu declaration so builds up resentment and presents the British as hypocritical

Question 19

1st Government of India Act

Answer 19

(1919) – dyarchy system – Indians have control of certain things at provincial level like education, but the British keep some provincial control as well as total central control – not giving Indian enough representation, so only radicalises the nationalist movement further

Question 20

Statute of Westminster

Answer 20

(1931) – dominions only connected to empire through the fact that they are formally under the rule of a monarch, but they can veto this through their legislative powers – essentially independent – global political concession made by Britain encourages Indian nationalists to continue pursuing dominion status

Question 21

WWI - Ireland

Answer 21

Britain focused on WWI so the turmoil in Ireland caught them by surprise and was harder to supress – (Easter Rising in 1916 to overthrow the republic, 1918 general election puts 73 sinnn fein MPs in power, Ireland given dominion status with the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty) – WWI diverts Britain’s military attention, enabling the success of the Home Rule in Ireleand and paving the way for Indian nationalism – Tilak and Annie Besant take the ‘Home Rule’ idea in their campaigns during WW1

Question 22

WWI - Indian contribution

Answer 22

India contributed £146 million to the war effort – they expected a reward in the form of political concessions – the British release the Montagu Declaration to keep Indian troops loyal during the war, and this subsequently makes them look hypocritical

Question 23

WWII - Bose

Answer 23

Bose, the leader of the Indian National Army, travels to Japan in 1943 where he builds his army to a force of around 20,000 – the army is sent into action against the British – WWII enables nationalists to align themselves with Britain’s foreign enemies

Question 24

WWII - Bengal Famine

Answer 24

(1943) – bad harvests mean death rate is twice as high as normal, with over a million deaths during 1943 – situation improved by mid-1944

Question 25

WWII - economics

Answer 25

Britain loses 2/3 of her pre-war export trade – German U boat attacks on British ships cause her to lose 11.7m tons of shipping during the war

Question 26

International pressure - charter

Answer 26

Atlantic Charter (1941) – signed by Britain and the USA, and included support for ‘sovereign rights and self-government’ – Britain has to adhere to these standards

Question 27

Roosevelt’s message