Changing political relationships, 1920-30 Flashcards
What happened at the 1929 Lahore congress (Congress reorganised) (2,7)
-To go to the London based conference would be political suicide, as they would be overwhelmed and leave unhapppy
-On the other hand, not going would lead to a resolution they were unhappy with
-Coming into 1929, there was beginning to be a moderate extremist split in congress
-On one hand, a campaign of mass civil disobedience could lead to more bitterness and bloodshed
-On the other hand, the young hooligans had considerable support, especially with younger people
-Congress had to unite on a way forwards, dominion or full independence
-Gandhi decided he would ally with the young hooligans
-Purna Swaraj was to be Congress’ new aim, starting with a series of satyagraha’s
-Gandhi could now control the CWC, and steer policy to this new purna swaraj
What was the Irwin declaration (British response) (2,2,2)
-In 1929, a labour government was elected to power in Britain
-The new prime minister, Ramsey Macdonald was more sympathetic to Indian demands
-The Irwin declaration was a reiteration of the Montague declaration, but adding on that the attainment of dominion status was a natural development
-Irwin invited Indians to London to a round table conference, to hammer out details of a new constitution
-Congress welcomed the declaration, and called for a measure of goodwill by declaring an amnesty for all Indian political prisoners (this did not happen)
-Congress knew to attend the conference would be political suicide
What were Jinnah’s 14 points (The Muslim league) (1,4,3)
-Jinnah’s 14 points were his final attempt at reconciling congress’ and the Muslim leagues relationship, sent over in march 1929
-There would be a federal constitution with provincial powers
-Muslim representation in the central legislatures would be no less than 1/3
-2 new Muslim majority states would be created
-There would be adequate safeguards of Muslim language and culture in an independent India, with full religious liberty for all provinces
-This offer was rejected by congress
-For many Muslims, this is when they stopped trying to cooperate with congress, and started thinking of an independent state
-Jinnah gave up, and moved back to England to be a barrister
What was agreed as a result of the Gandhi Irwin pact (British response) (4,4)
-The civil disobedience campaign would be suspended
-This benefitted the British, since it meant they could go back to ruling as normal
-Gandhi would attend a second round table conference
-This benefitted Irwin, since now he could hammer out the details of a new constitution
-19,000 Indian political prisoners would be released
-This benefitted congress, since many of their imprisoned supporters would now be free
-Any land confiscated during the civil disobedience would be returned
-This benefitted Indians, since they now got their land back
What was ‘back to basics’, and who were the young hooligans (Congress reorganised) (5,4)
-On his release in 1924, Gandhi went ‘back to basics’
-He set up the all India spinners association, to promote self sufficiency
-Gandhi believed the system should be dismantled
-Gandhi got congress to embark on campaigns of mass literacy and sanitation
-Congress were emerging as a responsible political party
-The young hooligans were Jawaharlal Nehru, S. Bose and
-They were young radicals, who wanted full independence from Britain
-They lobbied the All India Congress committee and the congress working committee
-They were nicknamed the young hooligans by Gandhi, due to their extreme socialist beliefs
What were the successes and failures of the first non-cooperation movement (Gandhi and his civil disobedience) (5,5)
-Many parts of the non-cooperation went well, campaigns in tax and administration brought the government to a halt
-People closed shops when the duke of Connaught visited in 1921
-200 lawyers stopped work
-large numbers boycotted the 1920 elections
-students boycotted exams
-Some elements, such as lawyers leaving well paid posts, unrealistic
-violence broke out
-53 died from looting and rioting when the prince of wales came
-Many didn’t understand satyagraha and what it meant
-The fragile Hindu-Muslim alliance was in jeopardy
What did the first non-cooperation movement entail, and why did it end? (Gandhi and his civil disobedience) (5,4)
-People would stop paying tax and refuse to buy imported goods
-People would boycott the upcoming 1920s elections and refuse to help in administrative structure
-People would leave any government jobs, such as lawyers
-All titles given by the Raj would be handed back
-Students would boycott exams, people would take their kids out of British schools
-In February 1922, rioters set a police station in Chauri Chaura on fire, killing 22 people
-Gandhi was outraged, and instantly called an end to the campaign
-Gandhi went off politics, and returned to helping small communities in their campaigns
-Gandhi was arrested and imprisoned for 6 years for inciting violence
How did Gandhi and Jinnah respond to the Khilafat movement (The Muslim league) (3,3)
-Gandhi gave his utmost support to the Muslim league
-With Gandhi came the other Hindu followers, who also supported the league
-Although, it can be questioned how much Gandhi actually supported the movement, and how much he wanted to just mobilise it for his non-cooperation campaign
-Unlike Gandhi, Jinnah was not in support of the Khilafat movement, viewing it as causing divisions between Muslims
-Jinnah disliked the militant based approach of the movement, preferring more moderate terms
-Jinnah, alongside many Muslims’, felt uncomfortable with Gandhi’s involvement within it
What was the Simon commission (British response) (2,3,4)
-The 1919 Government of India act proposed a review in 10 years time of Indian self government
-However there was an upcoming election, which labour would win, so the conservatives decided to hold the commission earlier in 1927
-Lord Simon and his group of 7 men arrived in India in 1927
-Instantly the majority disliked the commission, greeted with booing and black flags
-None of the 7 men were Indian
-Wide range of Indian political opinion opposed to the commission
-Boycotted by congress, Muslim league and key Hindu leaders
-Minorities such as Muslims and untouchables cooperated, hoping for better conditions
-The commission eventually did little more than reassert the status quo
How did differences in belief and festivals lead to increasing separateness of Hindus and Muslims (The Muslim league) (3,4)
-Hindus did not eat beef, and Muslims did not eat pork
-Hindus prayed with loud gongs and music, Muslims prayed in silence
-Hindus believed in the caste system, Muslims didn’t
-In Bakr’ld, Muslims slaughtered cows as a sacrifice, obviously illegal in Hinduism
-In Holi, Hindus parties loudly, and drank a beverage most likely filled with alcohol and drugs
-Neither side were willing to cooperate in these festivals
-These festivals provided moments to increase discontent, and decrease faith that both could live amongst each other
How significant was the first non-cooperation movement (Gandhi and civil disobedience) (3,3,3)
Judith Brown
-The movement was of significance
-Showed Gandhi could no longer be ignored, and could rile up support
-Showed a shift in strategy to widespread non-violent direct action
Lawrence James
-The movement did little to threaten British rule, as the protests ran out of steam
-Ultimately Swaraj was not achieved, and the Rowlatt acts remained
-However, it did show Congress could gain significant political support
Shuter and Rees
-Many Indians became disillusioned with the Swaraj and Satyagraha concepts
-Gandhi concluded Indians were not ready for satyagraha yet
-Congress gained the ability to understand minorities’ needs
How did the British raj increase separateness between Hindus and Muslims (The Muslim league) (3)
-Protected rights for minorities by making provisions for separate elections
-These ensured minorities had a voice in local/national affairs
-Separate electorates emphasised the concept of separateness, ensuring Hindus and Muslims stayed in conflict
How did congress change whilst Gandhi was in jail (Congress reorganised) (4)
-Congress started appealing to more peasant communities
-Congress learnt how to exploit local grievances and link them to the broader goal of swaraj
-Congress became more moderate, going for positions in the Raj’s council
-The British raj returned from suppression to normal rule whilst giving out concessions
How did people react to the Nehru report (Congress reorganised) (5,2)
-Congress supported the notion, and demanded instant dominion with these terms
-Nehru JR and Bose, however, wanted more
-The young hooligans called for the British to completely leave India by 1930
-Congress supported both notions
-This shows the split in congress between moderates and radicals, and how they would have to make a choice
-Muslim league were unhappy with it
-They wanted their separate electorates guaranteed
What was the salt march, and the British response (Congress reorganised) (1,4,3)
-Salt was a commodity everyone, rich or poor, used in daily life, but one monopolised and taxed by the Raj
-Gandhi set out on March 12th, 1930, intending to walk the 240 miles from Ahmedabad to the Gujurati coast
-Originally with 78 followers, the crowd reached up to 75,000 followers
-The march took the form of a peaceful pilgrimage, as media broadcast the scenes
-Gandhi got to the sea (April 6th, 1930), picked up salt and urged everyone to do the same
-The British responded by arresting 20,000 Indians in the subsequent non-cooperation movement
-In May, Gandhi was arrested
-In June, the entire congress working committee was arrested
