Consultation and Confrontation, 1930-42 Flashcards
In what year was the first Round Table Conference held?
1930
Who notably did not attend the first Round Table Conference?
Congress
The Second Round Table Conference was in 1932. Who did not attend?
Jawaharlal Nehru
Which British political parties attended the first Round Table Conference?
Conservative, Labour and Lib Dems (big 3)
Who was the British prime minister and Labour Party leader at the time of the first conference?
Ramsay MacDonald
How many delegates represented the British overall?
16
How many delegates represented the Indians overall in the 2nd RTC?
58
How many representatives did the Princes send?
16
What countries within the Commonwealth had previously been granted dominion status?
New Zealand,Canada, Australia
What was agreed at the first Round Table Conference?
India would be run as a type of dominion
Dominion would be a federation that included the princely states as well as 11 British provinces
Indian participation in all levels of govt
How many British provinces were there In the agreed first RTC plans, alongside the princely states?
11
What city was inaugurated as the administrative capital of the Raj in February 1931?
New Delhi
Who was the Viceroy at the time (FEB 1931)?
Lord Irwin
What was significant about the architecture of the new city?
the design of the administrative buildings were classical - the secretariat buildings and viceroy’s residence were designed to convey the permanence and solemnity of the Raj - the message was clear; India would be welcomed into the ‘family’ of British dominions
Name one Muslim representative at the Round Table Conference, other than Jinnah?
Iqbal - The Aga Khan (spiritual leader of the Ismailis, a small Muslim sect)
Who represented the Sikhs?
Master Tara Singh
Who represented the Untouchables?
Dr Ambedkar
How many delegates attended the third Round Table Conference?
Only 46 and none from Labour or Congress
Why was there political upheaval and instability in Britain in 1931?
Economic instability (depression, high unemployment, economic collapse)
Labour govt resigned after splitting and was replaced by a Tory-dominated coalition
What did Churchill set up to campaign for a continued strong British presence in India?
India Defence League
How many Conservative MPs supported him?
around 50
Which Viceroy replaced Lord Irwin ?
Why was this a significant change? Who did he not like and why?
Replaced by Lord Willington
He thought Gandhi was a dangerous Bolshevik - significant change from Lord Irwin who liked Gandhi
This attitude coloured his later attitude to national agitation
This dislike for Gandhi (and the Gandhi-Irwin Pact) led to him adopting stricter measures against protestors (alienated nationalist opinion)
Who was arrested on 4th January 1932?
Gandhi, one week after his return from the second RTC
How did the British clamp down on Congress in 1932, following the collapse of the Round Tables?
Congress was outlawed, all members of the CWC and Provincial Committees were imprisoned, youth orgs banned
How many Indians, mostly Congress members, were imprisoned in 1932?
within 4 months, over 80,000 Indians were arrested
How did the Indians display their anger and discontent at the imprisonment of Congress leadership in 1932?
Reaction was quick but disorganised and uneven due to a lack of leadership
- Boycotts on British goods
- Non-payments of tax
- Youth orgs became very popular
- Terrorist activity
- More women involved
Which areas became particularly tense, with increased violence and terrorist activity?
United Provinces and Northwest Frontier Province became essentially armed camps
What did Ramsay MacDonald announce in August 1932?
What did it outline?
Communal Award - Designated Sikhs, Indians, Christians, Anglo-Indians and Untouchables + Muslims as separate classes which were entitled to separate electorates
How did Gandhi react to the Communal Award in 1932?
Gandhi was furious - the inclusion of the Untouchables was the final straw as he had worked previously to help them. They were also Hindus in his mind
Launched the fast-unto-death
What is the expression of a common Middle Eastern and Asian way of registering a deep personal protest?
Fast-unto-death
What was the name of the pact made between Gandhi and the Untouchables?
Yeravda Poona Pact
How many seats were allocated to the Untouchables in provincial legislatures (Yeravda Poona Pact)?
71 seats on the provincial legislatures
What percentage of Central Assembly seats would be allocated to Untouchables (Yeravda Poona Pact)?
18%
What else was funded by the Yeravda Poona Pact?
Education of Untouchables
What British newspaper supported the All India Defence League?
Daily Mail
Which Prime Minister was responsible for steering through the 1935 Government of India Bill in Parliament, despite much opposition?
Stanley Baldwin
When was the second Government of India Act passed?
1935
How many provinces was India divided into?
11 Provinces
What did each province have (Govt of India Act 1935)?
Its own legislative assembly and provincial government
What would the provinces control (Govt of India Act 1935)?
everything except defence and foreign affairs
What system, in which provincial government was divided between appointed officials and elected representatives, was abolished in the Govt of India 1935 Act?
Dyarchy
What was separated from India and given its own government in 1935?
Burma
What two new states were created in 1935?
Sindh and Orissa
What powers did the Viceroy retain in the Government of India Act 1935?
Control over defence and foreign affairs
Why did the Princes not like the 1935 Act either?
the proposition that the British were presenting was an all-India federation that would significantly wilt down their power
Why did Congress object to the Government of India Act 1935? (Identify at least 2 reasons)
- Congress objected because they wanted purna swaraj
- Congress wanted India to have a strong central govt, not devolution of power (devolution would mean some provincial govt might end up Muslim-controlled)
- Did not like the reserving of seats for minorities
Who did the Secretary of State for India fear the Princes would ally with?
The Tory faction calling for the death of the 1935 Act
Why did the Muslim League object to the 1935 Act?
Did not offer enough power to Muslims in central + provincial legislatures
There were also no guarantees for the protection of Muslim rights
By 1939, what fraction of states had agreed to the form of federation required by the Act?
2/5
Why were the Princes in a difficult position in the 1930s?
Increasing pressure to reform and allow for representative government - there was also some unrest in states like Hyderabad
Why did Congress clash with the Princes?
Congress did not want the princes’ to be nominated to any federal legislature and wanted to end their autocratic rule
In which Princely states was there rioting in the 1930’s?
Hyderabad and Khasi
When were the next elections held after the Government of India Act 1935?
1937
Who was the most successful party in the elections of 1937?
Congress
In what province did Congress become the largest single party in 1937?
Single largest party in Assam
In what provinces was Congress outvoted in 1937?
Bengal, Punjab and Sind
What type of seats did Congress win all of?
All of the provincial legislative seats that were open to general elections
How many legislative members did Congress have in total in 1937?
716
Who did not do well in the 1937 elections?
The Muslim League
Why did the Muslim League not do so well in the 1937 elections?
They had no leadership until 1935, 2 years before their elections
Jinnah was not even able to find enough candidates to enough candidates to battle for the reserved Muslim seats
When did Jinnah return to London from his self-imposed exile in England?
1935
Which overwhelmingly Muslim province voted more for Congress than the Muslim League? (1937)
North West Frontier
In what provinces were non-Congress ministries in 1937?
Assam, Bengal, Punjab and Sind
What was prioritised in Congress-led provinces (1937)?
Basic education was centred on crafts (back to basics type thing, influenced by Gandhi)
What are two examples of Muslim-majority provinces?
Punjab and Sind
How did Congress’ approach to running certain provinces further alienate some Muslims?
- They refused to cooperate with Muslims
- Congress members took advantage of their new positions and ignored minorities entirely, instead appointing caste members and family members to positions
- They created fiscal policy that was anti-Muslim landlords
What was banned in Bihar (1930’s)?
Cow-slaughter was banned
How did Jinnah spread his message (1930’s)?
- He orchestrated a series of personal appearances, rallies and press interviews
- The rallies harked back to the glory days of the Mughal Empire
- Tipu Sultan Day was created in honour of the Muslim state which defeated the British in 1782.
- He focused on university students - the future
Who did Jinnah meet with briefly in 1938?
Gandhi , Nehru and Bose - talks broke down quickly
What did Jinnah declare at the Patna session of the Muslim League in December 1938?
Congress is nothing but a Hindu party
Over what was there Congress in-fighting in 1938/9?
Over its presidency
Who won the Congress presidential election in 1938?
Bose initially, but essentially forced to resign and was replaced by Prasad
What was the name of the party formed by Subhas Chandra Bose?
Forward Bloc Party
Who was the Viceroy of India at the outbreak of WWII?
Lord Linlithgow
When did Congress resign from the provincial ministries?
1940
What did the Muslim League call the 22nd December 1939? What did they do on this day?
Muslim India’s Day of Deliverance (this was the day when the last Congress provincial ministry post was abandoned)
- Called to celebrate, suggested that all ML branches should hold meetings and offer prayers of thanksgiving for their release from Congress
Who did Jinnah privately negotiate with in late 1939/early 1940?
Nehru
What was stated in the ML Lahore Resolution of March 1940?
- Independence for Muslim-majority states + they should be grouped together
- Minorities should be protected
Jinnah could not see any possibility of Hindu-Muslim rapprochement
How many Muslims attended the Lahore meeting?
approx 100,000
Which Muslim figure and key Bengali politician was a strong proponent of a separate Pakistan?
Fazal Huq
What was stated in the August Offer of 1940?
- Representative Indians would join the Viceroy’s Executive Council
- A War Advisory Council was to be established that would include the princes
- Assurances made that constitutional change would not be done without the approval of Muslim India
Which two global leaders did Bose approach to help fight the British in WWII?
Stalin and Hitler
What did Bose form in Asia? What was it used for?
Indian National Army in Japan made up of Indian POW.
Japan used the INA for sabotage and spying on India, but most were easily spotted and others became double agents.
1944 used in conjunction with the Japanese Army
When did Burma fall to the Japanese?
1942
How many INA soldiers fought with the Japanese in 1944? How successful was this?
6,000 fought with the Japanese. 600 deserted to the British, 400 were killed, 1,500 died from dysentery and malaria and another 1,400 were invalidated. The rest surrendered. Not a success
How did Bose allegedly die?
3rd degree burns after a plane crash in 1945 over Japanese-occupied Formosa
