Enter Viceroy Archibald Wavell (23) Flashcards
When was Viceroy Wavell appointed?
October 1943
How did Wavell begin his time in office?
He toured India on a fact-finding mission, focusing particularly on the troubled areas: the Punjab, Bengal and the United Provinces, trying to allay fears, settle disputes and boost morale.
What was one of Wavells first moves?
Reinstate regular meeting of the 11 governors of the provinces of British India, which enabled the Indian government to present the British government with coherent advice and a unified point of view. It also made it much more difficult for the British government to dismiss the views of provincial governors out of hand.
What caused the Bengal famine 1943-44?
A run of poor harvests and distribution failures, loss of imports, wartime price inflation and severe weather conditions.
What was happening due to the Bengal famine?
The recorded annual death rate rose from an average of 1.2 million to 1.9 million. People were dying from smallpox, malaria, cholera, pneumonia and the diseases associated with malnutrition.
The starving were crowding in Calcutta, desperately hoping for relief, begging and dying in the streets.
What did Wavell do in May 1943?
By May 1943, the price of rice had risen tenfold and Wavell took immediate action to co-ordinate rationing and to try to stop profiteering, diverting troops from the war effort to do so, which Churchill and Roosevelt originally refused to do in fear of damaging their own effort.
How many people were estimated to have died during the Bengal famine?
1 - 3 million
What was the reaction of the Congress and Muslim League to the Bengal famine?
Jinnah accused the British government of incompetence and irresponsibility. Congress blamed the crisis on the diversion of foodstuffs to British troops. Both made political capital out of the crisis.
