Government of India Act 1935 (19) Flashcards
What was the Government of India Act?
British politicians created a constitution for India, since the Indians had proved incapable of producing their own and this was the final British written constitution to be imposed on India.
What group was created by a determined group of Conservatives who opposed the Act?
The India Defence League, Rudyard Kipling was its vice president and Churchill its most vocal supporter, as he refused to accept that Indians were capable of governing themselves - an opinion formed during his stationing as an army subaltern in India in 1897.
Where did the India’s Defence League media support come from?
The Daily Mail, whose series of articles under ‘If We Lose India’ gave a clear message that Indians were unfit to govern themselves and only Britain could manage the sub-continent. It also warned that India was essential to the British economy and to lose India’s trade during the western worlds economic struggles would be foolish.
When was the Act made law and despite opposition how many MPs opposed it?
August 1935 and less than 50 MPs followed Churchill into the ‘No’ lobby.
What did the Act say?
A federation of India was proposed but never put into effect as the requisite number of states, mainly the princes, wouldn’t join, so only the clauses dealing with provincial governments actually happened. The main features were:
India was divided into 11 provinces, which would control almost everything, except defence and foreign affairs
Each province would have a legislative assembly, a provincial government and a governor, who retained the power to act in an emergency
Dyarchy was abolished
Separate electorates were to continue as before
Burma was separated from India and given its own government
Two new states of Sindh and Orissa were created
The Viceroy would still be appointed by the British government and would be in control of defence and foreign affairs; he would have to follow the advice of an Executive Committee, which was mostly made up of Indians
Why did Congress object to the act?
The members wanted swaraj and weren’t interested in what they saw as a compromise. It wanted a strong central government, which would inevitably be predominantly Hindu and not strong provincial governments, some of which the Muslims would be able to control. It also objected to the continued practice of reserved seats for minority groups.
Why did the Muslim League object to the act?
It didn’t offer enough power to Muslims and because most provinces were controlled by Congress with no guarantee that the rights of Muslims would be protected.
Why did Congress and the Muslim League face a dilemma regarding participation in the 1937 elections?
Not to participate would be consistent with their rejection of the Act, but the elections were going ahead regardless and a total boycott would cut them off from government. Furthermore, to participate might give them the opportunity to work within the system to create change, so they resolved to take part.
How did Congress fare in the 1937 elections?
They virtually swept the board. They gained overall control of the United and Central provinces and became the largest single party in Assam and the North-West Frontier province.
They won all the provincial legislative seats available to general election and 59 more from separate electorate contests - totalling 716 legislative members. Congress effectively became a partner in government with the Raj.
How did the Muslim League fare in the 1937 elections?
Badly. Jinnah returned to India in 1935 from his self-imposed exile in London and worked hard to build up a powerbase, but the limited time resulted in him not even being able to find enough candidates to contest all the reserved Muslim seats.
An analysis of polling figures revealed that Muslims gave little support to Congress candidates, even though they had to be Muslim to stand for the restricted seats. The only overwhelmingly Muslim province that voted strongly for Congress was the North-West Frontier province.
What did Jinnah realise after the 1937 elections?
The League had two alternatives, it would have to attract mass support to enable it to win control in some provinces, especially the Punjab and Sind, where Muslims were in a majority or it would have to enter into some kind of power-sharing agreement with Congress. This. Congress refused to contemplate, but then the Congress Party members played straight into the Muslim League’s hands.
What did many of the new Congress provincial council ministers do after their election?
After being staved of power and recognition for so long, they threw caution to the wind and took advantage of their new offices, appointing relatives and caste brethren to jobs they had at their disposal.
They ignored minorities and often behaved spiteful to their enemies.
In some provinces, fiscal policies were created to hurt Muslim landowners
In Bihar, cow-slaughter was banned and Congress flags were hoisted on public buildings where there was a substantial Muslim minority.
What Muslim reaction did Congress’ provincial council ministers actions produce?
Many Muslims felt they were now living in a Hindu Raj and that they needed the electoral safeguards that Jinnah and the League had been demanding for so long.
What did Jinnah do in response to Muslim feeling?
Began a series of carefully orchestrated personal appearances, mass rallies and press interviews, deliberately harking back to the glory days of the Mughal Empire. He also targeted university students as he looked to the future and Jinnah became the embodiment of Muslim identity, hopes and dreams. In the 1930s, thousands of Muslims turned to the League for support, as Jinnah had given Muslims a sense of identity and purpose.
What happened during a last ditch attempted to unify Congress and the League?
Subhas Bose was elected Congress president in 1938 and Jinnah met briefly with Gandhi, Nehru and Bose in that year. But the talks broke down due to Jinnah’s insistence that the League be recognised as the sole party of India’s Muslims and Congress liked to think of themselves as an inclusive party, capable of representing the entire nation.
