How Successfully Did Congress Consolidate Its Position, 1922 - 30? Flashcards
What did membership of Congress increase to during the non-cooperation campaigns?
100,000 to 2million by the end of 1921
What changes did Gandhi make to Congress’ structure?
Set up the Congress Working Committee (CWC) which mirrored what a cabinet was to government, in order to develop an alternative structure that could take over when the Raj withered away
What was the All-Indian Spinners’ Association?
intended to spread the word about hand spinning and weaving, promoting the general cause of self-sufficiency.
How did the All-Indian Spinners Association relate to the way forward for India?
Dismantle the structure and organisation of the state and return to the simpler, self-sufficient communities of the past
Who was apart of the Young Hooligans?
Bose, Narayan, Nehru
What did the Young Hooligans strive for?
They wanted immediate, complete independence and opposed dominion status
What was Gandhis initial thought of the Young Hooligans?
Gandhi deeply regarded socialism as dangerously radical
How many times was Bose arrested for terrorist activities?
11 times
When was the Nehru Report?
1928
What did the Nehru report recommend?
Dominion status
What was the Muslims reaction to the Nehru Report?
Unhappy as dominion status meant Hindus would form a permanent majority within central government, despite vague promises religious freedoms would be safeguarded
How did Congress react to the Simon Commission?
Organised a boycott of the Simon Commission
What two motions were present at the Calcutta meeting in December 1928?
- Dominion status
- British to completely withdraw from India by 31 December 1929
What motion did Congress support in the Calcutta meeting?
Both motions - as withdrawal was unrealistic but gave an excuse to embark on further non-cooperation campaigns
When was the Lahore Congress?
1929
What was Congress’ division during the Lahore congress?
- To embark on another programme of mass civil disobedience would alienate the more moderate members of congress and could end in bloodshed again.
- But on the other hand the ‘Young Hooligans’ had considerable support especially amongst the young
- Or was he to ignore the moderates, push for dominion status and risk dividing Congress
What was Congress’ biggest weakness?
Congress needed to reassert their authority and the proliferation of small groups were finding a voice and needed to re-emphasise its claim to speak for all India
Who did Congress decide to support in the Lahore Congress?
Young Hooligans
What idea was proposed during the Lahore Congress?
Purna Swaraj - to become the new political demand
When was the Salt Satyagraha?
12 March 1930
Why did Gandhi decide to oppose the government’s tax on salt? (3)
- Brought little revenue to the government
- Salt was the one commodity everyone used
- Production was controlled by the Raj, who exacted tax from its sale, making it an ideal issue to oppose the Raj
How much did salt cost for indians?
3 annas a year (1.5p)
How far did Gandhi walk to Dandi on the Gujarati Coast?
240 miles
Who did Gandhi select to accompany him?
78 supporters, including untouchables, selected to show the universality of the mission
Why was there a large following during the Salt march?
- Due to the prayer meeting the day before
- and a gathering held the day of the march
How many people did the prayer meeting attract, held the day before the Salt March?
10,000
How many people did the gathering, held the day of the salt march attract?
75,000
The march took the characteristics of a …
pilgrimage - behave in a non-aggressive manner
Who else accompanied Gandhi?
Reporters and cameramen from the worlds press - helped Gandhi report his message of non-violence
How did the salt march pose a threat to the Raj?
Gandhi urged many to pick tax-free salt and was tantamount to a declaration of war against the tax and the government that produced it
How did the Raj react to the Salt Satyagraha? (3)
- Hundreds of peasants were arrested and imprisoned
- Arrests of Nehru and Gandhi
- in June the entire Congress Working Committee was arrested
How did Gandhi’s arrest affect India?
- Congress authorised provincial committees to organise their own satyagraha
- Recommended an order of priorit: salt, boycott of foreign cloth, non-payment of taxes, the refusal to cooperate with authorities when they tried to prevent the satyagraha. in organising the campaign this way, it prevented potential divisions among its members
How was the Civil disobedience much more difficult to stop?
- By allowing provincial committees to such autonomy, it became a universal umbrella organisation
- There was no central organisation to take out
How many protesters were arrested during the Civil disobedience?
60,000
How many women were jailed during the civil disobedience?
300 women
How many youths under 17 were jailed?
2,000
Most turbulent provinces during the Salt March?
Bombay & Gujarat
What had Irwin considered to implement during the non-cooperation campains?
Martial law
Where did Gandhi walk to during the Salt March?
Dandi - along the Gujurat Coast
When was Nehru arrested?
14th April 1930
When was Gandhi arrested?
5th May 1930, 12:45am
When was the entire Congress Working Committee arrested?
June 1930
Congress order of priority:
- Salt
- The boycott of foreign cloth
- The non-payment of taxes
- The refusal to cooperate with authorities
