India First World War Flashcards
What was the pop. of India by 1914 and what % was Hindu?
300mil and 70%
How did the following groups respond to the outbreak of WWI?
Muslims:
Hindus/Congress:
Princes:
Muslims: Large % joined the army
Hindus/Congress: Gandhi urged Indians to go to war for the British, many saw it as their duty to fight as their ancestors did - some groups who were viewed as ‘warriors’ in the caste system went in large numbers
Princes: 27 of the largest princely states put their armies at the disposal of the British and commissioned,fitted and provisioned a the Loyalty hospital ship
How many of the largest princely states gave their armies to the British?
27
What did the princes provision for the war effort?
The hospital ship Loyalty
Which extreme leader of Congress supported the war effort?
Bal Tilak
Why did many Indian soldiers enlist in the war?
Part of the tradition to serve whoever rules them.
How many Indians had enlisted by November 1918
827,000
How many Indians died in total in the war in WWI?
64,500
At which notable WWI battles were Indian regiments involved?
Neuve Chappelle and the second battle of Ypres
On what other front did Indian soldiers serve?
Mesopotamia (Middle East)
Where were Indian soldiers besieged in April 1916?
Kut-al-Amara
How many animals did India provide for the war?
184,350
In total, how many Indians were recruited into combat and non-combatant positions?
1.5 Million
How much money did India contribute to the war effort by the end of WWI?
146 million
In 1917, how much money was raised as war loans from India?
Around half at the time, 35.5 mil.
How did ordinary people in India experience the effects of the war?
Inflation, high prices,shortages of fuel and increased taxation. Social stress as uncertainty for themselves/loved ones in war increased.
The price of the following things increased by what percentage during the war:
Grain
Indian-made goods
Imported goods
Grain 93%
Indian-made goods 60%
Imported goods 190%
Why did the British struggle to control prices?
Profiteers and speculators
What exacerbated the economic and financial situation in 1919?
Bad weather - No monsoon rain in 1919
Who benefited from the war and why?
Industries including….
Industries including…. Chemicals, cotton, iron and steel, sugar, engineering
Cotton Mill shareholders - more demand for the goods to replace normally imported products
What suggests that the situation was deteriorating back in India during WWI?
food riots, petty violence and rioting.
When was the Montagu Declaration issued?
20th August 1917
What was Edwin Montagu’s title?
Secretary of State for India
What did the Montagu Declaration implicitly commit the British to?
Some eventual form of self-government for India
When did Montagu visit India?
1917-18
Who was a staunch opponent of any more Indian participation in government?
Governor of the Punjab O’Dwyer
When was India placed under the Defence of India Act?
1915
What was the aim of the Defence of India Act?
To put a stop to anti-war and revolutionary behaviour/activities
What was Mr S. T. Rowlatt tasked with investigating in June 1918?
Investigate revolutionary conspiracies
What did the commission of Mr S. T. Rowlatt in 1918 conclude and recommend?
The commission concluded that Bengal, Bombay and the Punjab were centres for revolutionary activity and recommended wartime measures ie. imprisonment without trial, trial by judges sitting without a jury, censorship and house arrest for suspects.
What was the formal name of the Rowlatt Acts?
Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act.
Who voted against the Rowlatt Acts?
Every single one of the 22 Indian members of the Indian Legislative Council.
Who resigned from the Indian Legislative Council as a result of the Rowlatt Act?
Jinnah and his colleagues
When was the Rowlatt Act repealed?
1922, but the damage had already been caused - the Indians had become distrustful of the Raj
What were ‘hartals’?
A stoppage of work and lock out, used as a political protest
Who cooperated during the hartals?
Hindus and Muslims
What triggered the outbreak of rioting?
Arrest of 2 organisers , Kitchlew and Satya Pal
Who was Marcia Sherwood?
CoE missionary
Who was the Governor of the Punjab?
O’Dwyer
What was the name of the park where the Amritsar Massacre took place?
Jallianwala Bagh
What religious festival was being celebrated by Sikhs?
Baisakhi Day
What did Dyer introduce in Amritsar after the massacre?
Martial law
What was the name of the British investigation after the Amritsar Massacre?
Hunter commission
What did the Hunter Commission conclude?
There was no revolutionary activity
Who else launched an investigation into the massacre? What did it conclude?
Congress, and that the Raj were savage in their rule over India
When was the Montagu-Chelmsford Report published?
1917
What were the key features of the 1919 Government of India Act?
Dyarchy, indian control over provincial matters and very limited central govt control . Franchise was extended, but still linked to tax payments.
What was ‘dyarchy’ and when was it abolished?
unequal power split between Indians and the British. It was abolished in 1935
How did the following groups react to the Govt of India Act 1919?
British Left wing
British Right wing
Indians
Left-wing British MPs - Protested that the reforms had not gone far enough.
Right-wing British MPs - Losing its nerve and would soon lose India
Indians - Indian members of the Civil service felt that they were losing their authority. Activists were not happy
