INDIA THEME 4 Flashcards
TO WHAT EXTENT DID THE SECOND WORLD WAR IMPACT ON INDIAN POLITICS? THE THREAT OF INVASION
1942 - the allies position in all war zones was desperate, Rommell was in striking distance of the Suez - nazi onslaught taken over Western Europe
- Japan bombed the pearl harbour on 8 December 1932 and it propelled use into war
- Japan then took over south east Asia in a series of events, took over shanghai Hong Kong, Malay.
- they were welcomed in Burma and malay as liberators as they would free them from European rule
- roamed the Indian Ocean and lapping the Indians borders at Calcutta, madras and bay of bengal ports
- linlithgow did not have enough resources to fight them- he could only fight a land borne invasion through the scorched earth policy - no resource for them.
the cripps mission 1942
- churchil sent a delegation to India in order to implement full efforts for the war.
- they saw that some self autonomy would be necessary but Churchill himself hated this but he received pressure from cabinet like Attlee
- Cripps seemed to be going good - he was part of labour and he was also friends with nehru and gandhi
- optimism on indian side linlithgow scared that some decision would be made against his own will
- doomed bec he did not offer them purna swaraj
result of the cripps mission 1942
Cripps offered a bargain where all indian parties were to be joined together in an interim government acting under the current British administration and the Viceroy.
Gandhi was infuriated, he did not want to accept a declaration where states were to opt out of a united India however they accepted the interim govt offer if it acted like the Westminster one.
-churchil and Linlithgow did not want that, they wanted to be in full control
jinnah wanted to accept the sep states coz it would be able to receive separate rep but had to reject if he wanted to remain in congress.
THE QUIT INDIA CAMPAIGN
-Linlithgow stepped up the censorships and the amount of press as he knew that there was another campaign being planned.
-Linlithgow had a misguided plan to deport congress officials to uganda with Gandhi being sent to Aden, however this failed as governor objected
-gandhi was pressuring congress to agree with the quit india campaign, as japan’s agression was aimed at india, if they became free they could have peace,
nehru disagreed as he wanted nothing to do with faschism
congress reaction and the new satyagraha being ensued
Congress prevaricated - they were stuck - they did another campaign then there is no chance of reapproachment however it is not like the raj were listening to them.
8 AUGUST 1942- it started. quit india was shouted everywhere, it was shouted at women kids men - tropps who were tryna protect us from japan.
repercussions
-gandhi imprioned on 9th
-locals also arrested
-told demonstrators to become their own leader- they were to do their own satyagraha
-rounds of murder and killing began, over thousands of deaths and injuries - esp europeans
-
Viceroy Wavell became viceroy
field marshall, just as japan struck south east asia - 1943 - he was the wrong man - he didnt have any experience properly- not an able man.
- shows winstons lack of understanding
- started his time by touring the country on fact finding misison - travelling 1,500 km a week
- focussed on troubled areas such as bengal, madras, bombay - to dispute any conflicts as well as boost morale
- he pursued meetings with the 11 provinces regularly - linlithgow hadnt even caused one.
THE BENGAL FAMINE 1943-44
- due to poor harvests, dist failure, loss of imports, weather and price inflation
- annual death rose to 1.9million
- men women kids dying from cholera, small pox malaria
- starving crowd in calcutta hoping for some relief
- prices of rice had risen 10x
- wavell took action to ration and to stop profiteering often trying to steer troops away from war effort
- churchil did not care, he wanted full efffort to be on war - he refused to divert british shipping to the US in order to bring gain in
- Roosevelt also did not send wheat too.
