India- Unit 2.3 Flashcards
When was the first round table conference?
- opened by Lord Irwin- 1930 (Nov) in House of Lords
- London
- chaired by British prime minister and Labour Party leader- Ramsay MacDonald
- conservative group led by Sir Samuel Hoare and liberal group- lord Reading
- had been an Indian viceroy 1921-26
- 3 British political parties represented by 16 delegates
Who was present at the first round table conference?
- 58 delegates
- represented most shades of Indian Political Opinion
- congress not present
- princes sent 16 representatives which was unexpected
What was discussed and outcome, when did it end?
- support for concept of dominion status strengthened the case being made by the labour group for granting dominion status to India on the same terms as Canada, Australia and New Zealand
- progress was made:
a) India would be run as a type of dominion
b) the dominion would take the form of a federation that would include the princely state as well as 11 British provinces
c) there would be Indian participation at all levels of government
-ended Jan 1931
When was the Second round table conference?
- Sept- December 1931, similar mix of delegates to the first
- 1 major difference- Gandhi Irwin Pact made it possible for congress to be represented
- Gandhi took upon himself to become congress, only representative
What was discussed and what was the outcome of the second round table conference?
- dominated by well-known and well-rehearsed racial and religious minority arguments
- Hindus and Muslims could not agree
- the second round tab,e conference couldn’t agree in a workable constitution
- Gandhi was well aware that he could not accept any solution which focused on dominion status. Thus he was effectively opposed to the outcome of the 1st delegation
Who was present at the second round table conference?
- Iqbal (Aga Khan-spiritual leader of the Ismailis , a small extremist Muslim sect) and Jinnah attended the Second London Conference representing the Muslim League
- Master Tara Singh=Sikhs
- Dr Ambedkar= untouchables
- all demanded separate electorates
- Gandhi took particular exception to the untouchables being considered for a separate electorate- should have come under Hindu umbrella
When was the third round table conference?
- London, Nov-December 1932-doomed before started
- add more confusion, Britain in a coalition government-unclear on policies
Who was present at the third round table conference?
-only 46 delegates attended, none from British Labour Party or Congress
What was discussed and what was the outcome of the third (and last) round table conference?
- the third conference discussed the franchise, finance and the role of the princely states but again couldn’t read any definite conclusions and collapsed in confusion
- there was no more Round Table Conferences
What is a franchise?
-who is eligible to vote
Why did the Round Table conferences fail?
1) Disagreements between Indian groups eg: over separate electorates
2) No continuity in attendance eg: congress not present at first and few British in the third
3) India or Britain not clear on what want
4) Coalition/ national government= other things happening, SWW , abdication, depression (1931-labour government resigned and replaced by national government)
5) Range of delegates- never going to satisfy everyone- includes everyone eg: Untouchables, Sikhs, Hindu, Muslim, Iqbal, all 3 British parties…
6) Huge religious differences and in actual beliefs
7) No definite conclusions
8) Lack of compromise from both British and Gandhi- go with pre-determined agendas
9) Held in London= overpowering, Indian not being accommodated and British not willing to compromise- dominion status or nothing
10) New individuals eg: Sir Samuel Hoare- more reservations about self-governance than predecessor and shared by many tories eg:Winston Churchill who set you Indian Defence League- 50 MPs= wanted British Empire to last forever
L2-How far was a compromise reached in the years 1932-35:
-How did Britain respond to the failure of the Round Table Conference?
- 4th Jan 1932= Gandhi arrested and imprisoned
- congress outlawed
- all members of CWC were rounded up and imprisoned
- youth organisations were banned
- over 80,000 Indians (mostly member of congress) were imprisoned within 4 months
- The communal Award (16th August 1932)= Sikhs, Christians, Anglo-Indians and Untouchables were all declared as separate classes (therefore have separate electorates)- more allies so would give it, throwing in Muslim faces= giving it to all minorities expect Muslims who have compagnes did it for years- no compromise for them but for Sikhs= not
- any concession- pressure to compromise or willing
What are a lot of these actions similar to?
-similar to how Britain responded post-Salt March
How did Gandhi respond?
- swarej= boycott of British goods
- responded to the Communal Award with ‘fast-unto-death’-therefore blackmailed British (don’t want Martyr)
- meg with British at Yeravda (Poona) late 1932 (Winter). Here they agreed that in essence, separate electorates would end (as although separate seats remained, voyons was by the general electorate)
- Gandhi declared that untouchability should be abandoned by law (took 20 years) -political side (not religious beliefs eg: able to make decisions and representation)
What does this show about the British?
- change mind- Britain fickle- can make change mind in a couple of months- giving in Hinderence
- depends what define as ‘compromise’ as this doesn’t show have BOTH met in a middle ground
- Gandhi no longer accept 2nd best as shows will sway
What do you define as your criteria in a source question?
-state how you will be assessing it eg: through provenance and content
What do you do for a source question in India?
- don’t necessarily need a conclusion as third paragraph should be most of Evaluation
- try to be more positive then negative especially in content, leave negative to provenance (as usually don’t have whole text therefore can’t say don’t acknowledge as may have later on)
- don’t necessarily need evidence in third paragraph as should have done most in one and two
What do you do in the introduction?
- give a couple of key facts about the topic
- summarise main points of source
- Hint at overall conclusion
What do you do in the main body?
- source one- how useful or not, both content and provenance
- source two- how useful or not, both content and provenance
- third paragraph- consider sources TOGETHER- useful or not?
If choose to add a conclusion, what should you include?
-say whether or not find sources useful TOGETHER and WHY
Mark descriptor points:
- Both sources (combined)
- range of evidence from source
- distinguish between OK and source
- limitations
- secure understanding of sources
- content and provenance
- valid criteria stated (content and provenance), justified and fully applied
- judgement
- distinguish between arguments you most agree with from others
Support and opposition in Britain from 1932:
How did the daily mail newspaper respond to the idea of independence?
- became media support for the India Defence League
- Lord Rothermere wrote articles- ‘If We Lose India’- outrageous “facts” eg: Gandhi and Congress were an insignificant group of semi-educated Hindus
- Fake photographe of British troops quelling riots, corpses
- clear message:
- Indians unfit to govern themselves, only paternalistic- British could effectively manage the subcontinent
- Warned if left:
- carnage would follow
- British economy would lose India’s trade
- Imperialist- organisation about uniting empire= United Empire Party
- Lord Rothermere (1868-1940):
- Newspaper proprietor
Who was Sir Samuel Hoare? What was his response?
- conservative
- Secretary of State (1931-35)
- Chief architect of Government of India Act
- Accepts will be some independence but restricted- dominion status
- New constitution- new Government of India Act
- Different aims but do 2nd RTC did have good/ pleasant relationship
- involves in fending of Hitler
Who was Lord Willingdon? What was his response?
- viceroy=1931-36
- Increased numbed of ordinances (rules and regulations)- put in to suppress Indian Nationalist Campaigns
- Hard to suppress Congress-unsuccessful
- Gandhi- ‘Indian Bolshevik’= not popular, communist ideology
- Despised Gandhi-Irwin Pact= anti-Gandhi
- contrast to Irwin
Who was Winston Churchill? What was his response?
- totally against Indian Independence- any form
- Conservative- divisions in party
- Pro-British empire, “sun will never set on the British Empire”-imperialist
- Irwin Declaration/ Pact= also dismissed
- Called Gandhi names
- Indian Defence League
- No secret= Indians unsuited to democracy- can’t rule on own
Who was Joseph Rudyard Kipling?
- worked as a British Journalist
- Conservative
- Cabinet member (made up of 22 key advisors)
- celebrated British imperialism
- wrote a lot about British in India and soldiers
- wrote Jungle Book
- Himself= grew up in India-British Raj setting
- Indian Defence League
- son in FWW
- Traditional views
Who was Stanley Baldwin?
- conservative prime minister
- 1935- Government of India Act
- Baldwin= relaxed to India, similar to Hoare- willing to give some form of self-governance- disliked by Churchill
- Pleasant relationship with Gandhi-in letter said may give more
- conservative