INDIA unit 3 Flashcards
why did the round table conferences occur
-recommendation of Simon commission
-as a result of the Irwin declaration
-to create constitutional reforms for dominion status
when was the first round table conference and what happened
-1930
-opened by viceroy irwin, chaired by labour PM Ramsey MacDonald
-three main British political parties were represented , alongside all shades Indian opinion including muslim league, untouchables etc but not congress
-these delegates from India were all nominated by Irwin
it was agreed that
-india was to be run as a dominion
-the dominion would be a federation between the princely states and British India
-indians would participate in government at all levels
-closed in jan 1931 on a note of optimism, progress had been made despite the absence of congress
when was the second round table conference and what happened?
-1931
-gandhi attended as a result of agreement of 1931 gandhi Irwin pact so congress was now involved
-similar idea to first conference, but this time congress represented solely through gandhi
-gandhi had swung his support behind the young radicals and backed purna swaraj meaning dominion status would have been unacceptable to him before the gandhi Irwin pact
-Iqbal, Aga Khan and jinnah represented the muslim league, Mater Tara Singh for the sikhs and Dr Ambedkar for the Dalits (all wanted separate electorates, led to conference unraveling)
-gandhi was opposed to separate electorates therefore the conference didn’t agree on a solution
when was the third round table conference and what happened?
-1932
-doomed from start as only 46 delegates attended, none coming from either labour part or congress
-discussed the franchise, finance and the role of the princely states but didmi reach a conclusion
-collapsed in confusion and no round table conferences ever held again
Why did the conferences fail?
THE SITUATION IN BRITAIN
-Labour gov resigned august 1931 meaning third round table conference was chairmanned by Conservative Party
-new India secretary Sir Samuel Hoare had reservations about Indian self gov, more so than previous secretary Benn, and this was also the case in much of the Conservative Party
-Churchill set up India defence league with support from conservative MP’s to keep India under British rule forever
-ramssay macdonald lost support of his own MP’s to cause was weakened
-gov had bigger problems than India
as the economy was facing a depression and unemployment was rising, not focused on India
CONGRESS
-didnt attend first conference- lacking largest player in Indian nationalism
-in second conference gandhi didn’t accept the view of any other representatives as he believed only congress should speak for India, including muslims
-gandhi didn’t go to third round table conference, again not involve congress
SEPERATE ELECOTRATES
-jinnah determined for muslim voice to be heard in an independent India and wanted seprate electorates as well as other minority groups
-jinnah played off groups against one another for separate electorates (congress vs Dalits)
who replaced lord Irwin as viceroy
-Lord willingdon
- hardline anti-nationalist, believed gandhi was a dangerous bolshevik
-hated Gandhi-Irwin pact, didn’t want to treat gandhi with respect
-once he was viceroy he took strict measures against protests
what happened in india after the failures of the round table conferences
UNDER VICEROY WILLINGDON
- 1 week after returning from second round table conference gandhi was arrested and imprisoned
-congress was banned
-all members of CWC and provincial committees were imprisoned
-youth organisations were banned
-80,000 Indians imprisoned within 4 months, mostly congress members
-indian public reaction swift but unorganised due to absence of congress
-boycotts on British goods, taxes weren’t paid, terrorist attacks- authorities never really lost control however
what was the communal award and when was it
-1932
-Macdonald announced the communal award in 1932 which was to be incorporated in future indian constitution
–Sikhs, muslims Dalits, Christians and anglo Indians were entitled to separate electorates
Gandhis reaction to the communal award 1932
-gandhi was furious especially because of inclusion of Dalits, he wanted to abolish untouchability and Dalits were hindu. He launched a fast unto death
When was The Poona Pact and what happened in it
-willingdon didn’t want gandhi to die as he would become a martyr so he planned to release gandhi just as he was on the brink of death so he wouldn’t die in prison and become a martyr
-congress didn’t want to lose its iconic leader
-gandhis fast put pressure on hindus and Dalits, a spectrum of hindu leadership met in Bombay to hammer out an agreement on separate electorates that gandhi (who was I jail in poona) wouldn’t oppose to
-gandhi was weak but discussed proposals for several days, agreed that separate electorates would not be abolished as 18 seats were reserved for untouchables but elected by entire population
-british gov accepted the poona pact, gandhi ended his fast a week after it began
-following week was celebrated as untouchable abolition week, nobody would regraded as untouchable , also it was only banned by law 20 years later
-pact only meant agreement between hindus and Dalits not other delegates
was there support in Britain for constitutional change?
-conservative MP’s fought the new gov of india bill
-india defence league formed as Churchill thought Indians were racially inferior and unable to self govern (there was heavy media support, providing propaganda to rule india as unable to govern themselves)
-india essential to British economy so constitutional change not supported much
-in end fewer than 50 mp’s votes against the bill and it became law in 1935
what were the provisions of the government of india act 1935?
-final British written constitution for india
-the features dealing with provincial gov were used:
-india divided into 11 provinces, each with a legislative assembly and provincial gov controlling nearly everything
-each province would have a governer who had emergency powers
-seats reserved for minority groups
-dyarchy abolished as more positions elected by Indians
-burma separated from india
-two new states, SIND and ORISSA created
how was the 1935 gov of india act only partially implemented
CONGRESS
-Objected to act as it wanted FULL independence
-wanted strong central gov not provincial Govs that could be elected by muslim majority areas
-didnt want reserved seats or separate electorates
MUSLIM LEAGUE
-objected as not enough power was given to muslims in either central of provincial gov
-lack of garuntees for muslims
-first elections held much later in 1937
-princes didn’t like idea of federation as it would reduce their powers so gov in London didn’t want to push them too hard incase they refused to implement the act all together
-by 1939 only 3/5 of states had agreed to federation
what were the dilemmas surrounding the 1937 elections and the outcomes
-congress and muslim league both didn’t know if they wanted to participate in the 1937 elections as they disliked the act but didn’t want to lose power
-in end both took part
-congress was successful and won control of 5 provinces and won the most seats in a further 3 provinces
-Muslim league failed badly as it didn’t have a strong leadership until jinnah returned after elections. didn’t even contest every muslim reserved seat.
When and how was the muslim league revitalised after the 1973 elections
-jinnah realised muslim league needed mass support to win control of muslim majority provinces
-congress gave jinnah exactly what he wanted in the sense they neglected minorities and appointed relatives to gov roles and they banned cow slaughter in Bihar (declining support)
-muslims felt like they were living in a hindu rajand supported muslim league
-jinnah changed appearance, learnt Urdu and dressed in traditional muslim clothes to gain support to appeal to muslims
