Key Component 3 1930-42 Flashcards
When was the first Round Table Confrence
12 November 1930
Why was Congress not at RTC1
Boycott, as Britain did not give dominion status
What was agreed in RTC1 (2)
- British India and the princely states should be federally linked as one nation
- Central and provincial executive power should be accountable to legislatures
When was the Gandhi- Irwin pact
5 March 1931
What did the Gandhi Irwin Pat agree to? (5)
- Civil-disobedience movement would be halted
- Congress would participate in RTC2
- Britain would release political prisoners
- Cancellation of fines
- unbanning organisations
Congress reaction to Gandhi-Irwin pact
- Congress ratified the agreement
- Criticism that the mass movement had been abandoned
British reaction to Gandhi Irwin pact (2)
- Conservatives disapproved, saw it as government rewarding Gandhi for creating disorder
- Churchill resigned from being front bench MP in 1931 to campaign against Congress around Britain, formed the India Defence League
When was the Second Round Table confrence
7 September 1931
Who represented congress in RTC2
Gandhi the sole representative of Congress and MANDATED to make no concessions from the demand of purna swaraj
How was representation a major source of contention
-Gandhi claimed to speak for all of India; angered Muslims and untouchables (Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar)
How did RTC 2 end?
Without agreement
When was the Communal award unilaterally announced
16 August 1932
What was the Communal award
Set out rights to separate representation for recognised minorities and scheduled castes
How did Gandhi react to communal award
Announced a fast to the death, as he believed that Congress was the best protector of untouchables
What was the Yeravda (Poona) pact
Congress reached an agreement with Ambedkar-
scheduled castes got more reserved seats in future elections but relinquished separate electorates
When was RTC 3 and why did it fail
September 1932, no representatives from the Labour party or Congress and didn’t reach any definite conclusions
Why was there Civil Disobedience after RTC2
- Viceroy Willingdon arrested Gandhi within a week of his return to India.
- Congress declares that the Gandhi-Irwin Pact had been broken and that it would resume civil disobedience
What did Britain do in reaction to Congress’ declaration of civil disobedience (4)
Within 24 hours, granted itself emergency powers.
- Congress was outlawed
- All of Congress’ Working Committee and the Provincial Committees were imprisoned
- Within 4 months, 80,000 Indians were in prison
What did Gandhi do when he got out of prison
- Released on health grounds
- Advised Congress to end civil disobedience and requested the government to release prisoners. Both refused
What did Congress do in reaction to being arrested?
Announced that individuals should feel free to take responsibility for their own civil disobedience
How was civil disobedience eventually crushed?
Mass arrests and repression
What did Britain publish in 1933
The white paper- a firm set of proposals for legislation for the Indian constitution
(Later became gov. of India Act 1935)
What were the 3 main principles of the White paper
- Eventual federation at the national level
- Provincial autonomy
- Special responsibilities/ safeguards in the executive power
What did the Gov of India Act not have
Didn’t set a date for dominion status
When would the GOIA come into effect
1937
What were some of the main provisions of the Act
- Expand the electorate to 35 million people (still >10%)
- Abolish dyarchy
- Establish full provincial governments (each with a legislature and executive)
- Retain vice regal responsibility for defence and foreign affairs
- Reserve emergency powers for central government, including overturning provincial legislation during ‘disorder’
Nationalist response to GOIA 1935 (3)
- Prolonged wait disappointed many
- Legislation out of date by the time it was granted
- Congress divided between opposing the Act and trying to gain whatever power offered
What did the British want out of the GOIA
- Eventual federation of British India and the princely states
- Ensure that a future self-governing Dominion had a constitution, which would:
- Strengthen conservative and loyal elements
- Limit the control of Congress/ weaken it
Why did Britain want to bring the princely states into government
They were conservative princes and tended to support Britain
How did Britain try to persuade princes to join the federation (2)
- Princes permitted to select their own representatives without elections
- Although princely states had 20% of the population, they had 33% of the representatives in the lower federal assembly AND 40% in the higher council of state
Princes reaction to proposal of joining the federation
REFUSED
- Feared it would pressure them to move form autocratic structures towards democratic processes
- Feared they would have to relinquish personal armies into national armed forces
What provinces did Congress win in the 1937 elections?
-Congress took power in Bihar, Bombay, Madras, the United Provinces and the Central provinces
How many representatives were Muslim (2)
- 26/1500
- less than 2%
How many seats were reserved for Muslims and how many did the Muslim League win?
482 reserved muslim seats, AIML won 109
How many seats did Muslims hold compared with their population size
Won 15% seats, despite being 22% of the population
Long term impacts of the United Provinces stand-off
-Congress shutting out the AIML further pushed them away from working with Congress, would the turn to the British for stronger political protection
What happened in the United Provinces stand-off
Congress secured control of the United province, but it came under pressure to appoint non-Congress Muslims for 2 ministerial positions in the provincial government.
Nehru refused and blocked any concessions
How did Congress react to results of the 1937 election
- Felt so powerful; refused to co-operate with the viceroy unless he promised not to overrule decisions by provincial governments
- Treated the Muslim League with disdain, refused to form coalition provincial governments
What did Jinnah do after the 1937 defeats
- Persuaded smaller Muslim organisations to join the AIML
- Jinnah began to campaign openly on a separate Muslim basis rather than part of the nationalist movements
- Shifted objective from protected Muslim representation to the objective of independent Muslim controlled provinces
What di Congress do to co-ordinate its approach across the country
-Created the Congress Parliamentary Board (CPB)- Party committee to determine national policy
Progress of the GOIA
- Ministries increased spending on education and public health
- Regulated landlords and moneylenders
- Ministries worked effectively, distributing and allocating work without intervention or obstruction of British governors
