Key Component 3: British policy 1931-42 Flashcards
When was the first RTC
Nov 1930- Jan 1931
Who chaired the first RTC
Labour PM, Ramsay MacDonald
How many British delegates were there in RTC1
16 delegates who represented the 3 British political parties
Who was the Conservative group led by in RTC1
Sir Samuel Hoare
Who was the Liberal group led by in RTC1
Lord Reading (Indian Viceroy 1921-1926)
How many delegates were there who represented general Indian opinion
58 Indian delegates (all viceroy nominees)
-no formal mandate
How many representatives were from princely states
princes sent 16 representatives
Who did not participate in RTC1
Congress
What conclusion did RTC1 come to (3)
- India would run as a type of dominion
- Dominion would take the form of a federation that would include Princely states and the 11 British provinces
- Indian participation in all levels of government
When was the inauguration of New Delhi
Feb 1931
When was RTC2
September - December 1931
What made it possible for Congress to be represented
Gandhi- Irwin Pact 1931
How many delegates from Congress were there in RTC2
Gandhi SOLE representative
-symbolise the UNITY of the Indian nationalist movement
What did Gandhi claim
Claimed the Congress alone could represent the whole of political India
-Alienated all groups seeking separate electorates, especially Muslims
What did Gandhi support at this point
-Supported Purna Swaraj
-Could not accept any solution that involved a form of dominion status
Who represented Muslims in RTC2 (2)
- Iqbal- the Aga Khan
- Muhammed Jinnah
Who represented Sikhs in RTC2
Master Tara Singh
Who represented the Untouchables
Dr Ambedkar
What did ALL minority groups demand
Separate electorates
Result of RTC2
Failed- couldn’t agree on a workable constitution
When was RTC3
Nov- Dec 1932
Why did RTC3 FAIL (2)
- Only 46 delegates (none form INC or Labour)
- Couldn’t reach any definite conclusions
What was the government of Britain 1931
-Aug 1931, the Labour government had resigned
-REPLACED by a Tory dominated coalition (the National Govenmnet)
Why did the British government pay less attention to Indian nationalist demands in this period (3)
- the great depression
- mass unemployment
- economic collapse
Who became Secretary of State for India in 1931
-Sir Samuel Hoare
-had even more reservations about granting self-government than his predecessor William Wedgewood
What did Winston Churchill campaign against
- Campaigned against Congress and Indian self-government
- joined the Indian Empire Society
What did Churchill set up
-The Indian Defence League
-had support from 50 conservative MPs
Why was Congress not at RTC1
Nehru and Gandhi were in jail
Who became Viceroy in 1931
Willingdon became Viceroy
-adopted stricter measures against protestors and alienated nationalist opinion
Willingdon repression (4)
- 4 Jan 1932, Gandhi arrested/imprisoned
- Congress outlawed
- ALL of Congress Working Committee were imprisoned
- Youth organisations banned
Within 4 months of Willingdon how many were imprisoned
80,000 indians, mostly members of Congress
What was Indian reaction to Willingdon repression
- Reaction was swift, but w/o Congress lacked organisation
- Authorities were able to keep control
What did Indians do in response to Willingdon repression (4)
- Boycotts
- non-payment of taxes
- youth organisations became popular
- terrorist activity increased
What angered Churchill and how did he show his discontent (1931)
- Angered him that Baldwin and other conservatives supported Dominion
- 1931 Churchill resigned from shadow cabinet
When was the Communal award announced
1932
What did the Communal Award set out
- designated minority groups as separate classes, entitled to separate electorates in any new Indian constitution
How did Gandhi react to the Communal Award (3)
- Furious- especially the inclusion of Untouchables
- Gandhi saw this as the British government trying to weaken Congress by separating the Untouchables/ fragment Hindu society
- launched a fast-unto-death
What was the Yeravda Pact
- In response to Gandhi’s fast:
- Hindu leaders and representatives of Untouchables hammered out a set of proposals to counteract the Communal Award
What did the Communal Award initially set out for Untouchables
allocation of 71 seats on the provincial legislatures to Untouchables
What did Gandhi and the delegation settle on for Untouchables in the Yeravda Pact (5)
- 148 seats
- elected by a system of primary and secondary elections for seats allocated to Untouchables
- only Untouchables being able to vote in the relevant primary elections
- Untouchables would be allocated 18 percent of the Central Assembly seats
- money set aside by every provincial assembly for the education of Untouchables
British government and the Yeravda (Poona) pact (3)
- Accepted the pact
- made the necessary changes
- the new Communal Award would be incorporated into the new Indian Constitution
What was the 1935 Government of India Act
- Final British- written constitution to be imposed on India
- BUT only the clauses dealing with provincial governments were actually implemented
Main features of the 1935 GOIA (6)
- India divided up into 11 provinces-each with a legislative assmebly and provincial government
- Each province would have a governer, retained the power to act in an emergency
- Dyarchy abolished
- Separate electorates continue
- Burma spearated from India
- Sindh and Orissa created
What would the provinces NOT control in the GOIA 1935
-Defense and foreign affairs
Why did Congress object to the Act 1935 (3)
- Party wanted Purna Swaraj
- could not support provincial governments because some provincial governments would be Muslim
- also objected against reserving seats for minority groups
Why did the AIML object to the Act 1935 (2)
- did not offer enough power to muslims in central or provincial legislatures
- no guarantees were offered for the protection of rights of Muslims
Why did the princes object to the Act 1935 (2)
- An all India federation would result in the diminution of the power of the princes
- Prepared to bargain to protect their fiscal rights
What did Conservative gov. fear of the princes after 1935 Act
Afraid that the princes would join Tory-diehards, such as Churchill and prevent the complete implementation of the Act
Riots resulting from the 1935 Act
rioting in Hyderabad and Khasi
What did Congress want for the princes (2)
- Opposed the idea of princes’ nomination to any federal legislature
- wanted to end their autocracy
BUT afraid of splinter groups
Why did the RTC fail (5)
- British political context changed
- Gandhi’s refusal to co-operate
- issue of separate electorates
- communal divisions
- Only offering dominion status
Churchill: “I hate Indians…
…they are a beastly people with a beastly religion”
Robert Pearce on the GOIA 1935
“had no wish to leave India: they wanted to buy off Indian nationalists with the minimum reforms they would accept”
John Keay quote on the GOIA 1935
“raised the spectre of provincial devolution, leading to the possible fragmentation of British India and its as yet unthinkable partition”
How did the 1937 elections show the strength and success of Congress (2)
- Congress was the largest party in 7/11 provinces
- Congress controlled the provincial governments in 7/11 provinces
The weakness of the Muslim League in 1937 elections (3)
-3 provinces, the AIML won 0 seats
-in the Punjab the AIML won 2/86 reserved seats for Muslims (2%)
-AIML won 22% of the seats reserved for Muslims
Failure of Congress to gain muslim support in 1937 elections
2% of Congress representatives were Muslim
What was Jinnah’s strategic leadership (2)
- Established the AIML as a mass movement
- established vital strategic alliances with local Muslim parties to strengthen the AIML in Key provinces
Examples of Jinnah trying to establish the AIML as a mass movement (4)
- ‘Tipu Sultan Day’ was inaugurated in honour of the Muslim Sultan, heightened Islamic pride
- targeted University students: set up the AIM student’s federation
- reduced price of membership to 2 annas
- promoted muslim identity through the promotion of Urdu and traditional clothing that overcame regional divisions
How did the the conduct of Congress help revitalise the AIML (3)
- appointing relatives and fellow caste members to jobs they controlled created resentment
- ignored minority interests and behaved spitefully
- Congress were increasingly divided and distracted by in-fighting
INC ignored minority interests and behaved spitefully
- Introduced fiscal policies that harmed Muslim landowners,
- Cow-slaughter banned in Bihar
When did Britain declare war on germany
3 Sepetember 1939
Congress reaction to Britain’s decision to enter ww2
Shock and horror- weren’t consulted in the decision, no power-sharing
Nehru’s reaction to the outbreak of War
- Sympathised with the Britain but weren’t prepared to commit themselves to support a government that had not consulted them.
- not prepared to fight unless they were granted immediate swaraj
What did Congress do in reaction to WW2
Withdrew the ministries where it had a majority to disassociate India from the war.
-Congress leaders ordered all Congress members to resign from provincial ministries throughout India
What did Jinnah do in response to Congress resigning
- Jinnah designated 22 December 1939, as Muslims India “Day of Deliverance”
- suggested that the AIML should hold public meetings and offer prayers of Thanksgiving for deliverance from the Congress regime
When was the Lahore Resolution and how many attended
March 1940- 100,000 attended
The Lahore Resolution proposals (2)
- where Muslims were in the majority should be grouped to form independent states
- that minorities should be protected, whether the people concerned were living in Muslim- or Hindu dominated states
- AIML became a genuine mass movement that spoke for Muslims across India
Congress’s reaction to the Lahore Resolution
- Both Gandhi and Nehru denounced the idea of a separate Muslim state
- Mini-satyagrahas broke out protesting against the Lahore Resolution
August Offer 1940 proposal (4)
- ‘Representative’ Indians would join his Executive Council
- A War Advisory Council would be established that would include princes and other interested parties
- Assurance that the government would not adopt any new constitution without the prior approval of Muslim India
- Dominion status
What did Subhas Chandra Bose do in 1939
-Left Congress
-Formed the Forward Bloc Party (terrorist organisation aimed at getting the British to Quit India)
The Forward Bloc conference
Conference in Nagpur 1940
-Passed a resolution urging militant action against British colonial rule
How did Britain react to the Forward Bloc (4)
- Banned the Forward Bloc and its publications
- attempted to destroy seditious material
- HOWEVER anti-British activities continued but without central direction
- e.g in Bihar Forward Bloc members were involved in underground resistance groups and distributed anti-British propaganda
What did Bose do in Japan
formed the Indian National Army (INA) from Indian POW
What did the Indian National Army do in 1944
6,000 INA soldiers went into action with Japanese troops
400 were killed, the rest surrendered
NOT SUCCESFUL
Why was Congress divided in itself in 1938-9 (3)
- Congress’s central leadership was uncertain as to how much control it would delegate to provincial leaders
- torn by infighting over its presidency
- divided on what extent they should support Britain during the conflict
How was Congress torn by infighting (3)
- Considerable pressure for Bose to quit
- BUT Jawaharlal Nehru refused to stand in his place and Bose himself refused to stand aside for the Gandhi faction nominee Pattabhi Sitaramayya
- Party could not function due to huge rifts
What did Linlithgow’s unilateral decision suggest about the GOIA
Suggested that the power sharing promise in the GOIA was meaningless.
-Further undermined any trust between Congress leaders and the British
What was the Lahore resolution evidence of (4)
- Jinnah’s successful leadership
- how WW2 strengthened the League; more radical and confident
- deteriorating relations between Hindus and Muslims
BUT - the resolution was unclear and was never properly clarified by Jinnah or the League
Jinnah quote on WW2
“war which nobody welcomed proved to be a blessing in disguise”
