Key component 4: 1943-48 Flashcards
Who became Viceroy in 1943
Wavell
How was Wavell a different Viceroy
- was previously based in India
- one of his first moves was to reinstate the regular meetings of 11 governors of the provinces (Linlithgow had never called such a meeting)
What caused the Bengal famine (5)
- poor harvests
- distribution failure
- loss of imports
- wartime price inflation
- severe weather conditions
1943 death rate
annual death rate rose from the average 1.2 million to 1.9 million
Price of rice in Bengal famine
By 1943 the price had increased tenfold
What did Wavell do in response to the Bengal famine
- immediate action to coordinate rationing
- try to stop profiteering by diverting troops from the war effort to do so
How did AIML and Congress react to the Bengal famine
- Was used by both to mobilise further support for the nationalist movement.
- presented it as further evidence of the need for India’s immediate independence
How much grain did Wavell request, how much did he receive
Requested- million tons to grain of rice
offered- 250,000 tons of rice
but by 1944 Wavell extracted 450,000 tons of rice
Churchill as a barrier to progress 1943-45 (4)
- Churchill rejected Wavell’s request for an Indian Finance Minister on the Executive Council
- dismissed commitment that Britain made during wartime: ‘no obligation to honour promises made at a time of difficulty’
- when PM, had considerable influence on British policy, major obstacle to Indian independence
- BUT only had the support of 42/43 MPs and influence limited
What caused a change in approach in 1945
- Economic challenges
- Labour government elected
- Military success and increasing pressure
How did military success and increasing pressure cause a change in approach (3)
- By the summer 1944, was clear that was was being won
- pressure for discussion of the post-war political situation
- increasing pressure to repay India’s war efforts
When was the Simla conference
25 June 1945- with all of the Indian politcal leaders
What was proposed in the Simla conference
- Loosely modelled on that of Cripps
- offered equal representation of Muslims and Hindus on the Executive Council
Why did the Simla Conference reach a deadlock
- disagreement on the issue of how Muslim members of the newly reconstituted Executive Council were to be chosen
- Jinnah insisted that they must all be nominated by the AIML, Congress couldn’t maintain such a restriction, as they saw themselves as an inclusive party
What is the Simla Conference evidence of (2)
- strengthened position of the AIML (offered equal representation)
- Ongoing obstacle of communal divisions
how many Indians fought in WW2
2.5 million
Labour getting elected positive impact on Indian independence (2)
- Election of a Labour government removed Churchill, who was one of the biggest barriers to progress
- Very close links between Congress and the Labour party, particularly between Cripps and Nehru
Labour getting elected negative impact on Indian independence (3)
- Muslim League did not have close ties to Labour
- quickly became suspicious that Labour were anti-Muslim
- made it harder to build trust and encourage the compromises needed for political settlement
1946 election evidence to show that India was becoming increasingly divided
- More polarised, Muslims voted for the AIML
- AIML secured 75% of the muslim vote
1946 election evidence to show that Congress was India’s dominant party
- Won almost 90% of overall seats
- Formed a provincial government in 8 provinces
1946 election evidence to show that Jinnah successfully strengthened the AIML (2)
- won 90% of seats reserved for Muslims
- won all 30 seats reserved for Muslims in the central assembly
1946 election showing that the idea of partition/ Pakistan had growing support
- in provinces where Muslims were the minority, there was a very strong Muslim vote for the AIML (as opposed to other Muslim parties)
- these were provinces that could never expect to be part of a geographical Pakistan, so implied support for a separate Muslim state that they would travel to
Who was sent to deal with the Cabinet Mission (3)
1946
- Frederick Pethick-Lawrence
- Sir Stafford Cripps
- A.V Alexander
What did Gandhi argue in 1946
- that all power over decisions should be transferred to Congress as victors of the election
What happened at the Second Conference at Simla 1946 that showed entrenched divisions
- Jinnah refused to speak to Azad, 1 of 2 Muslim Congress representatives
- Gandhi, although not formally involved, turned up announcing he would block any attempt at partition
What did the British propose in the second Simla conference (5) (CABINET MISSION
- Three tier structure
- ‘Union Government’ responsible for foreign affairs defence and communication
- Regional groupings exercising all other government responsibilities
- each provincial group would elect its own government
- All India Union would compromise elected representatives from each provincial group
What were the 2 additional options in the 2nd Simla Conference suggested to win Muslim support
- Existing regional groupings might be permitted to secede from the original union by means of plebiscites
- Creation of 2 separate independent states
What was the May Statement
- 1946
- Declared that Britain would create a constituent assembly of elected representatives from the 11 states
- assembly would draft a constitution for the single state with regional groupings
What happened June 6th 1946 (4)
- Muslim League accepted the Cabinet Mission’s proposals
- Cabinet Mission announced it would create an interim government
- Disagreement over how Muslim representatives to be chosen
- British resolved by announcing they would choose every member
What happened June 24th 1946 (3)
- Congress announced the partial acceptance of the May statement
- BUT Congress argued that if regional groupings could withdraw from India, then individual provinces should be able to withdraw from regional groupings
- tried to breakup Pakistan before it ever got formed
What did Jinnah do in response to Congress’ reaction to the Cabinet Mission (4)
- outraged at the duplicity of Congress
- convened his Council of the League and rejected all agreements made in the Cabinet Mission
- Called for a universal Muslim Hartal
- urged muslims to prepare for a Day of Direct Action on 16th August 1946
What is the Cabinet Mission evidence of (3)
- total breakdown in the relationship between India’s political leaders
- Congress and Gandhi being obstacles to an agreement
- Jinnah’s increasing frustration at the situation
Direct action statistics Calcutta
- Particularly bad in Calcutta
- Police ordered by the League to take a special holiday
- 5,000 killed
- 20,000 injured
- 100,000 residents made homeless
What was Direct action evidence of (3)
- total loss of trust between the communities and depth of divisions in India
- Britain’s loss of control
- Jinnah’s willingness to use extreme methods to support partition
What did Direct Action lead to (2)
- resignation of Wavell (Congress pressed for Wavell’s removal as Viceroy)
- increasing likelihood of partition
When was the interim government sworn in
2 September 1946 with Nehru as Prime Minister
Power in the interim government (4)
- Viceroy still nominally responsible for the governance of India
- but in reality had to carry out the decisions of Indian ministers and the Executive Council
- effectively carried out the wishes of Congress
- Jinnah had the post of finance minister
When was Wavell removed as Viceroy
- 31 January 1947
- Replaced by Admiral Viscount Louis Mountbatten
Why was Mountbatten chosen (2)
- Seen as charismatic, ‘man of action’, believed he could break the deadlock
- Atlee believed that Mountbatten’s left-wing politics made a positive relationship with Congress likely
Arguments in favour of blaming Mountbatten for the events 1947-48 (2)
- Mountbatten failed to build a relationship with Jinnah
- Lady Mountbatten’s rumoured affair with Nehru strengthened the AIML’s distrust
Arguments against blaming Mountbatten for the events 1947-48
- Spent first 4 weeks in India consulting widely, committed to being well informed
- Built strong relations with Congress leaders
- there was already widespread violence before Mountbatten, particularly in Amritsar, Lahore and Punjab
What did the Balkan plan proposed (3)
- 11 provinces would be allowed to decide whether to remain autonomous
- provinces of Bengal and Punjab able to Partition themselves
- Princely states could remain individually autonomous or join with others
Nehru reaction to Balkan plan (2)
- Nehru rejected it outright
- called it a ‘picture of fragmentation, conflict and disorder’
Menon plan proposals (3)
- Two states, India and Pakistan with Dominion status
- provincial assemblies would decide which state to join, with Bengal and Punjab voting on provincial partition
- Princes would decide to join either India, Pakistan or remain autonomous
Menon plan reaction
- Congress approved, knew they would easily gain control of a single Indian state
- Jinnah accepted the plan, although the prospect of partition in Bengal and Punjab left the Muslim territory reduced
What was set up to draw a boundary between India and Pakistan
The Boundary Commission, led by Sir Cyril Radcliffe
Who was Sir Cyril Radcliffe
- Legal expert, no ties to India
- Impartiality guaranteed because had no experience whatsoever of India
Problems of the Boundary commission (3)
- Relied on out of date maps, anecdotal stories of land ownership and dusty boundary charts
- Commission only given 5 weeks
- Large amount of political interference from Mountbatten, often on behalf of Congress
Example of political interference on the Boundary commission
(4)
- Town of Firozpur
- Originally placed firmly inside Pakistan
- Intensive lobbying by Nehru and Congress had the boundary moved
- Firozpur was a strategic part in the irrigation system of the area
How had the princes supported Britain during the war effort (2)
- Invested in the war effort, bought 180 million rupees worth of war bonds
- of their subjects 300,000 volunteers joined India’s armed forces
What were princes’ fears during the period (2)
- Felt ignored
- Felt threatened by Congress, a party dedicated to removing their sovereign powers
Who sympathised with the princes’ desire to remain autonomous
Conrad Corfield, head of India’s Political Department
What did Conrad Corfield do
- Persuaded the new secretary of state for India, Lord Listowel to agree that neither India nor Pakistan would inherit the princely states
- authorised the burning of 4 tons of documents of Princes’ misdemeanours
Nehru reaction to Conrad Corfield
- Furious as if carried through, independence for the princes would mean the disintegration of India
- Would mean a complete reverse for Congress, who intended to take over the princely states
How many people tried to move in 1947
- estimated 10 million
- estimated 1 million died in the communal violence
How did British decisions lead to more deaths during the partition (4)
- British began to withdraw their military in August 1947 at the time when violence in the Punjab was worst
- British troops were kept in their barracks, no attempt to control order or maintain peace
- British only dispatched 50,000 troops to bring order along new boundaries
- Government instructed British troops to be used to only protect European lives
Impact of communal violence on British date of independence
Influenced British to bring forward independence from June 1948 to August 1947
