Section A : The Emergence of Pakistan (1.1 and 1.2) Flashcards
Why was the Simon Commission set up?, what was it’s purpose? and what was the reactions of the Indians towards it?
The Simon Commission was set up by the British Conservative Government because they feared that it might loose power to the Labor Party as it might take too many concessions.
The Simon Commission was a 7 men committee with the chairmanship of Sir John Simon. The committee was sent to India to make the Indians believe that the British were one of them.
As soon as the committee had landed into India, it received insults and protests. The Congress had decided to boycott it and launch a mass demonstration. The Indians called for it’s non-representative members of the committee to return back to England. The commission was viewed as an insult to Indians.
What was the purpose of the Nehru Report? What was did it call for? and why was it rejected?
The Nehru Report was set up by the All-Party Conference which designed a constitution on how they wanted India to be governed. It was named about Pundit Motilal Nehru and was approved by the All-Party Conference in 1928.
The Nehru Report called for:
1- India being an independent country, a member of the Commonwealth and would accept the British Monarch as the Head of State.
2-India was to be a federation with a two chamber parliament.
3-Men and women were to have equal rights.
4-There was no state of religion and Hindi was to be the official language.
It was rejected by the All-India Muslim Conference since the views of Muslims were left to be ignored and the Congress seemed to have forgotten their agreements in the Lucknow Pact.
Why did JInnah (R.A) propose his four points and what did they call for? and why did it lead to the end of the Hindu-Muslim Alliance?
Jinnah had proposed his four points in order to save the Nehru Report after it was ejected by the All-India Muslim Conference.
The four points called for the demands of the Muslims. They stated that:
1- One-third of the elected representatives of both houses of the central legislature were to be Muslims.
2- In Punjab and Bengal, there were to be reservations of seats for the Muslims based on the population for 10 years.
3- The residuary powers were to be given to the provinces. NWFP and Sindh were to be given full provincial status.
After Jinnah had proposed these 4 points, the Congress rejected them which led to the end of the Hindu-Muslim Alliance.
Why did Jinnah (R.A) present his 14 points? What did they call for and why did they contribute to the end of the Hindu-Muslim Co-operation?
Jinnah had presented his 14 Points in a All India Muslim League Conference in Delhi. The points were set up so that the Muslim demands were recognized.
The points called for;
1- All provinces to have an equal power of autonomy.
2- Election should be by separate electorates.
3- Full liberty of belief and worship was to be granted to all communities.
4- Muslim culture, education, language, religion and charities were to be protected by the constitution.
After the establishment of Jinnah’s 14 Points, the Nehru Report was rejected which led to the end of the Hindu-Muslim Cooperation.
Why did Gandhi begin the Salt March? Why was it considered to be a direct attack on the British? and what was the British reaction to it?
Gandhi had begun the Salt March on the 12th of March from his ashram near Ahmadabad.
The march was a direct attack on the British as it boycotted British schools, colleges and services. The March was seen as an opportunity by the Indians to appose all the unfair laws set by the British.
The British arrested both Gandhi and Nehru for their Non-Cooperation Campaign.
Why is the Allahabad Address important for the Pakistan Movement? and what did it call for?
During the year of 1930, Allama Muhammad Iqbal was invited to chair a meeting of the Muslim League in Allahabad, where he made a speech according to Muslim unity. The Allahabad Address holds significance for the Muslim as it contributed to the Pakistan Movement. Iqbal’s wish to see Muslims under a one-nation and a federation inspired the Muslims to seek a separate homeland.
Iqbal was one of the first leaders to call for independence and suggest partition. His poetry was also a source of inspiration for the Muslims on how to defend their religion and their culture. It also led to new Muslim Leaders feeling inspired such as Rehmat Ali’s “Pakistan Scheme” and Jinnah’s “Pakistan
Resolution”.
Why was the Simon Report launched? and what did it call for?
After the opposition against the Simon Commission, the British launched a two volume report.
It supported the idea of separate electorates but rejected the idea of Muslims having a one third share of seats in the Central Assembly and the idea of separating Sindh from Bombay.
What was the success of the Round Table Conferences from 1930 to 1932?
The first Round Table Conference concluded with the Princes declaring to join a federation if their rights were recognized and the British agreeing to introduce the government at a provincial level.
The Second Round Table Conference included the signing of the Gandhi Irwin Pact, in which Irwin agreed to release the political prisoners and agreed to give back the property seized by the British. In return Gandhi promised to attend the next set of meetings and stop with his Non-Cooperation Campaign. An agreement regarding NWFP and Sindh was made that these provinces should have their own governors.
The Third Round Table Conference had little success however it’s failure had led to the Communal Award in 1932.
What were the reasons for the failure of the Round Table Conferences?
The First Round Table Conference failed in November 1930 as the Congress did not attend the meeting despite being India’s biggest political party. Instead it continued with it’s Non-Cooperation Campaign.
The Second Round Table Conference held in September 1931 had failed as the Labor Party had lost power in India and the new government was less prepared to take any more compromises. Through out the meeting Gandhi had also kept a hard line by refusing to recognize the problems of the minorities present in India.
The Third Round Table Conference had failed due to Lord Willington replacing Lord Irwin. Gandhi and Nehru were once more arrested for re-starting their Non-Cooperation Campaign. Jinnah wasn’t invited to the event and the Muslim League was led by Aga Khan with only 46 delegates, which meant that that the meeting broke up before any agreements were made.
What was the Communal Award? What did it aim for? and what was the reaction of The Muslim League and the Congress towards it?
The Communal Award was led by Ramsay Macdonald who saw himself as a friend to the Indians. The Communal Award aimed gave the separate rights of electorates to all the minorities and the principal of weightage was also applied. However, it remained unpopular amongst the Muslims as it reduced their population in Bengal and Punjab giving only 175 seats to The Muslim League, the League however accepted it.
The Congress had entirely rejected the award and launched a campaign against it, whereas Gandhi took a fast unto death and held a meeting with the Untouchables to convince them that they were not minorities.
What was the Government Act of India 1935? What did it call for? And why did Nehru refer it to a charter of slavery?
The Government Act of India 1935, was the last major legislature passed on a white paper the British before partition was granted. After a bill was introduced, the Government Act of India had become law in 1935.
It had called for:
1- The federation of India to have a 2 chamber parliament.
2- The removal of the dyarchy system in India.
3- The establishment of a Federal court.
4- The governors been able to exert special powers.
Nehru referred to it as a “charter of slavery” as it only gave 25% of India’s population the right to vote in India’s provincial status. It also showed no specific promise of a dominion status for India and it only appeared to grant real power to the British rather than the Indians.
What was the Government Act of India 1935? What did it call for? And why did Nehru refer it to a charter of slavery?
The Government Act of India 1935, was the last major legislature passed on a white paper the British before partition was granted. After a bill was introduced, the Government Act of India had become law in 1935.
It had called for:
1- The federation of India to have a 2 chamber parliament.
2- The removal of the dyarchy system in India.
3- The establishment of a Federal court.
4- The governors been able to exert special powers.
Nehru referred to it as a “charter of slavery” as it only gave 25% of India’s population the right to vote in India’s provincial status. It also showed no specific promise of a dominion status for India and it only appeared to grant real power to the British rather than the Indians.
What were the failures and the success of the Gandhi-Jinnah Talks?
The reasons for the failure of the Gandhi-Jinnah Talks were
1- Gandhi telling Jinnah that partition for Pakistan could only be secured if the League helped the Congress in the removal of the British, but Jinnah wanting to secure partition before the British leaving.
2- Gandhi wanting to have control over the Central Government but Jinnah wanting it to be under the control of the provinces.
3- Gandhi refusing to accept the Two-Nation Theory even after it had become the League’s official policy.
Through out the talks there was little success granted such as, it was entirely impossible for the Congress and the League to have a similar ground and the Congress recognizing the League as the voice of the Muslims in India.
Why was the Shimla Conference held? What were it’s aims and why did it fail?
The Simla Conference was held during March, when Lord Wavell wanted to decide about what was to be done with India once the British had left.
The aims for the Conference were to set up an executive council with equal numbers of Muslims and Hindus which would e entirely Indian apart from viceroy and a controlling defense.
The reason for failure was the lack of agreements over who would be the council. Jinnah had argued that even though the council was set to have equal numbers of Muslims and Hindus, the Hindus would automatically win as the Sikhs and Scheduled castes would vote for them. This made the Muslims a minority in the council.
What was the significance of the 1945-1946 Elections for the Muslim League?
The elections were a way of showing how divided India had become, as the Congress represented all the Indians and fought on a policy of an independent India. The League on the other hand represented the Muslims through a policy of establishing Pakistan.
Even though the League had won 80% of the Muslim vote, the Congress had outnumbered the League this was to show that even though the League was supported by Muslims, the Congress was supported by everyone.
The League had also performed better during the 1945 elections as it had campaigned effectively. The League had also realized that after the Congress rule they needed to stand up for their rights. After the passing of the Pakistan Resolution, the 1945 Elections now showed that the League was considered to be an equal opponent to the Congress in India.
