The Cabinet Mission (25) Flashcards
Who composed the Cabinet Mission?
The ‘three wise men’. Lord Pethick-Lawrence, a peer with Liberal views; Stafford Cripps, now president of the Board of Trade; and A.V. Alexander, First Lord of the Admiralty and a Co-operative Movement sponsored MP.
When did the Cabinet Mission arrive in India?
24th March 1946
What did Attlee insist that the Mission do?
That they did everything possible to maintain a united India - that could play a key role in Britain’s plans for security in Asia. This appeared to rule out a separate Pakistan, but didn’t prohibit the existence of separate Muslim-dominated states.
How long did the Cabinet Mission stay in India for?
3 months, as they were determined to break the deadlock between Congress and the Muslim League - they nearly succeeded.
What was held in May 1946?
A second Simla Conference to work through the Cabinet Mission’s proposals, which basically provided for a three-tier federal structure within a united India. Partition wasn’t acceptable. Four representatives from Congress and the Muslim party were invited to attend,
What did the Cabinet Mission propose?
an All-India Union, responsible for defence, foreign policy and internal communication, together with powers to raise finances to fund these three elements
the All-India Union would be governed by an executive and legislature
There would be three clusters of provincial governments:
Congress’ Hindu heartland - Madras, Bombay, United and Central Provinces
Muslim and predominantly Muslim areas - Punjab, Sind and the North-West Frontier
Bengal and Assam, balance of religions slightly in favour of the Muslims
Each provincial group would elect its own government to be responsible for the day-to-day running of provincial affairs
the All-India Union would comprise elected representatives from each provincial group
Were the Cabinet Mission’s proposals acceptable?
After much debate, both the Muslim League and Congress accepted the proposals.
The League stated that they were acceptable as the basis of Pakistan was inherent in the Mission’s proposals.
Congress, convinced by its Muslim President, Azad - who Jinnah calls a ‘show case Muslim’ - that the proposals were in Congress’ best interests, voted on 6th July to accept them, but promptly removed Azad from his position, electing Hindu, Jawaharlal Nehru in his place.
What did Jawaharlal Nehru say in the press conference he held a few days after Congress’ acceptance of the Cabinet Mission’s proposals?
Flushed with victory and trying to win over the left-wing side of his party, he promised that once Congress controlled the All-India Union, it would act as it pleased.
He predicted that the provincial groupings would fall apart as they weren’t liked by a large number of Hindus and basically were only supported by the Muslim League.
The impact of this collapse of the Cabinet Mission’s proposed grouping would be that India would become, in effect, a Hindu Raj.
The whole concept of Pakistan would wither and die in the face of political reality. Alarmingly, this was an interpretation that Cripps declined to rule out.
How did Jinnah react to Nehru’s proclamations at his press conference?
He was horrified, his worst nightmare was coming true. He said that Nehru’s comments were ‘a complete repudiation of the basic form upon which the long-term scheme rests and all of its fundamentals’.
Jinnah felt betrayed by Nehru and Congress - and the Cabinet Mission, which had flown home, leaving him to deal with the collapse of what they had so carefully built up.
He convened his council of the Muslim League in Bombay on 27th July 1946 and denouncing the bad faith of both Congress and the Raj, repudiated the agreement with the Cabinet Mission.
Two days later, he called upon Muslim India to prepare for ‘direct action’. ‘Direct Action Day’ was to be 16th August 1946.
