The First world war and its effect on British india, 1914-1920 Flashcards
What were the home rule leagues (Growth of nationalism) (2,3,3,2)
-Tilak created the Home rule league, which had 32,000 members, mostly in western India
-Annie Besant created the All India Home Rule League
-These groups campaigned for Indian home rule, and increased autonomy over themselves
-They spread their message to previously unpoliticised areas
-They had newspapers, rallies, pamphlets and songs
-Congress accepted the motion, and declared home rule as one of its aims in 1917
-However, Gandhi did not join the home rule leagues, preferring the British rule
-Muslims also did not join, preferring British rule
-The British took these as threats to their rule seriously
-In 1917 Tilak was arrested, and Besant interned
What was the Montague declaration, and how significant was it? (British rule) (4,3)
-The Montague declaration was made on August 20th 1917, to please Indian people
-It promised ‘The gradual development of self governing institutions’
-‘Increasing association of Indians in all aspects of government’
-Montague would go to India, to see what Indian people wanted in terms of representation
-However, this was not significant in terms of change or effect
-The vague wording meant there was no promises of what was done, and when it would be done by
-The British were trying the bare minimum to please the Indians, and the Indians knew this
How did parliament react to the Amritsar massacre? (Growth of nationalism) (5)
-Montague argued they couldn’t rule by force
-Churchill agreed, and denounced the massacre
-The eventual motion was to censure Dyer
-However, the debate went the other way in the house of lords
-They thought that Dyer was justified in his actions, and had done nothing wrong
What was the purpose and reaction to the government of India act? (British rule) (4,4)
-To move decision making from the centre to the provinces
-To give the people more power in making decisions which affected their every day life
-However, there was no true intent to genuinely increase Indian political representation
-An attempt at the British appeasing the Indians they didn’t trust
-Parliament was polarised on the issue, some felt it too much,, some felt it too little
-Indian civil service felt its power slipping away
-Indian public opinion was unanimously against the act
-Felt it was too long following the Montague declaration, and there was no serious intent (rowlatt + Amritsar inbetween)
What was the Indian response to the Rowlatt acts (British rule) (6)
-Most Indians thought following the end of WW1, repressive measures would be loosened, not strengthened
-All 22 members of the Indian legislative council resigned
-Gandhi declared it a betrayal of wartime support
-Jinnah resigned from the legislative council, stating it ‘ruthlessly trampled on the principles for which Great Britain fought the war’
-Indians started preparing themselves for a Hartal on April 6th
-This movement led to riots and violence, and 3 British dying as banks were robbed and set alight
What were the consequences of the Amritsar massacre (Growth of nationalism) (5,5)
-For many, the British lost moral authority to rule
-Many felt the British reaction to Dyer was as bad as the massacre
-Any positives intended by the Montague declaration undone
-The massacre could be inflated as a symbol of British cruelty
-British tarnished its reputation for wisdom and humility
-Taylor described it as ‘The decisive moment when many Indians were alienated from British rule’
-1919 was the year Gandhi stamped his principles on congress
-Gandhi led congress into a non-cooperation movement
-The 1920 non cooperation movement had an all India feel, uniting Hindus, Muslims and the poor
-Gandhi realised the British could be prized from power through embarrassment
How was India governed in 1914 (India in 1914) (3,2,3)
-The viceroy was a political appointment who represented the British raj in India
-The secretary of state for India was based in London, and formulated policy
-The council of India was a group of 15 men, none of whom Indian, who helped the SOS
-The princely states made about 35% of India
-Although not directly under British rule, many had treaty arrangements which gave them autonomy under British protection
-The Indian civil service were the people in control of running India
-They did everything, from collecting taxes to catching stray animals
-The pathway to the ICS, including London tests, made it impossible for Indians to join
What was the Ghadr movement (Growth of nationalism) (2,2,2,2)
-The Ghadr movement was a movement which aimed to free India from British rule
-It was a movement popular with the Sikhs in Punjab, as well as Canadian Sikhs
-In September 1914 a ship was docking in Kolkata from Canada, with 300 Sikhs
-Troops were waiting for the ship to dock, before arresting people on it, leading to many escaping and 22 being shot
-The 1915 Defence of India act allowed the British to arrest people without evidence, and try them without trial
-Over 5,000 Ghadrites were arrested in 1915 as the government prevented an uprising
-This movement showed the British could no longer rely on Punjab for support
-However, the movement did not have much public support
What happened following the Amritsar massacre (British rule) (3,3,3)
-Following the massacre, Montague wanted to find out what had happened
-He sent out the Hunter committee to investigate and detail the incidents of the massacre
-The result, in may 1920, was a report lightly reprimanding Dyer and O’Dwyer for what they did
-Similarly, the Punjab sub-committee of the INC also made a report on the massacre
-The result was scripted up to arouse anger and resentment against the British
-Their report, in February 1920, stated the massacre was ‘a calculated piece of inhumanity’
-Dyer was summoned to Delhi following the hunter commission, and told to resign
-When arriving back in England, Dyer polarised public opinion
-£26,000 was raised for Dyer in support
What were some events in the build up to the Amritsar massacre (British rule) (2,4)
-Following the Rowlatt acts, there were 2 nationwide Hartals on March 30th, and April 6th
-2 key nationalists were arrested following these Hartals, leading to further rioting on the 10th, leading to 3 deaths
-General Dyer was sent to Punjab to sort the situation out
-Governor O’Dwyer thought these incidents were just the beginning of a larger uprising
-Dyer arrived in Punjab on April 12th, with 1000 troops and 2 armoured cars
-He declared a curfew, and banned meetings on April 13th, Baisakhi day
What was the impact of WW1 on India (WW1 and India) (3,4)
-For many, the war proved that European people were no better than Indians
-There was reported to be a rise in rioting and petty violence
-Some thought support for the Raj was crumbling
-The war broke Anglo-Indian economic interdependence
-British revenue demands on India rose 16% in 1916-17, 14% in 1917-18
-By the end of the war, India was exporting as much cotton to the USA and Japan as they were to the UK
-The war led to high inflation, as food price inflation reached 67%, and imported goods 190%
What were the Rowlatt acts, and why were they introduced (British rule) (3,1)
-The Rowlatt acts were the continuation of the 1915 defence of India acts, also known as the 1919 Anarchical and revolutionary crimes act
-They made it illegal to print seditious newspapers
-They permitted arrest on suspicion, unlimited detention without trial and trial without a jury
-They were introduced following a report that found that following WW1, the undermanned police force would be overwhelmed with Indians coming back from war
What was the Amritsar massacre + martial law (British rule) (5,4)
-On April 13th, Baisakhi day, a meeting started at the Jallianwala Bagh
-About 50,000 people were there, peacefully enjoying themselves
-Dyer and his troops appeared through a narrow passageway
-Without warning, they started shooting, killing 400 and wounding 1500 others
-As quickly as they came, they left, causing Indians to have to fend for themselves
-Following the incident, Dyer reported to his supervisors, who said he was justified in his actions
-Feeling confident in himself, Dyer imposed martial law on the city
-All Indians had to bow to Europeans, water and electricity supplies were limited as transport out of the city was banned
-Worst of all was the crawling order, where any Indian wanting to go through the alleyway where Marcia Sherwood was injured would have to crawl
What were some events which occurred in WW1 which may have impacted Indian nationalist (WW1 and India) (2,2,2,1)
-In 1917, Russia overthrew its monarchy and became a communist republic
-Indian workers could’ve become tempted to also rise up in revolution
-In 1917 the secretary of state officially declared support for the Zionist movement
-If Israelis could get support for their movement, why couldn’t Indians
-Following the end of WW1, the ottoman empire was broken up, and Arab states who fought for Britain were granted independence
-Indians had also fought for Britain in WW1, where was their reward
-In 1918, Wilson stated that there should be an ‘impartial adjustment of all colonial claims’
What was India’s trade like in 1914 (India in 1914) (6)
-India provided both raw materials for Britain and a market for exports
-India’s largest export in 1914, about £9million was Jute
-India’s largest import in 1914, about £40million was manufactured textiles
-India received 10% (360mill) of the British empires foreign investment, mostly to subsidise tea plantations and railway construction
-In 1882, Britain made any Indian tariffs on British goods illegal
-This would harm the Indian self-sufficiency, and could be a point used by nationalists
