The road to independence, 1942-48 Flashcards
How did the fall of Singapore impact India (WW2) (3,3,3)
Rees
-In February 1942, Singapore fell to the Japanese
-The Japanese claimed their aim was to unite all asians under asian rule with malaysians and burmese welcoming them
-Linlithgow feared he could not hold off an invasion of India, suggesting a scorched earth policy
French
-The fall of singapore helped spread the feeling that the British were no longer invincible
-Over the past year, the British had been suppressing information over the number of casualties/bombings
-Churchill was resolute as ever, whereas Linlithgow adopted a defeatist mentality
Heehs
-Of the 60,000 surrendered troops, 25,000 chose to go to Japan
-North-West India became a military battlefield, with the British building 200 airfields
-Mohan Singh created the Indian National Army, which aimed to end British rule in India with Japanese cooperation
What was the Atlantic Charter, and how was it perceived (British and Indian relationship) (2,3)
-The Atlantic Charter was an agreement by the UK/USA on the 14th August 1941, drawing up a list of war aims for post WW2
-Both sides agreed “respect the rights of all people to chose the form of government under which they’ll live”, restoring self government to those “forcibly deprived of them”
-Indians welcomed the announcement, and were looking forward to their newfound independence promised in “the magna carta of the world
-Churchill angered Indians by saying the atlantic charter did not apply to them, since they were not a country, rather a patchwork of provinces and people
-The Atlantic charter showed the pressure the US could exert on the British, and how US influence could now become a factor in Indian decision making/politics
What were some economic issues created by WW2 for the British (WW2) (8)
-The impact of war, with a wartime economy and decreasing financial reserves, had a profound effect on Britains ability to maintain the Raj
-The British agreed to pay the majority of the Indian war costs
-By 1945, India had a balance of £1.3billion, from not paying their war costs
-This balance gabe Indians the oportunity to invest within their country
-By the end of the war, Britain was £2.7 billion in debt, primarily to the US
-A programme of reconstructing,f rom rebuilding destroyed homes to reforming the health sector drained all British money
-From 1942-44, the British spent £2 billion administering the empire, running a £1.4 billion defiict per year from when a ceasefire happened
-British debt made post war financial independence from the US impossible
What were some economic issues for the British which predated WW2 (British and Indian relationship) (7)
-The constraints simply intensified trends that had begun in pre war years and provided a foundation for the growth of nationalism
-British investment in India had fallen, allowing Indian capitalists to lead
-India imported less from Britain (28029 = £83 billion, 35-36 = £39 billion)
-Indian governments put increasingly high tariffs on British goods, causing Lancashire cotton exports to India to collapse
-Japanese competition further squeezed British out of Indian markets
-In 1931, the reserve bank of India was established, meaning India could set its own value of its currency, not being tied to the sterling
-Between 1924 and 1931, Britain trade surplus with India fell from £75 million to £23 million
Why was Lord Cripps sent to India, and what did he propose (WW2) (2,5)
-Lord Cripps was sent to India in March 1942, since the British feared a Japanese invasion of India
-Cripps’ mission was to improve upon the proposal of dominion, in order to satisfy the US and India into increasing the war effort
-He aimed to win back support for the August offer by discussing the process necessary to bring back dominion
-He aimed to discuss arrangements for the duration of the war, with minimal additional representation given
-On March 29th, Cripps announced the conclusions he had reached
-India was to be run as a dominion, but any states had the right to reject entry into the dominion
-India’s executive council was to have an Indian defence minister
How did congress react to the Cripps mission, and what was the impact of the mission on congress/the muslim league (WW2) (3,2,2)
-Congress formally rejected the proposals on April 10th
-With the sole concession of a defence minister removed, Congress had no reason to accept the offer which would allow princes and Muslims out of any future state
-With the deteriorating war situation, Congress felt they had no rush to accept proposals, expecting future concessions
-For the US, congress was now seen as a halting figure in sorting out India
-Congress was glad to accept USA as a potential ally, Nehru suggesting ‘Hitching Indias Wagon to Americas Start’
-On March 29th Cripps admitted in New Dehli “two contiguous provinces may form a separate union”
-This was the first time the prospect of separation was publicly discussed by the British
Why did Cripps fail, and what factors led to this failure (WW2) (4,5)
-War situation, including a defeatist attitude by enemy propaganda
-Protection of the rights of states criticised by congress, who saw it as increasing separation
-Cripps criticised for going beyond his brief, being pushed by Indian orders
-US intervention greeted suspiciously by the British government
-Linlithgow thought the collapse of the mission would weaken congress
-Linlithgow wanted the mission to fail, angry at Cripp’s lack of consultation
-Talks that Cripps embarked complicated by Americans, in particular Colonel Johnson
-Churchill, fearing Cripp’s labour opposition, wanted cripps to fail
-Cripps negotiated well beyond his remit, not being accepted in London nor India
What is the background to quit India, and what were congress’ decisions and tactics (WW2) (5,4)
-Following Cripps’ failure, both sides hardened their approach to change
-Gandhi was pressuring congress into a new satyagraha, to ally with Japan
-Linlithgow’s special branch was intercepting Congress’ communications, so by 1942, the British were aware of a future non-cooperation movement
-Linlithgow made plans to deport Congress leaders to Uganda, but this failed
-On the 8th of August 1942, Congress started the ‘Quit India’ movement
-Congress leaders, anticipating arrest, called on their members to make India ungovernable, everyone being their own leader
-A round of riots and attacks ensued on the government, but also against the war, such as blowing up railways or a Delhi hartal which led to 14 dead
-Unrest, arson and sabotage grew in Hindu areas such as Bihar
How did the British respond to Quit India, and how significant was the movement (WW2) (4,4)
-On August 9th, Gandhi, Nehru and most leaders were arrested
-100,000 Indians arrested, offices raided, funds frozen, files taken
-Linlithgow’s prearranged plans overrode the opposition in the executive council
-Police shot on sight those breaking curfew, and started torching villages
-1,000 deaths, 3,000 serious injuries and 100,000 arrests
-Satyagraha failed to paralyse the British government, who remained in control, as the widespread population + media didn’t support the movement
-Many lost respect for the British, since their response lost moral authority to rule
-All Indian members of the executive council resigned as matters remained tense
What do different historians think about the significance of the Quit India movement (WW2) (2,3,3)
Keay
-“most British politicians […] especially American, opinion in dismissing the possibility of a post war Raj”
-“Arrest of its leaders […] party was unable to direct the movement or profit from it”
Tunzelmann
-“Congress had given the Raj the excuse to imprison hundreds of its leaders”
-“1945-46, the muslim league would win about 75% of all muslim votes” (5% prior)
-“Quit India damaged the chances of a united India”
James
-Britain was “losing the consent and goodwill of its subjects”
-“Quit India movement was an untidy affair […] confined almost entirely to Hindus”
-“Raj had been forewarned of the trouble and its machines of coercion was already in place.”
What was the significance of Wavells appointment (WW2) (5)
-Wavell was appointed viceroy in India in October 1943
-Wavell was a military figure, when India most needed a negotiator
-Wavell, being based in India previously, came to the viceroy position with better experience than previous viceroys
-Wavell quickly came to realise Churchill knew nothing of the situation in India, and did not want political progress
-One of Wavell’s first moves was to reinstate regular meetings between the 11 governors of the provinces, to provide the British government with coherent advice
What was the Bengal famine (WW2) (6)
-The Bengal famine was caused by: poor harvests, distribution failures, loss of imports, wartime price inflation, severe weather conditions
-The annual death rate rose from 1.3 million to 1.9 million, as approximately 1-3 million people died
-By 1943, the price of rice had risen 10x, as Wavell took steps to coordinate rationing and stop profiteering
-Churchill refused to divert British ships to take grain to Bengal, FDR refusing to lend ships to take wheat from Australia
-Both Congress and Jinnah blamed the famine on British incompetance and the diversion of food to troops
-Wavells request for 1 million tonnes of grain turned to 445,000, as Churchill focused on the war
What changes occurred from 1944-45 (British and Indian relationship) (8)
-By Summer 1944, it was clear that Britain was winning the war
-The battles of Imphal and Kohima meant there was no more threat of Japanese invasion of India
-In August 1944, Wavell brought the provincial ministers together, in order to drum up some post war aims
-Wavell’s request for an Indian finance minister on the executive council was rejected
-War debt continued to mount, calls for repayment rose, Indian Civil Service strained and soldiers were impatient to be demobilised and return home
-Churchill wanted to do nothing, saying that the ‘British had no obligation to honour promises’
-Running the British empire was costing £1 billion annually, rising to £1.4 billion post war
-Wavell told Churchill that the current government would not last long, and discontent was growing
What was the 1945 Simla conference (WW2) (2,7)
-By 1945, Britain was millions of pounds in debt to India
-There had been a rise in unrest/terrorist action in India, and something had to be sorted out
-The main changes in propositions from Cripps would be the composition of the executive council
-All members, bar the viceroy and commander in chief, would be Indian, with an equal number of Hindus and Muslims
-Congress already disliked the plan, and the inflation of muslim importance
-On the 25th June 1945, 21 Indian leaders met up in a conference, to sort out the proposals, leaders such as Gandhi, Jinnah and Azad (congress’ muslim leader)
-The conference instantly reached deadlock over how the muslims would be selected
-Jinnah wanted all the muslims to come from the muslim league, yet congress wanted a mix of congress and AIML muslims
-On the 14th July, the conference was ended, neither side giving in
What were the results of the 1946 elections (1945-46) (2,3,3,1)
-Congress won 59% of all seats
-Congress won a majority in 8/11 states, including 82% in the Central Provinces and Berar
-The muslim league won 27% of all seats
-In 3 states (bombay, madras, orissa), the muslim league won all muslim seats
-The muslim league won 87% of all muslim seats
-Punjab was particularly divided
-51/175 seats won by congress
-Out of the 86 muslim seats, 75 won by the muslim league
-The NWFP were the only state were less than 50% of muslims voted for the muslim league
