The Road to Independence, 1942-48 Flashcards
When did Wavell serve as Viceroy of India?
1943-47
Why were the Allied powers in a poor position by the beginning of 1942?
Hitler controlled the Balkans and invaded Russia; Nazi’s were in striking distance of the Suez Canal and France had fallen to the Nazi onslaught
Where in Asia fell to the Japanese over the course of WWII?
Shanghai, Hong Kong, Philippines, Malaya , Indonesia
Which Indian ports were attacked by Japanese ships and aircraft during WWII/in 1942?
Calcutta, Madras and other ports on the Bay of Bengal
What finally removed the sea-borne threat to India?
US Navy attack on the Japanese at the Battle of the Coral Sea
What was Sir Stafford Cripps’ title?
Lord privy seal
Who had been pressuring Churchill to make some concessions to the Indians?
Pressure from his war cabinet colleagues such as Clement Attlee and Leo Amery and from the Allies - USA, USSR, China
Why was Cripps arguably a good person to task with negotiating a deal with the Indians?
Labour party minister, friends with Nehru and Gandhi, and personally sympathetic to the Indian cause
What was included in the Cripps Offer of 1942?
the formation of an Indian Union with dominion status and the right to secede from the British Commonwealth
What were Indians asked to concede in exchange for what was offered in the Cripps Offer?
Invited to join an interim govt of national unity under the viceory and his Council until the war ended
How did Linlithgow respond to the failure of the Cripps Offer?
Stepped up censorship and intercepts of Congress comms
What flawed plan did Linlithgow propose to deal with the threat posed by Congress?
Deport Congress leaders to Uganda
When did Congress launch their Quit India campaign?
8th of August 1942
How did the British immediately respond to the start of the Quit India campaign?
The day after Quit India was launched, the British rounded up and imprisoned the Congress leaders and within a fortnight thousands of local activists were imprisoned. Offices were raided and funds were frozen
What are some examples of what Indians did during the Quit India campaign?
Attacked revenue offices, police stations along with signal boxes and railway tracks which impacted the war effort considerably.
What was the impact of a lack of strong leadership from above during the Quit India campaign?
horrific round of riots, killings, attacks on Europeans and on govt property
How many soldiers went absent without leave during the Quit India campaign?
Only 216
What did Wavell do upon being appointed Viceroy?
Toured the subcontinent
What areas did he Wavell focus on and why?
Troubled areas such as the Punjab, Bengal and the United Provinces. Did this in order to settle dispures, allay fears and boost morale
What did Wavell do - which in Linlithgow’s 7 years as viceroy - had never done?
Reinstated meetings of the 11 governors of the provinces of British India
When was the Bengal Famine?
1943-44
What was the annual death rate in 1943 in Bengal?
1.9 in 1943
How many died in Bengal during the famine?
1-3 million
What diseases became widespread in Bengal as a result of malnutrition?
smallpox, malaria , cholera and pneumonia
By what amount did the price of rice increase in 1943 in Bengal?
tenfold
What did Roosevelt refuse to do, which would have helped alleviate the famine in Bengal?
Refused to lend American ships to bring in wheat from Australia
Why did Jinnah reject the Cripps Offer?
He had to reject it for the ML to remain part of the constitution-making process
What should Churchill have done to avert such a serious famine in Bengal?
Should have diverted British merchant shipping to India
How many tons of grain did Wavell negotiate to be sent to India?
450,000 tonnes in 1944
When was the Simla Conference?
Spring of 1945
Why was the Simla Conference arranged by the British?
- Britain was millions of pounds in debt to India from the war effort
- There was increasing terrorist activity and unrest in India
What change to the Executive Council was proposed at Simla?
It would have balanced representation of the main communities incl equal proportions of Muslims and Hindus
How many Indian political leaders attended the Simla Conference?
21
Who was the Muslim president of Congress in 1945?
Azad
Over what issue did the Simla Conference of 1945 founder/fail?
Issues on how the Muslim members of the Exec council would be chosen - Jinnah wanted them to be of the ML only, Gandhi wanted it open to all
Indian imports of British goods fell from £83 million between 1928-29 to how much in the years 1935-6?
fallen to 39 mil
The imports of which British made product in particular collapsed?
Lancashire cotton
What changed with the creation of the Reserve Bank of India in 1931?
The Rupee was no longer tied to the Sterling
How much was paid each year by the British towards the running costs of the Indian army?
1.5 mil per year from 1933
What did the British government agree to pay for in 1939 for the Indian military?
Army modernisation programme
What was the Reserve Bank of India’s sterling balance by 1945?
1.3 Billion
What was Britain’s post-WWII debt owed mostly to America?
21 billion in national debt
How many Indian officers were there by 1945?
15,740