The Round Table Conferences/Yeravda Pact (18) Flashcards
When was the First Round Table Conference held?
In London in 1930.
Who attended the First Round Table Conference?
All shades of Indian political opinion, except Congress.
(Despite, or perhaps because of Congress’ absence) What considerable progress was made?
It was decided that:
India would be run as a type of dominion
The dominion would take the form of a federation that would include the princely states as well as the 11 British provinces
There would be Indian participation in all levels of government
How did the political situation change between the First and Second Round Table conferences?
The Viceroy, Lord Irwin (who was well liked and conciliatory) was replaced by Lord Willingdon (a rigid Conservative) in 1931 after his tour of duty ended
The Labour government had been voted out and replaced by a Tory-dominated coalition
The new Secretary of State for India, Sir Samuel Hoare, had more reservations about self-government for India than his predecessor.
Who attended the Second Round Table Conference?
A similar mix of delegates, but this time Gandhi attended as sole representative of Congress.
What did Gandhi hope to represent as sole representative?
The unity of the Indian Nationalist Movement, but he instead symbolised his arrogance in assuming he could represent such a vast and diverse organisation alone and his lack of judgement in maintaining that he could speak for India.
What did the Muslim League, the Sikhs and the Untouchables all demand at the Second Round Table conference?
Separate electorates for their communities
Why did the Second Round Table unravel?
The well-known and well-rehearsed arguments began again, focusing on the desirability (or otherwise) of reserving seats for racial and religious minorities and how this would affect the resulting balance of power. The Muslims and Hindus couldn’t agree and Congress had the additional worry of a possible alliance between the princes and the Muslims, which would outweigh any Congress made recommendations.
What was the conclusion of the Second Round Table conference?
It failed to agree on a workable constitution
When was the Third Round Table conference held?
1932
What had happened to the British government?
PM Ramsay MacDonald had lost support of his own Labour party and was able to continue in office only through a National government supported by his political opponents.
Who didn’t send any representatives to the Conference?
The British Labour Party and Congress.
Why did the Third Round Table conference collapse?
The Labour party was the driving force behind the conferences, hence their absence meant that the conference was doomed before it was started. The franchise, finance and role of the princely states were discussed, but no definite conclusion was reached and the conference collapsed.
How did India react to the collapse of the Round Table conferences?
The situation in India was deteriorating and Viceroy Willingdon took a tough line, since he lacked the temperament to engage in discussions with Gandhi, he followed the British government’s instructions to conciliate with the elements of Indian opinion that were willing to work with the current administration.
What happened on the 4th January 1932?
Gandhi was arrested and imprisoned, Congress was outlawed and all members of the Congress’ Working Committee and the provincial committees were rounded up and imprisoned. Youth organisations were also banned and within 4 months over 80,000 Indians , mostly Congress members, were in prison.
