Theme 3 1930-42 Flashcards
What did Viceroy Irwin suggest on the 31st of January 1929?
He suggested a round table conference to discuss the status of the constitution of India however the newly elected Labour government did little about it. Jinnah in fact convinced the government to implement them showing his influence within the UK.
Why did the INC reject the first roundtable conference invite in June 1929?
They had recently began to call for Purna Swaraj and most of their core membership had been arrested in June 1930 and in turn they had little interest in attending.
When did the first roundtable conference begin?
12th November 1930
What was the composition of the 89 representatives?In the First RTC
16 From the three main British political parties
16 Provincial princes
57 nominees of the viceroy to Represent British India.
What was decided at the congress?
That India would be democratic in its accountability of power.
British India and the Princely States should be linked federally. It was also successful in reassuring the minorities and the princes that they would receive representation within a future India.
Who was missing from the first roundtable conference?
Gandhi, as well as both of the Nehru’s were not present. Most of the core INC membership was in Prison.
Why were the INC unwilling to cooperate with the first round table conference?
Gandhi was still imprisoned which created a focal point for protest and rejection.
What radical step did Irwin take to appease the INC after the roundtable conference?
He decided to free Gandhi which led to the creation of the Gandhi Irwin pact which allowed the conference to continue. The pact saw the release of political prisoners and an end to zero tolerence approach to nationalism and also reduced a number of harsh taxes on salt. The depression had worsened and Britain needed Indian cooperation.
Why did Winston Churchil retire to the back-benches in June 1931.
He became isolated within the party as he took a very imperialist stance on India.
What happened in August 1931 in Britain?
The Labour government collapsed due to the Great depression which in turn led to the creation of the National coalition.
Who was made secretary of state for India as well as chair of the 2nd Conference?
Sir Samuel Hoare, the Conservative. Although Labour technically led the new Coalition government many of it’s members were Conservatives meaning that they were far less willing to provide concessions.
What date did the 2nd Roundtable conference begin
7th September 1931.
Why did Gandhi anger other Indians at the 2nd conference?
Gandhi claimed to speak for the rights of all Indian’s but blatantly questioned the rights of other Indians to be present at all. He also claimed that the untouchables should not be given separate electorates as they were Hindu’s. Gandhi had been selected as the sole INC representative despite him not being the political leader of the organisation.
Who represented the Muslims at the 2nd Roundtable conference?
Jinnah , Iqbal and the Aga Khan.
Why did the Second Roundtable conference have disagreements over separate electorates for minorities?
Gandhi believed that the INC represented all Indians politically and that untouchables should not be treat as a minority. He believed that there should no separate electorates or special safeguards for other groups.
Why did the Second Roundtable conference have issues regarding Muslims and how did Ramsey McDonald try and solve it?
Gandhi and the Muslims could not agree on special provisions and electorates for Muslims. At the end of the conference Ramsey MacDonald offered a Communal Award for minorities with the provision that any free agreement made between the parties could overrule it.
Why did Gandhi clash with the untouchables in the Second Roundtable conference.
He believed that they should not be treat as a minority separate from other Hindus and clashed extensively with Dr Ambedkar over this.
Why did Britain appear distracted during the Second Roundtable conference?
They were more focused on the worsening economic situation rather than providing concessions to Indian Nationalists.
Why was the second roundtable conference a failure?
The Muslim league and Gandhi could not agree on anything.
When was the third Roundtable conference held?
November - December 1932.
What Problems did the Third Roundtable conference face from the beginning?
Only 46 delegates attended non of whom were from the INC or the Labour party. Jinnah had also refused to attend meaning no one of any significance was present.
What conclusion did the third roundtable conference result in?
No definitive conclusion could be made as Britain felt the need to create it’s own future legislature in India which arrived with the 1935 Government of India Act, as a whole nothing major was achieved by the RTC’s as the parties refused to cooperate and Britain became increasingly distracted by the depression.
What was the situation in Britain like during the third roundtable conference?
The great depression had hit the UK and many felt that economic issues were more important than situation in India. Ramsey Macdonald had also lost the support of the Labour party who withdrew from the coalition.
Who became viceroy in April 1931?
Viceroy Willingdon
What was viceroy Willingdon’s stance on Gandhi?
Willingdon stated that he would only negotiate with people that were willing to cooperate with the Raj administration and therefore refused to tolerate Gandhi.
What Repressive acts did Willingdon carry out in 1931?
Gandhi was imprisoned within Yeravda jail, Emergency powers similar to DOIA were put in place, he then rounded up and imprisoned all members of the congress working committee, Banned youth organisations, 80000 Indian activists imprisoned.
When and who announced the Communal Award?
Ramsey Macdonald announces the communal award on the 16th August 1932
What did the communal award do?
Recognised Muslims, Sikhs, Anglo-Indians, Indian christians and untouchables as separate and therefore deserving of a separate electorate. Gandhi was outraged as he believed that minorities did not need separate electorates. However, Britain believed it was necessary due to the constant complaints by minority groups.
What did Gandhi do in response to the Communal award?
He went onto a fast unto death in order to blackmail the British government from removing the untouchables from the list of separate electorates as he saw them as Hindus.
What was the Poona pact and who signed it?
The Poona pact went back on the communal award and instead made Untouchables part of the wider Hindu electorate, signed by members of the INC and Dr Ambedkar who represented the untouchables. The act was signed in Yeravda as Gandhi had been jailed after returning to India.
What percentage of the vote and how many seats would the Untouchables get as set out by the Poona pact?
The number of seats given to untouchables in a future government went up from 71 - 148 and at least 18% of seats in a future general assembly
What did the British government announce in 1933?
The creation of an Indian constitution.
How long did it take to pass and apply the new constitution?
Was not passed until 1935 and was not applied until 1937.
What was the IDL and which newspaper supported them?
The IDL also known as the Indian Independence League was set up by Winston Churchill and aimed to oppose Indian independence, the daily mail supported them.
What opposition did the 1935 government of India act face in parliament?
The IDL obviously opposed the act however so did Clement Attlee albeit for different reasons.
How many people voted against the 1935 act?
In the end only 50 MP’s voted against the act.
When did the 1935 Government of India act come into law?
August 1935.
How many provinces was India split into in 1935?
11 provinces including the creation of a new state of Sindh which was split from Bombay as well as the creation of Bihar and Orissa after the two were divided. Furthermore, the state of Burma was separated from India and became a separate colony.
How much authority would provincial councils get? 1935 GOIA
It granted huge levels of autonomy to the provinces as it saw the abolishment of dyarchy in turn giving Indians full control at local level. It was now also to be made so that all members were now elected Indians and in turn could form their own governments and coalitions. However, provincial governors did retain some important powers and Britain had the right to suspend councils.
How did the 1935 Government of India Act change the process of elections?
It introduced a system of direct elections and in turn increased the electorate from seven million to 35 million people.