Topic 3 Flashcards
who attended the first round table conference (FRTC)
- 89 representatives
- 16 were from 3 main British political parties
- 16 princes
- 57 nominees of the viceroy (they were to represent most shades of the Indian political opinion)
who did not attend the FRTC?
Gandhi + Congress
was anything agreed to in the FRTC?
- indian participation in all levels of gov
- central and provincial executive power should be accountable to legislatures -> British India and Indian India should be federally linked as one nation
were there any failures during the FRTC?
little was done to implement the recommendations
and civil disobedience continued
who attended the second round table conference (SRTC)?
Gandhi, Congress, untouchables, princes, Muslim representatives (including Jinnah)
who did not attend the SRTC?
nehru
was anything agreed to SRTC?
not much significant - there was rather major chaos in consequence of the many representatives
were there any failures SRTC?
- in consequence of the many representatives Gandhi was provoked and was thus made furious
- the second session ended without an agreement on the political protection to be given to the different religious communities
- the British scheduled the communal award setting out rights to separate representation for recognised minorities and for the separate province Sindh
overall success of SRTC?
minimal as there were too many representatives = barely any negotiation was made among the stakeholders
overall success of FRTC?
significant success: India was to develop a federation, safeguards regarding defence and finance were agreed and other departments were to be transferred
who attended the third round table conference (TRTC)?
46 delegates and none from British Labour Party or congress
who did not attend the TRTC?
congress, gandhi, Labour Party, muslim league; other Indian leaders
was anything agreed TRTC?
-A joint select committee was formed to analyse the recommendations and formulate a new act for India -> the committee produced a draft bill in FEB 1935 which enforced as the Gov of India act of 1935
were there any failures TRTC?
- MacDonald lost the support of his own Labour Party
- the conference discussed the franchise, finance and the role of the princely states but could not reach any definite conclusion
overall success of TRTC?
great extent
why did the rtcs fail? (BRITISH RESPONSIBILITY)
- due to the great depression the British did not have ambition to deal with the India question
- Labour gov resigned
- unemployment and the collapse of the economy was of greater concern
- churchill set up the India defense league
- by the TRTC MacDonald had lost the support of its own labour party
why did the rtcs fail? (CONGRESS’ RESPONSIBILITY)
- congress was not represented at the FRTC since Gandhi + Nehru were in jail
- Gandhi’s intransigence and dogmatic attitude: he claimed to speak for all Indians -> discredited the Christian, Sikh, Muslim, Untouchables and prince representatives
why did the rtcs fail? (MUSLIM LEAGUE RESPONSIBILITY)
-egotistical (only wanted what was good for muslims/ not acknowledging the benefits for all Indians)
who replaced Irwin?
willingdon
what happened when willingdon became viceroy?
- gandhi was arrested and imprisoned
- congress was outlawed
- all members of the congress working committee and the provincial committees were rounded up and imprisoned
- youth organisations were banned
main points of what happened when willingdon became viceroy.
- about 80,000 Indians, mostly members of congress, were imprisoned
- boycotts of British goods were popular
- terrorist activity increased (with more and more women involved)
- despite all this ^ police never lost control of the streets and rural areas for very long
what did the communal award do?
it designated Sikhs, Christians, Muslims and Untouchables with separate electorates
Gandhi’s immediate reaction to communal awards?
he was furious -> especially since untouchables were included
he launched his fast-unto-death
what happened in the yeravda/poona pact?
- Willingdon/Congress did not want G to die
-^ willingdon did not want to be responsible for his death - gandhi’s fast exerted tremendous emotional and political pressure on untouchables and other hindus
- untouchables agreed on not having separate electorates in exchange for 18% of central assembly seats and 148 election seats allocated to untouchables
main features of the gov of India act 1935.
- india was divided into 11 provinces
- each province would have a governor
- dyarchy was abolished
- separate electorates were to continue as before
- burma was separated from India and given its own gov
- two new states: Singh and Orissa were created
congress reaction to gov of India act 35
- congress objected the act because the organisation wanted Purna swaraj and members were not interested in what they saw a half-way house
- congress wanted India to have a strong central gov, which would inevitably be strongly hindu
- congress also had strong objections on a closely related issue: that of reserving seats for minority groups
Muslim reaction to gov of India act 35
- The league objected the act primarily as the act did not offer enough power to muslims in either central nor provincial legislatures
- no guarantees were made for the protection of the rights of muslims
Princes reaction to gov of India act 35
the act was proposing an-All India federation that would inevitably result in a diminution of the power of the princes and they were prepared to bargain hard to protect their fiscal rights
British politicians reaction to gov of India act 35
lord Zetland was afraid that the princes would join the Tory die-hards, like Churchill, to prevent the complete implementation of the act. this alliance would cause severe embarrassment for the government in Westminster as the full implementation would not take place
what happened to the INC as a consequence of the 1937 elections?
the party gained overall control of the united and central provinces, Orissa, Bombay and Madras, and it became the largest single party in Assam and the North-West Frontier
strengths for INC 1937 elections
- won significantly
- congress made Bose resign
- Nehru’s attempts failed
weaknesses for INC 1937 elections
- Congress was outvoted in Bengal, Punjab and Sindh
- Congress’ central leadership was uncertain as to how much control it would have
INC overall position by 1939
powerful + autonomous -> force to be reckoned with
what happened to Muslim League in consequence of the 1937 elections
- Bengal, Punjab and Sindh had outvoted congress
- the league failed badly -> it had no strong leadership
- Jinnah had limited time available for the Elections to be in favour of the league
strengths for ML 1937 elections
- it outvoted congress in some parts
- jinnah became the embodiment of muslim identity
- jinnah gave muslims a sense of direction and purpose
- Muslim League gained thousands of members as they were convinced that congress would never fulfil their needs
weaknesses for ML 1937 elections
-failed miserably
overall position for ML by 1939
weak and yet strong = it failed, nevertheless it was the voice representing muslims (earning many followers)
how was the sense of rapprochement among Hindus and Muslims after elections
very low
why was congress divided?
Gandhi did not like Bose, and he was forced to resign
what did lord Linlithgow do when the war broke out?
it committed over 300 million Indians to war without consulting any of them
how did congress react to the outbreak of war?
- first reaction was one of shock and horror
- unhappy -> ‘power-sharing’ granted by the gov of india in 35 was pointless as the British declared war without the consulting with indians
- gandhi urged the British gov to negotiate with hitler, using peaceful means ofc
- members of congress, like Nehru, knew that the suggestion ^ was futile
- gandhi gave his wholehearted support to the British ppl
- they were not prepared to commit themselves to openly support a government who had not consulted them prior to the declaration of war
consequences of congress’ reaction to war
-congress withdrew the ministries from provinces where it had a majority in order to disassociate india from the war and enforce the congress determination to free india from foreign dominion
was this reaction wise?
yes, it proved that Indians were not submissive and vulnerable to the British
how did the Muslim League react to the outbreak of war?
- jinnah could hardly believe his luck
- jinnah took his chance and demanded freedom from hindus
- with congress out of the political picture, it was left to the league to work with the raj and British gov to support the war effort and to strengthen its own position within india
consequences of the League’s reaction
- many mini-satyagraha campaigns broke out, protesting against the Lahore resolution
- nehru denounced the idea of a Separate Muslim state as a mad scheme
what was the Lahore resolution 1940?
The resolution set out what the ML, under the guidance of Jinnah, considered to be the basic principles of any new constitution for India
how many Muslims attended the Lahore resolution?
100,000
what was the August Offer of 1940?
it was an offer made by Linlithgow promising the expansion of the executive council of the viceroy of india to include more Indians, an advisory war council giving the weight to minority opinion, and the recognition of Indians to frame their own constitution
what was the forward bloc party?
a terrorist organisation aimed at getting the British to quit india
who worked with the Japanese?
Bose
how many Indian national army soldiers went into action with the Japanese?
6000 soldiers, 400 of whom were killed, 600 of whom deserted, 1500 who died from diseases, and the rest surrendered
what happened to the ML at the end of the 30s?
it strengthened its position, gaining tacit agreement from Britain that some sort of separateness for the muslim community was possible and desirable
conclusion of topic 3
India saw little change in its social and economic structure and little change in the daily life of India’s teeming millions.
Early years of the Second World War saw a discernible shift in that India’s independence seemed achievable.
^congress was showing that it still had control and influence over millions of Indians and that Indians had irrefutably demonstrated that the raj no longer had consent of its congress-supporting Indian subjects, and should go
^the muslim league had greatly strengthened its position.
