Topic 4: The road to independence, 1942–48 Flashcards
When was The Quit India Campaign?
August 1942
Why did The Quit India Campaign happen?
Result of Cripps mission
What was The Quit India Campaign?
New campaign of civil disobedience
Gandhi urged people to become their own leaders (he was in prison)
1000s were killed and injured
When was The Bengal Famine?
1943 - 1944
Why did The Bengal Famine happen?
1942 & 1943 harvests had been poor
Reduced imports
Poor organisation of food distribution
How many died in the Bengal Famine?
1 - 3 million people died
What was the Governments response to the Bengal Famine?
Wavell:
Diverted soldiers from war effort to assist food distribution
Rationing
Control panic buying & profiteering
By how much had the imports to India from Britain fallen?
1928-9: £83 million
1935-6: £39 million
How much did Britain owe by the end of the war?
£2,730 million
Why did the 1945 Simla Conference fail?
Jinnah refused legitimacy of Muslims not in Muslim League
Wavell didn’t accept ML was the only representative organisation of Muslims
Wavell’s interim council was rejected by Jinnah
Who won the 1945 British elections?
Labour
What did the 1946 Simla Conference do?
It made it clear that the two parties’ positions on the structure and powers of the Indian Union were fundamentally opposed.
What were the results of the 1946 Direct Action Day by Muslim League?
Widespread violence.
5,000 deaths in Calcutta.
Wavell replaced with Lord Mountbatten, who announced that the British would leave no later than 30th June 1948.
What was The Radcliffe Commission?
Made up of Hindu and Muslim judges, who were given six weeks to separate India and Pakistan.
When did Pakistan become independent?
14th August 1947
