What were Churchill's views on India? Flashcards

1
Q

What were the two main strands of resistance against British rule?

A
  • educated elite - had been campaigning for political reform since at least 1880s
  • wider mass population who had increasingly applied pressure under Gandhi’s leadership from 1920s onwards
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2
Q

What was founded in 1885 and what did they want?

A

Indian National Congress/Congress Party - initially demanded greater political autonomy but by early c.20 calling for full independence

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3
Q

What helped strengthen the independence movement?

A

The fact that World War 1 had left Britain virtually bankrupt

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4
Q

How many Indian troops had fought for Britain in World War 1?

A

Over 1 million

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5
Q

What did the British war cabinet estimate in August 1917?

A

It would take 500 years for Indians to learn to rule themselves

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6
Q

What did the Imperial Legislative Council introduce in March 1919?

A

The Rowlatt Act

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7
Q

When was the Rowlatt Act introduced?

A

March 1919

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8
Q

What 3 key things did the Rowlatt Act permit?

A
  • Certain political cases could be tried without a jury
  • Suspects could be imprisoned without trial
  • Restrictions placed on press
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9
Q

What other act did the British introduce in 1919, what did this do and what did British conservatives/Indians think of it?

A

Montagu-Chelmsford Act - gave provincial governments increased autonomy over some issues

For many conservatives - step too far
For many Indians - reforms did not go far enough

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10
Q

What was Gandhi’s response to the Rowlatt Act?

A

In April 1919, Gandhi called for people to engage in nonviolent protest

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11
Q

In Amritsar, what did the arrest of Indian nationalist leaders spark and what was the response?

A

Riots

British Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer sent to restore order.
He banned all public meetings and announced he would use force to disperse them if necessary

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12
Q

What did the rioters do after Dyer’s warning and what did he do as a result?

A

Thousands gathered in a walled enclosure called Jallianwala Bagh. Dyer marched 90 Gurkha and India soldiers and without warning opened fire for 10-15 minutes.

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13
Q

How many were killed/wounded at the Amritsar Massacre?

A

379 killed

1,200 wounded

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14
Q

What did Churchill say about the Amritsar Massacre?

A

‘monstrous event’

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15
Q

What did the pro-Empire newspaper, The Morning Post, do?

A

Started a Dyer Fund which raised £26,000

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16
Q

What was the result of the Amritsar Massacre?

A

Before - some hope that Britain would grant India dominion status like it did to Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa

After - Many Indians now saw British rule as evil and violent and many new supporters flocked to cause of independence

17
Q

Why did Churchill see India as important?

A
  • Prestige - Churchill believed Britain’s greatness was bound up in its Empire, and India was the “jewel in the crown”
  • Violence between Hindus and Muslims - Churchill believed rule of British Raj protected Muslim minority from Hindu majority (e.g. In a 1931 speech, Churchill told Indian Empire society “To abandon India to the rule of the Brahmins would be an act of cruel and wicked negligence”)
  • Racial superiority - Churchill believed in racial superiority of Anglo-Saxons and they should rightfully rule over less-developed, non-white populations
  • Counter to communism - Churchill believed communism was principal threat to world peace and British Empire was best means of keeping it in check. Weakening Empire in India would be a significant blow to its power, not least because India occupied an important geo-strategic location to the south of the Soviet Union
18
Q

What happened in October 1929?

A

Lord Irwin, Viceroy of India, gave a speech promising India “dominion status”

19
Q

What did Churchill do when he found out about Irwin’s declaration of a series of Round Table Conferences to determine how dominion status would be achieved?

A

By mid-November 1929, he had written a long piece in the Daily Mail stating his opposition to the principle of greater autonomy

“the extension of Dominion status to India is not practicable at the present time”

20
Q

When was the Salt March?

A

March and April 1930

21
Q

By the end of 1930, how many people involved in the Salt March had been jailed?

A

60,000

22
Q

When were the Round Table Conferences?

A

November 1930 - December 1932

23
Q

Who was Secretary of State for India from 1931-1935?

A

Sir Samuel Hoare

24
Q

What did Churchill do in January 1931?

A

Resigned from shadow cabinet over his party’s India policy so he could speak freely

25
Q

What did prime minister Ramsay MacDonald say about Churchills’ views?

A

He said publicly in The Times, Churchill’s mind encompassed “nothing except an antiquated relationship between Imperial authority and the people who come under its sway”

26
Q

What did Churchill do in the spring of 1933?

A

Publicly split with Stanley Baldwin over India policy

27
Q

What did Churchill do in the summer of 1933?

A

Made a speech claiming that an independent India “would darken the lives of the enormous mass of [its] people”

28
Q

When was the Government of India Act passed?

A

1935

29
Q

When did the Government of India Act come into effect?

A

1937

30
Q

Who did Churchill launch bitter attacks on in the House of Commons in 1934 and what did Leo Amery MP say about this?

A

Sir Samuel Hoare

Leo Amery - it was “Churchill’s unique achievement to stir up a hornets’ nest where there were no hornets”

31
Q

What did Churchill say in 1930 and 1935 about Indianisation and Indians entering the central government?

A

1930 - it would be a “crime against civilisation”

1935 - it would be “a catastrophe which will shake the world”

32
Q

What was the final vote for the Government of India Act?

A

386 to 122 (minority comprising around 80 Tory MPs and 40 Labour MPs who believed Bill did not go far enough)