Why Did The Round Table Conferences, 1930-1932, Fail? Flashcards
What was a recommendation of the Simon Commission?
A conference of all interested parties should be held in order to discuss possible constitutional reforms
When was the First Round Table Conference?
November 1930 - January 1931
Who opened and who chaired the First Round Table Conference?
Opened by Lord Irwin
Chaired by the British prime minister and Labour Party leader, Ramsay MacDonald
How many delegates represented the three British political parties?
16
How many delegates represented most shades of Indian political opinion?
58
How many delegates had princes sent?
16
What notion had princely states supported?
Dominion status
How had the princely states supporting Dominion Status helped the Labour Party?
Strengthened their campaign for granting Dominion Status
What was decided at the First Round Table Conference? (3)
- India would 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
- Indian participation in all levels of government
What was announced as the administrative capital of the Raj?
New Delhi
When was New Delhi inaugurated as the administrative capital of the Raj?
February 1931
What was the administrative capital of the Raj before New Delhi?
Calcutta
When was the Second Round Table Conference?
September 1931 - December 1931
Who was represented in the Second Round Table Conference?
Congress
What made it possible for Congress to be represented?
Gandhi-Irwin Pact
Who represented the Muslim League in the Second Round Table Conference?
Iqbal, the Aga Khan and Jinnah
What did the Muslim League, Sikhs and the untouchables demand in the Second Round Table Conference?
Separate electorates
Who did Gandhi claim to speak for and why?
Untouchables as they were Hindu and Gandhi should speak for them
What was agreed in the Second Round Table Conference?
Nothing
When was the Third Round Table Conference?
November 1932 - December 1932
Why was the Third Round Table Conference doomed to fail?
Only 46 delegates attended
What parties did not show up to the Third Round Table Conference?
None from the British Labour Party nor Congress
When did the first Labour government resign?
August 1931
Who was the Labour government replaced by?
Tory-dominated coalition
Why did the government ignore nationalist movements in the 1930s?
India was facing a depression, unemployment and the collapse of the economy - to the government, this was more important than settling the Indian question
What did Winston Churchill set up?
India Defence League
How much support did the India Defence League gain?
50 Conservative MPs
What did Gandhi maintain he could do?
Speak for all India to establish Congress as an umbrella organisation
What support did the Muslim League gain?
Support from the Untouchables
Lord Willingdon on Gandhi:
Dangerous Bolshevik
When was Gandhi arrested and imprisoned in the 1930s?
January 1932
Willingdon on Congress:
Congress was outlawed
Congress Working Committee and Provincial Committees after the Round Table Conferences:
Rounded up and imprisoned
Youth organisations after the Round Table Conferences:
They were banned
Within four months of the Round Table Conferences, under Willingdon, how many Indians were arrested?
Over 80,000 Indians, mostly Congress members
Reaction of Indians to the arrests:
Swift but due to the absence of Congress leaders locally and nationally, especially Gandhi, was uneven and disorganised
Actions taken by Indians after the mass arrests following the Round Table Conferences: (4)
- Boycotts of British goods
- Non-payment of taxes
- Youth organisations, though banned, were increasingly popular
- Terrorist activity increased
Who became more involved with protests?
Women
When was the Communal Award announced?
August 1932
Who announced the Communal Award?
Ramsay MacDonald
1932 Communal Award:
This designed Sikhs, Indian Christians, Anglo-Indians, Muslims and Untouchables as separate classes, which were entitled to separate electorates in any new Indian constitution
What was Gandhi’s reaction to the Communal Award? (2)
- He was furious as he was not in favour of separate electorates and he regarded the inclusion of Untouchables as the final straw
- Launched a fast-unto-death
Fast-unto-death:
An individual would refuse all food until they died as a form of extreme protest
Why did Willingdon not want Gandhi to die?
In fear of making him a martyr
The British government Communal Award Proposal: (3)
- Allocation of 71 seats on the provincial legislatures to the Untouchables
- Gandhi and the delegation settled on a total of 148
- Untouchables would be allocated 18% of the Central Assembly seats
Did the British accept the Yeravda Pact?
Yes