Why ws the British government ready to grant Indian independence after the war ended in 1945? (24) Flashcards
How had WW2 impacted on the British economy?
British industries were geared up to war-time production and had to wind down and change direction to meet the demands of peace-time.
6 years of war had drained Britain’s financial reserves.
War debts totalled £2730 million
An enormous programme of reconstruction had to be undertaken, ranging from reforming the health and education services to rebuilding bombed and damaged ports, offices, factories and homes.
Why was India ceasing to be important to Britain economically?
British investment had fallen during the 1930s, Indian capitalists were taking the lead regarding investment, often in partnership with British investors
India was importing less from Britain, in the years 1928-9 Indian spent £83 million on imported British goods, this had fallen to £36 million in 1935-6. Indian governments had put high tariffs on imported goods to develop their own markets, the Lancashire cotton exports to India collapsed since home produced cotton was cheaper.
Japanese competition was squeezing Britain out of the Indian market, as cost of production in Japan was cheaper than Britain’s, so even with tariffs Japanese products were cheaper.
1931 - Reserve Bank of India was established, meaning India could set the value of its own currency without reference to sterling, hence the rupee was no longer tied to the value of sterling in the world’s money market
Britain’s shouldering of most of the costs for mobilised Indian troops against Japan meant that the Indian government had built up enormous savings. By 1945, they had a sterling balance of £1300 million, since they didn’t have to meet the costs of their troops abroad.
How had loyalties shifted?
The argument that India was needed as a bulwark of British power in Asia didn’t carry much weight at a time when Indian politicians were protesting against the deployment of Indian forces in Indonesia and Indo-China, they thought it was unacceptable that ‘their’ forces were being used to essentially prop up decaying French and Dutch empires.
2.5 million men and women had joined the armed forces, by 1945 there were 15,740 Indian officers, but they weren’t all loyal to the Raj, they were more loyal to the concept of ‘India’.
The Indian Civil Service was severely undermanned by 1945 due to the need for able-bodied men to work in the armed forces and ancillary services. Only 429 British and 510 Indian ICS officers remaining.
It would seem that by 1945, neither Britain or India had much need for each other in an imperial context.
Why was an unstable political situation created at the end of WW2?
The prospect of elections in both Britain and India created a temporarily unstable political situation and political manoeuvrings by the main players became evident as they prioritised their various agendas and prepared for the transfer of power from the Raj to India.
Why was the British Cabinet ready to make a new attempt at an Indian settlement?
Britain was millions of pounds in debt to India for goods and services borrowed to help win the war and the terrorist activity and unrest in India.
What kind of proposal did Viceroy Wavell return to India with after visiting the British coalition in spring 1945?
A new scheme that was loosely modelled on that of Sir Stafford Cripps, but the major change was concerning the composition of his Executive Council, which was to be chosen in a way that would ‘a balanced representation’ of the main communities.
Why did it seem unlikely that Congress would be happy with Wavell’s suggested arrangement?
Equality with Muslims would, in Congress’ view, inflate the importance of the Muslim constituency in India and the phrase ‘Caste Hindu’ implied that Untouchables were not Hindus.
What happened on the 25th June 1945?
A conference of Indian political leaders was held at Simla to discuss Wavells proposals. Congress leaders were released from prison so they could attend and some 21 Indian political leaders travelled to Simla, including Gandhi, Jinnah, Nehru.
What happened at the Simla Conference?
The conference reached a deadlock on the issue of how Muslim members of the newly reconstituted Executive Council were to be chosen. Jinnah insisted that they must all be nominated by the Muslim League; Congress couldn’t accept such a restriction, maintaining that as it was an inclusive party, Muslims should be able to represent Congress as well as the Muslim League,
What happened on the 14th July 1945?
Wavell adjourned the conference, as the stalemate between Congress and the Muslim League not having been broken.
Who was elected in the 1945 British General Election?
The Labour Party, with Clement Attlee becoming PM. Nehru was jubilant at Labour’s victory, as he had always felt ideologically closer to Attlee.
How did the relationship between Congress and Labour prove beneficial as well as creating difficulties?
Congress had relied on Labour to give voice to the opinions of Congress in the British press and House of Commons, relying on their personal friendships to make this happen - e.g. Stafford Cripps and Jawaharlal Nehru. This relationship obviously made things easier, but it also created difficulties, since the Muslim League had no such relationship with any British political party and in the League’s membership, suspicions grew that Labour was anti-Muslim.
What did the British Cabinet’s new India Committee - dominated by Stafford Cripps - decide regarding elections?
Elections should be held throughout India to allow people to choose their own representatives to a constituent assembly, which would give a clear indication as to Indian opinion and pave the way for negotiations about a final political settlement.
How did the Muslim League fare in the elections of 1945-6?
They won all 30 of the seats reserved in the Central Assembly for Muslims, giving Jinnah the mandate he was looking for.
How did Congress fare in the elections of 1945-6?
They won 90% of the general electorate seats.
