WHY WAS THERE INCREASING TENSION IN INDIA AT THE START OF THE 20TH CENTURY?

CONGRESS FORMED

-A moderate political organisation

-Did not demand Home Rule

1885

DIVISION OF BENGAL

Separated Hindus riots, petitions, and Muslims and boycotts

1905

MUSLIM LEAGUE FORMED

-originally moderate

-encouraged Muslims to work with British

-Established to protect interests of Muslims in

Hindu areas

1906

CONGRESS DEMANDS HOME RULE

1907

TATA IRON STEEL WORKS

Benefits of growth of industry and economy enjoyed by Indians

-India no longer worked for Britain alone

-India no longer imported large amounts of British goods

-Trade was working for India as well as Britian

1909

MORLEY MINTO REFORMS

-Introduced after unrest due to partition of Bengal

-Intended to provide Indians with greater representation

-Indian Councils Act

-Increased Indians on Imperial Legislative Council which advised the Viceroy

-Direct Elections for Seats on Provincial Councils

-Gave Indians more influence at local level

-6 Muslims given seats on Imperial Legislative Councils – Muslims gained seats on local gov’t.

CRITICISMS

-No real influence given to Indians over their country

- Created communalism as it made a division between Muslims and Hindus

HOW AND WHY DID ATTITUDES TOWARDS BRITISH RULE CHANGE AND HOW DID THEY RESPOND?

1914-1918

WWI

-Indian Government declares war on Germany –

-receives approval from most Indians

-Indians wanted to fight alongside British as they equals

-War offered new economic opportunities

-Increased employment brought about greater prosperity

-India believed Home Rule was a real possibility

1915

DEFENCE OF INDIA ACT

-During WWI Britain needed complete control

-Suspended Civil liberties

1916

THE LUCKNOW PACT

-Signed by Muslim League and Congress to work towards Home Rule -League were to be

given fixed seats in Indian Parliament and areas where they were the minority

-Fears as to Britain’s ability to control India began to surface

-Outbreaks of violence

-Inflation and shortages due to increased expenditure on the war

1917

MONTAGU DECLARATION

-Suggested Home Rule possibility

- Raised hopes

MONTAGU-CHELMSFORD REPORT

1918

-A report which proposed reform of the Indian Government

- Increased hopes of Indians in gaining more control over country

1919

ROWLATTS ACT

British worried about control over India

- Extended Defence of India Act into peace time

Protests and complete opposition from Imperial Legislative Council

HOW AND WHY DID ATTITUDES TOWARDS BRITISH RULE CHANGE AND HOW DID THEY RESPOND?

1919 APRIL

AMRITSAR MASSACRE

After banning all public meetings, General Dyer allowed 1 to continue to which he sent troops and commanded them to open fire for 6 mins

-2000 or more killed

-500 students and teacher arrested and imprisoned

-Damaged British support

-Fuelled calls for Home Rule

-Tensions increased due to British government deliberate failure to deal with Dyer

1919 DEC

GOVERNEMENT OF INDIA ACT

Brits had to keep control due to false hope offered by Montague Chelmsford Report

-Gave Indians control over Education, Agriculture, Sanitation

-Power divided between Brits and Indians = Dyarchy -Changes were too late

-Loyalty lost due to Rowlatts Act and Amritsar Massacre

-Home Rule only option

-The Act had criticisms as it only gave 2.8 % of Indians the vote

-Congress did not accept it

1920

CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE CAMPAIGN Congress boycotts British goods. Only Indian goods were to be bought.

- To work towards Home Rule and show Brits they could not count on Indian co-operation anymore.

-1921 Congress is declared illegal

-1922 incident at Chauri Chaura

-Brits have to now consider Indians reaction to its policies

HOW DID THE CAMPAIGN FOR INDEPENDENCE DEVELOP AND HOW DID THE BRITISH RESPOND?

Simon Commission

Was set up to review the

Montage Chelmsford Report

-recommended a federal India

-All provinces would have its own government

-Dominion Status was demanded which would mean India would be a self-governing territory.

-untouchables cooperated in hope of benefiting

--NO real changes made to central government

--Therefore NO REAL CHANGES MADE

-Mass protests as there were no Indian members on the commission

1927

ROUND TABLE CONFERENCE 1

1930

-Response to Indian action aimed to reach an agreement over India that was acceptable to all.

-- Dyarchy was therefore unsuccessful

-Provincial governments were underfunded, this showed the weak relationship between central and local government

-- Decisions meaningless as Congress did not attend and many of its members were in jail

The decision (though not put into place) : All India Federation to be set up. The Indian states would hold responsibility for most government matters. BUT would not be responsible for Defense, Foreign Affairs and Finance

1931

Round Table Conference 2

1930

GANDHI’S SECOND CAMPAIGN

-Act of Rebellion intended to drive the point India was un-governable and the British should withdraw

-Gandhi led a march to the sea

-Protests in which led to the imprisonment of 60,000 Congress members

-Gandhi imprisoned

-- 5 million Indians began to make salt and sell it as an act of defiance

-- more boycotts occurred

-Lord Irwin ordered the release of Gandhi from prison

-Gandhi recommended the creation of a Constitution without consulting religious minorities

-- Therefore the proposal was rejected

HOW DID THE CAMPAIGN FOR INDEPENDENCE DEVELOP AND HOW DID THE BRITISH RESPOND?

ROUND TABLE CONFERENCE 3

1932

-2ND Government of India Act Passed

-- No British or Congress members there, thus it was a failure

-- No British as the Labour Government collapse

-- The next British Government was more reluctant to make any far-reaching reforms

1935

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA ACT II

-Introduced due to the failure of the Round Table Conferences

-Set up a new Indian government:

-A national parliament set up in Delhi - All elected members would be Indian

-- India would be divided into 11 provinces that would control everything except defence and foreign policy which were still controlled by the Viceroy

The Act went almost as far as it could go without granting complete Home Rule

Both Congress and the Muslim League criticised the Act:

-Congress rejected the special protection of minorities and the proposed weak central government

- Jinnahh called it ‘totally unacceptable because he believed it failed to give Muslims any real power in a new Indian governement

HOW DID WORLD WAR II IMPACT ON INDIA AND BRITAIN-Viceroy declared war without consulting the Indian Assembly which he was supposed to according to the Government of India Act II

-Should have consulted before making decisions about defence and foreign policy

-Chandra Bose declared support for the Axis powers (Germany0 and escaped to Germany.

-Germans sent him to Singapore where he recruited prisoners to form the Indian Natiional Army

WWII 1939

LAHORE DECLARARTION

1940

-League home to advance Muslim interest so the League supported the British in the War

-League speaks of a separate ‘Pakistan’

- The League feels confident and becomes increasingly powerful

CRIPPS MISSION

1942

-to gain Indian support during the war

-The British offered India full Dominion Status with the right to leave the Empire and Commonwealth at the end of the war

-Any province not wishing to stay apart of India could become an independent country

-rejected by Congress who demanded a full cabinet government with full power and all decisions taken by India

-provinces running independently was against what Congress wanted

-Peaceful demonstrations occurred across India which frequently turned violent

1943

-Bose formed ‘Provisional Government to Free India’

Gandhi’s Quit India Campaign

HOW DID WWII IMPACT ON INDIA AND BRITAIN?

Bose died and British decide its time to free India because it’s costing Britain to much

1945

1945

CABINET MISSION

-Although proposals didn’t meet Congress’ aims they were prepared to accept

-likewise so did the League

Proposal: Immediate dominion status, with full independence at earliest opportunity

-3 tier government - Central government to have control over foreign policy and defence and national communication networks

-A new assembly elected in Delhi

-Central government would be made up of reps from provincial groups

-protection for Muslims

-- Provinces with Hindu or Muslim majority grouped together

--these groups of provinces would run daily affairs with control over all matters except the most important ministries which would be controlled by a central government

Mountabatten was appointed to speed up with drawl date of British from India. He realised that a united India would be impossible due to the division between the League and Congress. However both agreed to a division of India into Pakistan and India

APPOINTMENT OF MOUNTABATTEN

1948

1948

RADCLIFFE COMMISSION

-Set up to decide where border should be set between Pakistan and India