Key Component 3 1930-42

Question 1

When was the first Round Table Confrence

Answer 1

12 November 1930

Question 2

Why was Congress not at RTC1

Answer 2

Boycott, as Britain did not give dominion status

Question 3

What was agreed in RTC1 (2)

Answer 3

• British India and the princely states should be federally linked as one nation
• Central and provincial executive power should be accountable to legislatures

Question 4

When was the Gandhi- Irwin pact

Answer 4

5 March 1931

Question 5

What did the Gandhi Irwin Pat agree to? (5)

Answer 5

• Civil-disobedience movement would be halted
• Congress would participate in RTC2
• Britain would release political prisoners
• Cancellation of fines
• unbanning organisations

Question 6

Congress reaction to Gandhi-Irwin pact

Answer 6

• Congress ratified the agreement
• Criticism that the mass movement had been abandoned

Question 7

British reaction to Gandhi Irwin pact (2)

Answer 7

• Conservatives disapproved, saw it as government rewarding Gandhi for creating disorder
• Churchill resigned from being front bench MP in 1931 to campaign against Congress around Britain, formed the India Defence League

Question 8

When was the Second Round Table confrence

Answer 8

7 September 1931

Question 9

Who represented congress in RTC2

Answer 9

Gandhi the sole representative of Congress and MANDATED to make no concessions from the demand of purna swaraj

Question 10

How was representation a major source of contention

Answer 10

-Gandhi claimed to speak for all of India; angered Muslims and untouchables (Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar)

Question 11

How did RTC 2 end?

Answer 11

Without agreement

Question 12

When was the Communal award unilaterally announced

Answer 12

16 August 1932

Question 13

What was the Communal award

Answer 13

Set out rights to separate representation for recognised minorities and scheduled castes

Question 14

How did Gandhi react to communal award

Answer 14

Announced a fast to the death, as he believed that Congress was the best protector of untouchables

Question 15

What was the Yeravda (Poona) pact

Answer 15

Congress reached an agreement with Ambedkar-

scheduled castes got more reserved seats in future elections but relinquished separate electorates

Question 16

When was RTC 3 and why did it fail

Answer 16

September 1932, no representatives from the Labour party or Congress and didn’t reach any definite conclusions

Question 17

Why was there Civil Disobedience after RTC2

Answer 17

• Viceroy Willingdon arrested Gandhi within a week of his return to India.
• Congress declares that the Gandhi-Irwin Pact had been broken and that it would resume civil disobedience

Question 18

What did Britain do in reaction to Congress’ declaration of civil disobedience (4)

Answer 18

Within 24 hours, granted itself emergency powers.

• Congress was outlawed
• All of Congress’ Working Committee and the Provincial Committees were imprisoned
• Within 4 months, 80,000 Indians were in prison

Question 19

What did Gandhi do when he got out of prison

Answer 19

• Released on health grounds

- Advised Congress to end civil disobedience and requested the government to release prisoners. Both refused

Question 20

What did Congress do in reaction to being arrested?

Answer 20

Announced that individuals should feel free to take responsibility for their own civil disobedience

Question 21

How was civil disobedience eventually crushed?

Answer 21

Mass arrests and repression

Question 22

What did Britain publish in 1933

Answer 22

The white paper- a firm set of proposals for legislation for the Indian constitution
(Later became gov. of India Act 1935)

Question 23

What were the 3 main principles of the White paper

Answer 23

• Eventual federation at the national level
• Provincial autonomy
• Special responsibilities/ safeguards in the executive power

Question 24

What did the Gov of India Act not have

Answer 24

Didn’t set a date for dominion status

Question 25

When would the GOIA come into effect

Answer 25

1937

Question 26

What were some of the main provisions of the Act

Answer 26

- Expand the electorate to 35 million people (still >10%) - Abolish dyarchy - Establish full provincial governments (each with a legislature and executive) - Retain vice regal responsibility for defence and foreign affairs - Reserve emergency powers for central government, including overturning provincial legislation during 'disorder'

Question 27

Nationalist response to GOIA 1935 (3)

Answer 27

- Prolonged wait disappointed many - Legislation out of date by the time it was granted - Congress divided between opposing the Act and trying to gain whatever power offered

Question 28

What did the British want out of the GOIA

Answer 28

- Eventual federation of British India and the princely states - Ensure that a future self-governing Dominion had a constitution, which would: - Strengthen conservative and loyal elements - Limit the control of Congress/ weaken it

Question 29

Why did Britain want to bring the princely states into government

Answer 29

They were conservative princes and tended to support Britain

Question 30

How did Britain try to persuade princes to join the federation (2)

Answer 30

- Princes permitted to select their own representatives without elections - Although princely states had 20% of the population, they had 33% of the representatives in the lower federal assembly AND 40% in the higher council of state

Question 31

Princes reaction to proposal of joining the federation

Answer 31

REFUSED - Feared it would pressure them to move form autocratic structures towards democratic processes - Feared they would have to relinquish personal armies into national armed forces

Question 32

What provinces did Congress win in the 1937 elections?

Answer 32

-Congress took power in Bihar, Bombay, Madras, the United Provinces and the Central provinces

Question 33

How many representatives were Muslim (2)

Answer 33

- 26/1500 | - less than 2%

Question 34

How many seats were reserved for Muslims and how many did the Muslim League win?

Answer 34

482 reserved muslim seats, AIML won 109

Question 35

How many seats did Muslims hold compared with their population size

Answer 35

Won 15% seats, despite being 22% of the population

Question 36

Long term impacts of the United Provinces stand-off

Answer 36

-Congress shutting out the AIML further pushed them away from working with Congress, would the turn to the British for stronger political protection

Question 37

What happened in the United Provinces stand-off

Answer 37

Congress secured control of the United province, but it came under pressure to appoint non-Congress Muslims for 2 ministerial positions in the provincial government. Nehru refused and blocked any concessions

Question 38

How did Congress react to results of the 1937 election

Answer 38

- Felt so powerful; refused to co-operate with the viceroy unless he promised not to overrule decisions by provincial governments - Treated the Muslim League with disdain, refused to form coalition provincial governments

Question 39

What did Jinnah do after the 1937 defeats

Answer 39

- Persuaded smaller Muslim organisations to join the AIML - Jinnah began to campaign openly on a separate Muslim basis rather than part of the nationalist movements - Shifted objective from protected Muslim representation to the objective of independent Muslim controlled provinces

Question 40

What di Congress do to co-ordinate its approach across the country

Answer 40

-Created the Congress Parliamentary Board (CPB)- Party committee to determine national policy

Question 41

Progress of the GOIA

Answer 41

- Ministries increased spending on education and public health - Regulated landlords and moneylenders - Ministries worked effectively, distributing and allocating work without intervention or obstruction of British governors