Second World War Flashcards
1937 Provincial Elections
INC and Raj partners in government. Raj power over Foreign policy and Military
INC uncertain how much power it had in provinces
INC won the Provincial Elections
Division within Congress
INC torn apart 1938 by fighting over-presidency. Considerable pressure for Bose to quit as President- Gandhi did not trust him
Nehru refused to stand against Bose, so he won the presidential election
Many of those supporters of Gandhi rejected Bose and resigned
Bose forced to resign
Bose returned home and created revolution to overthrow Raj
The Raj Declares War
Remainder 1930s Raj had stabilized experienced a brief period of popularity.
No alternative to Raj
Neville Chamberlain declared war upon Germany which made Linlithgow follow suit
This done without INC approval
Viceroy/Secretary of State WW2
Linlithgow: Viceroy
Leo Amery: Secretary of State of India
Reaction of the INC
The Raj expected to provide over 2 mil soldiers to fight under British control
Gandhi urged Britain to negotiate with Hitler but some INC ‘old guard’ knew futile
INC not prepared to commit to support the government that had not consulted them
INC not prepared to encourage India to fight war unless granted Purna Swaraj
INC members all resigned from provincial ministries leaving Britain back in charge
Reaction of Muslim League
Jinnah lucky due to war
INC retired from political scene left way open for Muslim League
Jinnah declared this day in India when all resigned as the ‘Day of Deliverance’
Focused after on Muslim’s Constitutional objectives
Called for meeting in Lahore
The Lahore Resolution
The Resolution made by Jinnah had two proposals:
Those areas of subcontinent where Muslims were majority should be grouped together to form independent states
Minorities had to be protected whether the people concerned were living in Muslim or Hindu dominated states
Jinnah no longer saw possibility of being together
23 March Pakistan Resolution Day
Reaction of Lahore Resolution
Arguments flared between Jinnah and Gandhi.
Nehru denounced the Resolution as a ‘mad scheme’ and toured India to rally objection to the Muslim proposal.
Mini-Satyagraha broke out across India in protest against Resolution
1940 Linlithgow agreed that the British would not adopt a new constitution without prior approval of Muslim India.
August Offer proposed some form of constitution after the war- did not offer independence= rejected
Bose and Axis Power
Bose resigned from INC and formed Forward Bloc Party
Bose arrested by British and escaped 1941
Managed to flee India through Afghanistan and into USSR to rally support with Stalin
Stalin= failure, went to Hitler and got a lukewarm reception
Bose then moved to Japan an formed Indian National Army to aim for full scale invasion
Situation 1942
1942 Purna Swaraj seemed achievable
INC shown represented, influenced and even controlled millions of Indian people
Muslim League had also greatly strengthened its position, British agreed on some form of separatism for Muslim League
Raj still in charge 1942 and may keep India by force if necessary
British needed Indian support- war not going well
The Cripps Mission
Japanese Empire causing threat for India
Churchill appointed Sir Stafford Cripps to lead a delegation to India in order to secure support for war effort
Invited all Indian Parties to join in an interim gov of national unity under the Viceroy and his Council until end of war
Churchill’s intent was to put lid on nationalism, to encourage India’s war effort and to stop American interference in the Raj
CRIPPS WAS LABOUR MEMBER AND PRIME THREAT TO CHURCHILL AT TIME. Good friends with Gandhi and Nehru
Gandhi reaction to Cripps Mission
Furious with proposals from Cripps
INC was willing to accept the proposed interim gov it would only do so if India’s defence controlled by India not Brits
Cripps left with nothing
Failure of Cripps MissionRepr
Both sides hardened approaches toward each other
Linlithgow resorted to old methods of repression and Gandhi/INC considered new satyagraha
Viceroy attempted to send all leading INC members to Africa for duration of war but unable to make arrangements
Gandhi proposed to make peace with Japan, but Nehru and INC refused to support fascism
Jinnah encourages Muslims to support war effort and offer assistance to British
Gandhi Quit India Campaign
Satyagraha during the Second World War seemed like folly even treachery
Set the INC against the British
Quit India speech 8 August 1942
Gandhi, Nehru and most INC leaders arrested and imprisoned
Gandhi appealed to INC and make India ungovernable
Led to horrific riots
Aftermath of Quit India
Caused death, despair
November 1942 worst of Quit India protests were over
Quit India failed to paralyze the Raj and INC leaders were in prison
Indian Military remained loyal
New Viceroy Wavell= enstated
