To What Extent Did The Second World War Impact On Indian Politics? Flashcards
(46 cards)
When was the fall of Singapore?
15 February 1942
Why was the fall of Singapore shocking?
It was deemed unconquerable
What did the Fall of Saigon mean?
The whole of Asia now lay open to the Japanese
Where did the Japanese capture in March?
Pushed on into Burma, capturing Rangoon
Where did the Japanese capture 6 weeks after capturing Rangoon?
Mandalay
What was the declared aim of the Japanese?
Freeing Asians from European rule
What parts of India came under attack from Japanese? (3)
- Calcutta
- Madras
- other ports along the Bay of Bengal
What did Viceroy Linlithgow confess to?
That he did not have sufficient armed forces in India to hold out against a Japanese landing on the Cuttack coast and could not prevent an advance into Orissa
When was the sea-borne threat to India removed?
When the US Navy defeated the Japanese at the Battle of the Coral Sea at the beginning of May 1942
What were war debts running at per day for Britain?
£70 million per day
What else left Britain economically disadvantaged?
The war left India in a state of devastation and an enormous reconstruction program was needed
Sir Stafford Cripps: (4)
- Labour Party minister
- Friend of Nehru and Gandhi
- Sympathetic to Indian aspirations
- Well liked in Congress circles
When did Cripps arrive in New Delhi?
March 1942
What did the British offer in the Cripps mission? (2)
- An interim government of India that would have the power to make decisions on all matters except defence, foreign affairs, and communications
- Offered to grant full dominion status to India after the war
Gandhi’s response to the Cripps mission:
Furious
What was the Cripps mission an example of?
Another sign that Britain would cling on to India at all costs
Jinnah’s response to the Cripps Mission:
Had to reject it if the Muslim League was to remain part of the constitution-making process
After the failure of the Cripps Mission, what did Linlithgow do?
Stepped up press censorship and intercepts of Congress communications
What was Linlithgow’s misguided plan?
To arrest all the Congress leaders and deport them to Uganda, with Gandhi being sent to Aden
What was the divide between Gandhi and Nehru in terms of Japan?
- Gandhi was pressuring Congress to support a new satyagraha and argued if India became free it could make peace with Japan
- Congress and Nehru refused as they did not want to have anything to do with fascism
When was the Quit India campaign launched
August 1942
A day after the launch of the Quit India campaign, what happened to Gandhi, Nehru and most of the Congress party’s leaders?
They were arrested and interned
Gandhi, who had anticipated getting arrested, ordered many to what?
Urged every demonstrator to become his or her own leader
After the mass arrests, what occurred during the Quit India campaign?
Horrific rounds of riots, killings, attacks on Europeans and damage to government property
