Why, In The Years 1945-46, Did Attempts At A Political Solution Fail? Flashcards
When was Wavell appointed Viceroy?
October 1943
How far did Wavell travel a week?
1,500km a week
What did Wavell reinstate?
Reinstated the regular meeting of the 11 governors
Cause of the Bengal Famine: (5)
- Poor harvests
- distribution failures
- loss of imports
- wartime inflation
- severe weather conditions
What did the annual death rate rise to in 1943?
1.2 million to 1.9 million
How many died during the Bengal Famine?
1-3 million
How much grain did Wavell request?
A million tons
How much grain did he secure?
450,000
Why did Churchill appoint Wavell?
Had a military and hoped he would not interfere in Indian politics
Churchill’s view on India:
‘Hates India and everything to do with it’
What did John Maynard Keynes present to the War Cabinet?
It had cost £1,000 million for each of the past two years to run the British Empire
How much would it cost to run the British empire post-war?
£1,400 million
When was the Simla Conference?
25 June 1945
What proposals did the Simla Conference set?
offered equal proportions of Muslims and Hindus on the Executive Council. All members would be Indians, with the exception of the viceroy and the commander-in-chief
How many Indian political leaders travelled to Simla?
21
What was the deadlock between Congress and the Muslim League?
Jinnah insisted that they must all be nominated by the Muslim League; Congress could not accept
How much did Labour Party win by?
12% swing
When was the Cabinet Mission?
1946
Cabinet mission three tier structure:
- Minimal ‘Union Government’
- regional groupings exercising all other governmental responsibilities
- Two options
Option 1 and option 2
- Existing regional groupings might be permitted to secede from the original union by means of special votes. There was hope for a future independent Muslim state
- creation of Hindustan and Pakistan
Why was no progress made during the second conference at Simla
Congress refused to support either option and no progress had been made
May Statement:
- Britain would create a constituent assembly of elected representatives from the 11 British states
- Assembly would draft a constitution for the single state with regional groupings
How many troops did the British dispatch during the Communal violence?
50,000 troops
When did the British withdraw their military?
August 1947
