Issues in India 1919

Historiography

Political

· British system of Government in India

· The Viceroy (including executive council) and provincial governors made up government of India

· Princely state, indirectly controlled by Viceroy

· Not a democracy, a glaring contradiction of British values

· Paris Peace Conference: Wilsonian self-determination

· C. 130000 Indians fought and served for Brit in WW1

· Indian delegate at PPC was Tlak (main leader of Congress wrote to Wilson, foes by ignoredà bitterly shattered expectations

· Anger at Britain, felt betrayed at PPC

· The all-India Muslim League and Mohammad Ali Jinnah

· Formed in 1906, established by wealthy and educated

· Britain encouraged formation of Muslim League to counter Congress

· Communalism encouraged to quell nationalism an unofficial policy of ‘divide and rule’

· Communalism is a theory or system of government according to which each commune is virtually an independent state and the nation is merely a federation of such states.

· The Rowlatt Act:

- An extension of the Defence of India Act

- No civil rights, martial law, gatherings illegal, can be arrested without charge

- Extremely repressive and caused huge outrage

- Attempt by Britain to prolong its War time powers

· Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms:

- Produced the 1919 Government of India Act- diarchy

- Diarchy is ‘the technical term for handing over the steering wheel and retaining control of the accelerator and break’ Mason

- Viceroy (+ executive Council) and provincial governors

- Provincial and Central Legislative Assemblies, restricted voting rights (5 million from approximately 150million population)

“politics touch the vital being of India almost at every point”- Gandhi

View towards non-violence:

“I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.”- Gandhi

Social

· Differing communities: Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs

· Hindus 70%, Muslims 21%, Sikhs 1%, other 8%

· Muslims at the time had a strong relationship with Britiain

· 1916: Muslim League and Congress form an alliance, through Jinnah that called for separate

· Poverty, lack of education and disease for majority of India

· Uneducated population, only 20million people literate

· Disease due to West disease introduced e.g. influenza

· Poverty widespread

· Britain dominated, controlled and owned most of india

· Britain owned industry, land, communication

· Indians owned local businesses

Economic

· Economic opportunity + huge natural resources lured Britain

· Goal of imperialism was to increase trade and to economically benefit Britain through exploitation of colonies

· Whole admin of India was planned and implemented to achieve objective

· Massive trade imbalance between India and Britain

· E.g. textile trade, salt trade were monopolised industries, created a huge deficit for India

· British monopolises over communication, transport and industries. This was hugely significant as it allowed British to control people’s mindset and views through media and propaganda. Had the ability to supress news.

Read page 41-47 in Ghandi Textbook

	Created by Dylan MacDonald over 9 years ago

Politcal social and economic issues in India