Withdrawal from India : Documents Question Case Study

Withdrawal from India : Documents Question case study

Elements for Answers to Contextualisation Question : Q. 4

Ordinary Level = ¾ page , Higher Level 1 ½ pages.

1)  The Role of Ghandi in the struggle for Indian Independence.

·  Born Gujurat in India in 1869 – played a key role in the struggle for Indian Independence – famous for developing a new means of pushing for Political change – non-violent protest.

·  He was deeply religious – A Hindu – wore peasant clothes and connected with ordinary Indians like no one else – had a big influence on how ordinary Indians thought and behaved.

·  He trained as a lawyer in London. Worked in South Africa and saw discrimination. Became interested in politics.

·  When he returned to India in 1914 he joined the Congress Party and worked to achieve British withdrawal and Indian Independence.

·  He had a dream of a united, secular ( state not run on religious grounds) and peaceful India and worked all his life to develop respect and co-operation between Hindu, Muslim and Sikh.

·  He was anti-violence and came up with new ways of working for political change and asserting your rights or demands. He wanted to achieve change without violence.

·  He led mass peaceful protests, fasts, hunger strikes, boycotts and civil disobedience such as the non-payment of taxes.

·  Eg) After the Amritsar massacre of 1919 he organised the mass boycott of British goods. In 1930 he led the Salt march, it was a protest against the British tax on salt. He led the Quit India campaign in 1942 ( during the war). It was a mass civil disobedience action ( refusing to co-operate with government or authorities) that involved strikes and boycotts.

·  He led negotiations with the British through the thirties and although Nehru became the main leader of the Congress party leading up to Independence Ghandi still had great influence and interest in events.

·  When India won Independence in on August 15th 1947 Ghandi did not attend the celebrations. He was appalled at the violence that had led up to Independence and was saddened that the country had been partitioned. His dream of a secular, united and Independent India had not come into being.

·  Ghandi had spent the time leading up to Independence trying to lessen the violence he did the same after Independence led to mass slaughter and ethnic cleansing. He rushed to Bengal and threatened to fast until the violence stopped. He never stopped working for peace and tolerance in an Independent India right up to his assassination, in January 1948, by a Hindu extremist unhappy at his tolerance of Muslims.

Why did Britain leave India in 1947 ?

·  Britain had had an interest in India since 1600. By the middle of the nineteenth century Britain was in direct control of over half of India ( the Raj) and in indirect control of the rest of India. Britain got large quantities of gold, cotton and ivory from India. It contributed great riches to Britain into the early 20th Century. It was considered the “Jewel in the Crown” of the British empire so why would Britain leave in 1947?

1)  The growth of Nationalism in India gradually put pressure on Britain to leave

·  Railways – English language – united the country.

·  New Parties emerged – Congress – Hindu and The Muslim League – both wanted more self government for India and went on to demand full Independence and the withdrawal of Britain.

·  British reforms only led to increased demands.

·  The Amiritsar massare in 1919 deepened anti-British feeling.

·  The aim of Congress was now total Independence.

2)  World War two

·  led to a strengthening of Indian calls for an immediate British withdrawal. The fact that European powers were being defeated by Japan led to nationalists becoming more confident in making demands and expecting to achieve them. – Quit India campaign

·  Weakened the British. After two world wars and a great depression in the last 30 years Britain was broke, weak and weary of fighting. It no longer had the will or the ability to control India by force.

·  India was also now a cost to Britain rather than a benefit. They lost money by running India instead of gaining from their rule.

3)  Britain decides to withdraw.

·  Britain was put under greater pressure to withdraw – protest at trials / mutiny.

·  Due to the strength of the demands for Independence and Britain’s weakness politicians in Britain accepted that Britain would have to leave India.

·  A new Labour government (1945) also disagreed with colonialism and wanted to save money by withdrawing. They thought it would be better to have close links with a friendly Independent India than hostile and violent links to a costly colony. The aim of the government was to have a peaceful and quick withdrawal.

·  They negotiated with the parties in India but no agreement could be reached about what shape an Independent India would take, united or partitioned.

4)  When violence broke out after Jinnah’s Direct action day it spread throughout the country and Britain was worried about getting dragged into a bloody situation. Britain knew that it couldn’t control the situation for much longer.

·  In January 1947 Mountbatten announced that Britain would withdraw in August 1948. He hoped this would calm the situation and focus the parties on making an agreement. As the violence got worse and no agreement could be reached Britain decided to partition India into two separate states and set up a boundary commission to draw the border in disputed areas.

·  The date for withdrawal was brought forward a year to August 1947 in the hope that this would reduce the violence and lessen tensions

So Britain left in 1947 due to

Pressure from the growth of nationalism.

The weak position they were in after World War two.

The violent and unstable situation in India that they could not control. A wish not to be caught up in any violence.

Why was India partitioned ?

·  India was 70% Hindu and 20% Muslim.

·  There was a long history of rivalry and tension between the two communities.

·  As Nationalism and the demands for self-government grew in the early 20th century the two sides were at first prepared to work together.

·  The Congress Party (mainly Muslim) and the Muslim League signed the Lucknow Pact in 1914 which stated they would work together for the good of all Indians.

·  However the two sides started to drift apart. The Congress party wanted a united, secular Independent India but the Muslims were worried that they might be ignored or persecuted and treated unfairly in a Hindu dominated India. However they were willing to work with the Hindus to create a united and Independent up until 1937.

·  After the Provincial elections of 1937 Hindus had won a majority of representatives in the councils. They gave jobs to Hindus and passed over Muslims and banned cow slaughter in different provinces. This convinced many Muslims and especially Jinnah, the leader of the Muslim League, that they would be discriminated against in a Hindu dominated India.

·  It increased demands for the partition of India to create a separate state for Muslims in Muslim majority areas.

·  In the Lahore resolution of 1940 Jinnah called for the establishment of an Independent Muslim state called Pakistan. When Britain agreed to withdraw from India after the second world war they negotiated with both parties in the hope that they could get agreement on a united Independent India.

·  Neither side could agree. The Cabinet mission of 1946 suggested a federal state that would give the Provinces lots of local powers but would still link them to a central government. The Muslim League did not think it would give them enough power while the Congress wanted a stronger central government.

·  After the elections of 46 when almost all Muslims voted for the Muslim it became close to most that the Muslims felt so strongly that India would have to be partitioned.

·  This became even clearer when Jinnah’s Direct action day in August 1946 that was called to push for the creation of Pakistan led to waves of violence breaking out in Calcutta and then spreading throughout India. This made any chance for unity between Muslims and Hindus impossible.

·  The British decided that India would have to be partitioned and Mountbatten announced a plan for a boundary commission that would draw the border in mixed areas like Bengal and the Punjab.

·  The date for withdrawal was set as the 15th of August 1947. On that day the two separate Independent states of India and Pakistan were created and India was partitioned.

Why was there so much violence after Independence ? - Facts

·  Divisions between Hindus and Muslims ( see above)

·  The widening of divisions – Lucknow Pact to Lahore resolution.

·  Britain agrees to withdraw after the war – begins negotiations – the sides cannot agree – see above and notes.

·  Interim government – Jinnah’s action day in Calcutta in August 1946 – Violence starts and spreads – great tension between both sides.

·  In January 1947 Mountbatten announced that Britain would withdraw in August 1948. He hoped this would calm the situation and focus the parties on making an agreement. As the violence got worse and no agreement could be reached Britain decided to partition India

Summarise the above – tensions – different demands – Britain tries to reach and agreement between the parties – fails – plan to partition

·  In June 1947 Mountbatten announced a plan to partition India and brought the date for withdrawal forward to August 1947. It was hoped that this might reduce tensions but might also have been done because the British expected violence and did not want to get caught up in it.

·  A boundary commission was set up to draw the border in disputed areas with mixed populations like Bengal and the Punjab. It only had 37 days to make its decision and the chairman Radcliffe had never been to India and had to work from old and inaccurate maps.

·  See – mistakes

·  The decisions were kept secret until after Independence. This led to a build up of great tension as Muslims and Hindus in mixed areas were not sure which side of the border they would find themselves.

·  Millions left their homes and tried to get across the border if they found themselves on the wrong side. Muslims headed for Pakistan and Hindus for India. They were attacked as they travelled.

·  Gangs roamed areas attacking Hindus or Muslims if they were in the minority. They wanted to push other members of the community out.

Who to blame for the violence? ANALYSIS

• Many blame the British for these reasons

• The speedy withdrawal was rushed and did not allow for an orderly and peaceful transfer of power. Mountbatten brought forward the date from June 48 to June 47.

• The speed with which the Radcliffe report was drawn up and the mistakes it made left millions on the wrong side of the border. The borders were badly drawn. The borders made little sense – there was little planning or preparation for population movement or refugees.

• The wait for the report to be published until after Independence increased fears and tensions and encouraged violence.

• The British forces in India were used to protect Europeans and not locals.

• Some blame the British for helping to create the deep divisions between Hindi and Muslim. The argument is that to rule India the British had a divide and conquer policy that stopped the two sides joining together.

Some blame the long divisions between Hindus and Muslims

• They say the divisions and distrust and hatred was deep rooted between the two communities and violence could not be avoided.

• They say that the leaders of Congress and the Muslim League did little to encourage a sense of common Indian identity and focused on their differences too much.

Some blame Congress

• For underestimating the concerns and aspirations of the Muslims

The Growth of Nationalism in India :

·  Late nineteenth century – railways – English language –

·  New Parties - demanding Home Rule

·  Reform feeds demands – want greater degree of self-government

·  Amritsar massacre – now Congress demands complete Independence.

·  World War 2 – power of European powers challenged – defeated by Asian powers in many cases – allowed the voices of nationalism to grow stronger – also their claim to be fighting for freedom made it difficult for European powers to deny Asian countries the right to self-government.

·  The Quit India campaign – demanding immediate Independence.

·  After World War 2 – British agree to withdraw – begin negotiations.

·  Nationalist put on pressure to speed up withdrawal – Protests at Trials – Mutiny.