Summary

Modern Indian History Class 30

Revision of the previous class (05:04 PM)

Lucknow pact 1916 (05:18 PM)

Between INC and Muslim League.
Joint demands for constitutional reforms were given for the first time by INC and the Muslim League to the British.
Demanded separate electorates continuation plus expansion of councils plus elected majority plus at least half Indians in VEC plus Universal adult franchise.
Also, self-government is the equal status with other self-governing dominions of the British Empire (Self-government on the line of Australia and Canada) at an early date.
Positives:
This led to INC-ML unity later used by Mahatma Gandhi in NCM 1920-22.
Created pressure on the British and led to the Montagu statement of 1917 and GOI act 1919.
Also failed the Divide and rule tactics of the British.
Negative:
A major landmark in two nation theory was INC accepted a separate electorate.

Background of Muslim leaders becoming Anti-British (05:36 PM)

Annulment of Bengal partition in 1911.
1911- Italy to cover Libya of the ottoman empire and the British did not help.
Khalifa was the political head of the ottoman empire plus the religious head of the Muslim world.
1912- First Balkan war Montenegro Serbia Greece, and Bulgaria attacked Ottoman territory in the Balkan peninsula (Southeast Europe) and the British did not help.
1912 Muslim league 1906 adopted the goal of self-government within the British empire.
1914-WW1 began when Britain vs ottoman.
1917- Balfour declaration by Britain, declared intent of creating Israel.
1920- Treaty of Sevres with the ottoman after WW1 reduced the Ottoman to a small Turkey plus Many Turks now lived under Greece.
Also, Arabs of Ottomans were not given Independence. Example: Syria to France, Palestine, Iraq, Trans Jordan to Britain.
Therefore breach of promise by the British to Indian Muslims to get support in WW1 British had promised dignified treatment to Khalifa after the war.

Montagu Statement 1917 (05:48 PM)

Henceforth British policy in India was the gradual development of self-governing institutions with a view to the progressive realization of responsible government in India within the British empire.
Therefore now demand Swaraj was no more seditious.

Montagu Chelmsford reform 1919/ GOI Act 1919 (05:54 PM)

The bicameral legislature at the centre is the Central legislative assembly and Council of states for British India.
To reward 565 Princely states, A Narendra Mandal/chamber of princes was created as an advisory body in 1920.
Elected majority first time in Central legislative assembly, Council of states, and Provincial legislative assemblies.
1909- Only Non-official majority in Provincial legislative assemblies.
First-time direct elections-In Council of states, Central legislative assemblies, and Provincial legislative assemblies.
Women got the right to vote but no Universal adult franchise.
The separate electorate was for Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, and Anglo Indians.
For depressed classes, Not separate electorates but reservation of nominated seats in all legislatures.
First-time distribution of subjects between centre and provinces but not a federal distribution that is centre could take away a subject and also legislate upon it.
The provincial budget is separated from the central budget and sources of revenue are divided example LR to provinces and IT &Customs to the centre.
The Viceroy's executive council is not to be responsible to the legislature plus veto power with the viceroy plus ordinance power plus power to approve rejected bills plus power to restore cuts in grants.
The whole budget could still not be voted upon plus 75% of Budget items were non-holdable.
However, adjournment motions could be passed.
3 of 6 Indians in Viceroy executive council( Lucknow pact 1916 demanded the same)

Diarchy at Provinces(06:42 PM)

Subjects were divided at the province level into reserved and transferred.
Reserved subjects would be legislated upon and administered by Governor and his official, Not responsible to the Provincial legislative assembly.
Transferred subjects were to be legislated upon by the Provincial legislative assembly and administered by ministers responsible to PLA.
Therefore the partially responsible government brought in provinces while no responsible government was at the centre.
Idea was to hurt the legitimacy of Indian ministers as they won't be able to effectively administer even transferred subjects due to a lack of control over officials and finance making them unpopular.
In case of failure of constitutional machinery, Governor could take over executive and legislative powers over transferred subjects.
Ministers from PLA could be overruled by the governor in any matter.
INM leaders were dissatisfied as:
No Universal adult franchise(Lucknow pact 1916 demanded same)
Dissatisfactory division of subjects between centre and provinces and between reserved and transferred subjects.
No fully responsible government in provinces and no responsible government at the centre.
Provinces were given seats in the Central legislative assembly and Council of states not as per population but as per the importance of provinces, for example, Punjab's military importance, Bombay's commercial importance, etc.
GOI 1919 did not bring effective self-governance(GOI 1919 is greater than limited self-governance but it is less than true or effective self-governance)

Mahatma Gandhi in South Africa (07:20 PM)

South Africa is equal to cape colony, Natal, orange free state, and Transvaal.
Indians in south Africa is equal to indentured labourers ( Signed contracts and worked in plantation systems) plus some Muslim merchants but all were uneducated.
Grievances of Indians in South Africa:
The government disenfranchised Indians which is not Right to vote.
Poll tax-Those indentured Indians who had overstayed their contracts were given the choice to either get re-indentured or go back to India or pay the poll tax.
Transvaal banned the immigration of Indians from other states and this hurt employment opportunities for Indians.
Registration certificates that had fingerprints were made mandatory and were to be carried at all times, If not then fine or imprisonment.
Then in 1913 Supreme court invalidated all marriages not done as per Christianity.
1896-1906- Mahatma Gandhi adopted moderate methods of sending petitions, writing articles in newspapers Indian opinion, and organizing Indians into the Natal Indian Congress. These methods failed.
1906-14 Mahatma Gandhi adopted the method of extra-constitutional non-violent struggle which he called satyagraha.
1910-12 was a passive phase as the masses got fired and had no success, therefore, Mahatma Gandhi did constructive work on Tolstoy's farm to keep up the morale of the Indians.
Satyagraha is equal to Passive resistance(NCM +CDM) +Non Violence+ Spirituality or morality of satyagraha.
Satyagrahi is equal to truthful, fearless, Nonviolent, ready to accept suffering, loves the evil doer, and hates the alien to his nature.
The goal of Satyagrahi is to irritate the evil-doer so he changes.
Utility
With high morality, Satyagrahi got the confidence to resist a much more physically powerful oppressive state.
Also decreased the chances of repression because of Nonviolence.
It also led to greater participation.
Also, later moderates got attracted to Nonviolence and extremist to passive resistance.
Therefore Mahatma Gandhi could unite both in 1920.
Methods:
Burning of RCs, Not enrolling for RCs, and courting arrest.
Not paying the poll tax.
Illegally crossing from Natal to Transvaal.
Even women joined Mahatma Gandhi's movement when SC invalidated marriages.
Finally, Gopal Krishna Gokhale raised awareness in India, and Hardinge 1016 criticized the Government of South Africa
Which finally agreed to the demands on the poll tax, RCs, and validation of Indian marriages.
Mahatma Gandhi arrived in India in January 1915.

The topic for the next class: Continuation of Gandhi in South Africa(stateless society and village republics)