1
Summary
Modern Indian History Class 34

MG 11 point demands 1930 ( 5:05 PM )

  • Decrease military expenditure and salary 
  • Prohibition on liquor 
  • Release prisoners 
  • CID under popular minister i.e *transfer subject 
  • 3middle-class issues - Make exchange rates and tariffs favourable to Indian business and promote Indian shipping + decreases taxes
  • 3 Peasants issue = 50 % decrease in LR make LR transferred subject + abolish salt tax and end government salt monopoly

CDM 1930 - 34 ( 5:09 PM )

Reasons 

  • 1. Political developments covered above - Simon commission 1927, nonacceptance of Nehru report (1928 ), rejection of Delhi manifesto ( 1929 ), rejection MG 11 point demands 
  • 2. Economic grievances created by the Great Depression (GD), 1929 eg - crash in prices of cash crops + decline in prices of wheat and rice, therefore, farm income decreased but LR same. Money lenders stops lending and demanded repayment of past loans.
  • 3. Workers were also impacted due to low wages and rising unemployment, therefore, the masses were restless and this contributed to the launching of CDM 
  • Salts have the potential to unite India, therefore, MG made it the primary focus 
  • Also, ML 1906 could not argue the demands related to salt are for benefit of INC politically or are Hindu demands 

Plan 

  • CDM is planned in two stages–
  • In the first stage, marches by the leader in coastal areas for the illegal manufacture of salts i.e CD against salt law + boycott of British institutions and goods 
  • Second stage - to include no revenue campaign in the ryotwari and Mahalwari areas and no Chowkidari tax campaign in the Zamindari areas. Violation of forest laws to be done in the central province

Implementation

  • Dandi march in march in 1930 from Sabarmati ashram ( 1917 ) to Dandi coast for breaking of salt law - by MG and similar marches by regional leaders in other coastal areas eg k Kelappan in Malabar, CGg Rajagopalcharia in madras. Also, the boycott began 
  • Dharsana satyagraha (May 1930, Gujrat )- MG gave prior warning to the British about a peaceful raid at dharsana saltworks which led to MG's arrest, and now the raid was laid by MG’s son Manilal and Sarojini Naidu. This was followed by huge repression by the British 
  • In Assam - protest against the cunningham circular( 1930-31) that forced parents to give assurance of the good behaviour of their children
  • After the arrest of MG in May 1930, the second stage began 

Impact (5:40 PM)

Positives 

  • Initial violence did not influence MG into withdrawing from a movement, therefore, MG showed more radicalism 
  • CD happened at all India levels, not just non-cooperation (NC) and this was important progress in INM  as the masses were ready for British repression and imprisonment 
  • The first-time massive participation of the capitalist class especially traders who stop importing British cloth. There was a decline of 50% in foreign cloth( *like in NCM 1920-22, but in swadeshi, there was a real impact in reducing British import, *attitude of capitalist = support movement and extract positives from the British government and then the desired truce ) 
  • GD 1929 contributed to decreasing in imports but an important role still played in boycotts by Indian traders 
  • First-time large-scale women participation in both rural and urban areas and people were shocked by a huge gathering of women. Therefore MG’s morality and focus on spirituality decreased the inhibitions of Indian men + MG’s focus on women's empowerment eg - in CW brought women into mainstream politics 
  • Rural and urban masses both participated 

Negatives ( 6:14 PM)

  • No major worker participation except in Sholapur and Nagpur except in Sholapur and Nagpur, therefore, CPI boycotting CDM had an impact  
  • MG also was not much in favour of involving workers due to fear of the movement turning violent as a worker were under Communist influence
  • The lack of Hindu - Muslim unity because of the lack of alliance between congress - ML contributed to the low Muslim participation.
  • *Middle class- can be divided into 3 parts - businessmen, youth, and professionals. Middle-class youth was not attracted to non-violent methods as were inspired by revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh. 
  • (*1930 -31: CDM, MG - Irwin pact 1931, 2nd RTC 1931, 1932-34:CDM )
  • Government repression led to the decline of movement after September 1930 + financial losses decreased capitalist participation + confiscation of property decreased peasants' participation + GD 1929, had led to a decline in prices and now tenants began no rent campaign on their own which could have hurt unity among Indian and this made MG cautious. Therefore CDM was suspended with Gandhi -Irwin pact (2631) and the main reason for the suspension was rising violence eg ( can also, add to negative ) - a violent strike in Sholapur after MG's arrest in May 1930, by workers and martial law had to apply b) Chittagong armoury raid by Surya sen in east Bengal and c) NWFP - violence after the arrest of khan Abdul Gaffar khan/frontier Gandhi in Peshawar by his followers( Red shirt / Khudai khitmatgar )who earlier protested against harsh tax collection methods of officials 

Gandhi - Irwin pact (6:37 PM )

  • CDM suspended, 
  • INC to participate in 2nd RTC, 1931,
  • Right to make salt only for personal consumption
  • Right to picketing of liquor shop
  • Withdrawal of emergency ordinances 
  • Release of political prisoners not charged with violence
  • Cancelled fines and returned properties confiscated to peasants 
  • But the British refused commutation of the death sentence on bhagat singh ( hanged on 23 march, 1931)

Karachi session ( 6:46 PM )

  • Special Karachi session 1931 - here INC approved Gandhi Irwin pact + passed a resolution on fundamental rights + a resolution on national economic programs 
  • Declared INC’s intent or future constitution + NEP: intent on how future economic progress should be was based on socialist ideology )

2nd RTC September- December 1931(6:53 PM )

  • Failed because of deadlock over the minorities pact as all minorities demanded separate electorates including Dalits led by Br Ambedkar while INC opposed it.
  • ( * no separates electorates in the future constitution - said Nehru report 1928 )+ British rejected the demand of Purna swaraj ( 1929 goal of INC ). This led to the resumption of CDM's second phase( 1932-34)

Communal Award 1932/ Macdonald’s awards (7:24 PM)

  • Brought by the British a consensus could not be reached by Indian leaders on joint electorates. 
  • It gave separate electorates to depressed classes ( from the GoI act, 1935)
  • INC neither accepted nor rejected it as it was being demanded by depressed classes themselves (i.e *not imposed by the British )

Poona pact September 1932 ( 7:28 PM )

  • MG was against communal award as it would divide Hindus permanently and make untouchability permanent but he was not against greater reservation for depressed classes with joint electorates 
  • MG started fast unto death, therefore, convinced BR Ambedkar to sign the pact with MG. Pact rejected communal award 1932 and reservation for depressed classes was nearly doubled/increased - from 71 to 147 seats in PLA and 18% reservation in CLA

CDM second phase (7:31 PM )

  • Now MG launched a campaign against untouchability by setting up harijan sevak sangh + harijan 1933 + harijan sevak fund for the campaign + 20000km march and two fast to increase awareness

Result of the second phase 

  • Low response for CDM due to demoralization due to suspension of first phase 
  • @untouchability - neither upper caste nor lower caste enthusiastic about harijan campaign. Lower castes were becoming more radicals and less interested in social reconciliation. Wanted political and economic empowerment and not just social dignity
  • Government repression did the rest therefore CDm ended in 1934. The second phase was a failure but INC benefitted overall from CDM in the 1937 elections under GoI, 1935 

GOI, 1935 ( 7:42 PM )

  • Reason = simon commission + Nehru report + 3 RTC ( 30, 31, 32 )+IRA led CA Raid + revolutionaries sacrifices - bhagat singh + CDM(30-34) )

Background 

  • 1. Simon 1927 report  - June 1930 - replaced dyarchy with fully responsible government at (* in dyarchy minister of the transferred subject only, responsible to PLA therefore partially responsibility ) with some emergency power switch governor and did not want any change, etc + separate Burma from India  + to create NWFP and Sindh as new provinces
  • 2. 1st RTC 1930, 565 PS and non-INC parties participated and later demanded a union having British India and 565 PS 
  • 3. 2nd  RTC, 1931 - Indian demands of the federation and the responsible government rejected 
  • 4. 3rd  RTC 1932, unimportant as very low participation 
  • 5. Simon commission 1927 had no Indian + 1st  and 3rd RTC no INC participation +2 RTC failed, therefore, GOI, 1953 not the product of Indian participation and self-government therefore opposed by Indian 

Features (7:56 PM )

At centre 

  • A federal structure for the whole of India i.e first time, India is to the union of British India and 565 ps with federalism ( *Nehru report, 1928 and the earlier acts were for British India )
  • But this needed the signing of an instrument of accession (IoI ) ( section 6, 1935 ) to union India by at least 50 % of princes which was never done ) therefore central level provisions, never came into force, and GOI, 1919 operated at centre for British India.

565 PS did not agrees because: - 

  • a. Paramountcy was not abolished by GOI, 1935( * GOI,1858 set up paramountcy relationship between crown and princely states, therefore, did not want another authority over them in the form of the union government.
  • b. Did not want to surrender financial autonomy to the union government and other subjects like communication and defence were to be surrendered hence it means loss of autonomy( * eg union could ask 565 PS for money contribution for India's army )
  • c. Smaller PS was unhappy with low representation at the centre ( eg 20 smaller states were not given a single seat )
  • d. Fear of democracy of becoming part of a union as then INC can launch movements even in 565 PS(* ps = foreign country 

Bicameral legislature at the centre - (8:13 PM )

  • Federal assembly + COS ( council of states ) 
  • One-third of the members are to be nominees of princes in the federal assembly. This eliminated chances of INC majority at the center (* 66% = INC + ML therefore tough to get 51% )
  • Life of COS is permanent with one -a third members retiring after every second year 
  • Life of five years for the federal assembly (FA)
  • Direct election to COS but the indirect election of FA 
  • Right to vote to more Indian but only 10% got this due to income criteria. The intent = to prevent voting rights to INC support base to a worker and peasant 
  • Separate electorates continued 
  • Reservation for SC (*used first time before this they were referred to as depressed class  ) in all legislature and also for women and labour. (* working-class leaders ) 
  • First-time federal distribution of subjects into a federal-provincial and concurrent list ( original ownership of provincial subjects and did not get power so to make laws on these subjects as a grant by the centre.
  • 80% of the budget is still not votable + the viceroy and restore cuts and grants +residuary power to the viceroy + veto power, ordinance power, power to certify even rejected bill

Diarchy at the centre (8:25 PM) 

  • Reserved subjects, under total control of viceroy eg - defence, internal security, foreign affairs, tribal areas, church, etc 
  • Transferred subjects - laws by central legislature + under ministers responsible to legislature and viceroy to function on aid advice pf executive council in transferred subject 
  • Fiscal autonomy to GOI i.e transfer of financial control of British India from SoS for India to the viceroy, therefore, reduced the power of SoS to increase the power of the Viceroy and Nehru said that these were the only major change by GOI, 1935 (GOI, 1858 - SOS = directorate of state + Morley’s ‘ budget speech’ in 1906.

Next Class: Continuation of GoI, ACT, 1935