Toward Indian Independence 1920-1947
QUIT INDIA
2 July 1942. The Government of India announced an expansion of the Viceroy's Executive Council. The changeembracedthe divisIon of the Defense Department intoaWar Department under the Commander-in-Chlef and a Defense Department under SIr Firoz Khan Noon(1893-1970).In other changes, Sir Jogendra Singh(1877-1946)and Dr. Bhimrao R. Ambedkar(1891-1956)were brought onto the Council. With theseadditionsthe Council took on the aspect of being a provisIonal National Government.
3Apr.1942. Colonel LouisA.Johnson
(1891-1956), appointed as the Personal
Representative of President Roosevelt to the Government of India, arrIved at New Delhi.
Two days later he called onCripps and was encouraged to join the negotiations over the role of the Defence Member in the proposed Cabinet.
6Apr. 1942. AtChurchill's instigationLord Linlithgow began using a direct channel of communication to Churchill and Amery, Secretary ofStatefor India, which was largely unknownto Cripps. In subsequent days the
6 July.21 Sept, 1942.
MOVEMENT.
QUIT INDIA
6 July 1942. Gandhi announced his plans for the "Quit India Movement" in a meeting of the Congress Working CommitteeatWarda. On July 14 Gandhi's resolution passed. Itcalled for completeandtotalindependenceof India.
It did not seek that British troops should leave Indiaand giveup the fightagainstJapan. At Bombay the Ali-India Congress Committee approvedGandhi's resolution.Inconsequence the Government oflndla proceeded toarrestall significantCongress leaders throughout India.
14 July 1942. Meeting at Wardha, the Congress Working Committee passed a resolution demanding theendof British rule in India. The proposal was referred to the India Congress Committee which met in Bombayandon August 8 passed the measure.
In consequence the Government of India arrested Gandhiandmost oftheother national andprovincial Congress Party leaders.
9 Aug. 21 Sept. 1942. In response to the Congress call for the British to quit India, Indiansattacked550 post offices, 250 rallway stations, damaged many rall Ilnes, destroyed 70 pollee stations,andburned or damaged 85 other government buildings. Therewere about 2,500 instances of telegraph wires being cut.
The greatest level ofyjolence occurred In Bihar.
The Government of India deployed 57 battallons of British troops to restore order.
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Dec.1942. In Bengal a tidal waveandcyclone killed 11,000 peopleand75,000 cattle.
1943. From spring onward thegrowth ofa major famine In Bengal becameevident. War with Japan had cut off the usual flow of rice from Burma, This combined with a corrupt Muslim League provincial government, some hoarding of foodstuffs, and the British preoccupation with the war contributed to this disaster in which possiblyas many as three million died. Only in October 1943 with the arrival of Lord Wavell as Viceroy were measurestakento resolve the foodshortages anddistribution problems.
10 Feb. 1943. After lengthy correspondence with Lord Linlithgow,Gandhibegana twenty-oneday fastathis site of detention In Bombay.
The Government of India refused to be intimidated and indicated that Gandhifasted
Historyof BritishIndia 115 on his own responslbllltyand athis own risk.
On March 2 Gandhisuccessfullycompleted his fast.
1943. The British Government granted the merger of 435 tiny princely states into fourteen Inwestern India. Known as theAttachment Scheme, itimproved thefinancial statusofa number of revenue poor Indian States.
20 Oct. 1943. Lord Wavell (1883-1950) assumed theduties of Viceroy of IndiaatNew Deihl.
1939-1945. INDIAN ARMY IN THESECOND WORLD WAR.
1940. A few Indian Army experts In mountain warfare prOVided to the British Army In Norway.
Middle East:
4 Feb. 19 May 1941. The 4thand 5thIndian Divisions andassortedBritishandFree French units cleared EritreaandAbyssinia of Itallan forces. The February 4 through March 25 battle for Kern won bytheBritish prOVided the key leading to the capture of the Duke ofAosta, italian Commander-in-Chief, and 220,000 Itallan prisoners.
Apr. 1941. The 8thIndian DiVlslon landedat Basraandpassed ontoBaghdad to secure Iraq for Britishinterestsin thefaceof Rashid Ali,a pro-German Iraqi leader.
22 June 1941. The 5thBrigade of the 4thIndian Division, part of the 15tCavalry Division,and six Free French battallons succeeded In capturing Damascusfromthe Vichy French.
25 Aug. 1941. The 8th and 10th Indian DiVlsions Invaded southern Persia and successfully secured vital 011 supplles following the German invasion of the Soviet Union and their subsequent threat to the 011 fields.
North Mrica:
7 Dec. 1940-7 Feb. 1941. Under the command of General Wavell, the 4thIndian Divisionand the 7thArmoured DiVlslon withsupplementary units, totallng all together 31,000 men destroyed ten Itallan Divisionsasthey moved through North Africa to BenghazI.
liBHistory of British India
31 Mar. 1941. Field-Marshal Erwin Rommel (1891-1944)launched hiscampaignagainst the British driving cross North Africa toward The3'dIndian Motor Brigade foughta key delaying action on Aprtl 6 at Meikili allowingthe 9thAustralian Division to slip Into Tobruk.
15 June 1941. The British Initiated Operation Battle-ax with the 4thInfantry Division and the 7thArmoured Division to relteve Tobruk. The operation failedtotallyand suffered the lost of ninety-siXtanks.
28/29 Nov. 1941. The British EighthArmy began Operation Crusader for the relief of Tobruk. At great cost British forces got to Tobruk,an operation Inwhich the 4thIndian Division played an Important role.
Aug.-Nov. 1942. General Montgomery took Eighth Armyacross North Africaagainstthe AxIs forces. Gurkha units of the 4th Indian Division foughtwellat Wadi Akarlt which was the key to Rommel's defeat In North Africa.
Southeast Asia and Burma:
Dec. 1941. AtHongKong the5thl7thRajputs, 2nd/14thPunjabis and severalsupporting held out foreighteendays before surrendering to the Japanese.
8Dec. 1941. The Japanese attacked down the length of the Malaya Peninsula. Various British, Australian and Indian forces fought in defense of Singapore. On February 14,1942 Singapore fell to the Japanese with the surrender of 70,000 British,Australian and Indian troops.
8 Dec. 1941. JapaneseinvadedBurma from Siam capturing key British airfields In Tenasserim.Likewise Moulmeln and Martaban fell. On March 7 the British abandoned Rangoon to the Japanese.
July 1942. The last of the British andIndian troops escaped out of northern Burma to Assam. ThesubsequentJapanese Invasion of India was precluded by long Hnes of communicationand the monsoon.
Oct. 1942-Mar. 1943. A British thrust In the Arakan in which the 14th Indian Division participated totally failed.
Feb. 1943. Major-General Orde Wingate (1903-1944)assignedthe 77thIndian Infantry Brigade and Britishunits toconductChindlt, or guerrilIa,operations behind Japanese lines in the heart of Burma. Although they caused some material damage at a high personnelcost, they demonstrated that the British could meet andfight the Japanese successfully.
Nov. 1943-Mar. 1944. Under the command of General William Slim (1891-1970), the IndianArmy conducted a successfulcampaign in the Arakan with the 5th and 7th Indian Divisionsand otherallied units. Although not of greatstrategicvalue, the operation validated the tactics required to beat the Japanese.
6 Mar.-22 June 1944. Japanese forces launched an attacked on the Imphal plain against the British at Kohlma and Imphai.
Slimpulled the 17thand 20thIndianDivisions back to the Imphal Plain where they joined the Indian DIvisionInreserve. Furthermore, he had flown in the 2nd, 5th and 7th Indian Divisions. The Japanese lost perhaps 50,000 kilIed and 25,000 wounded In an attack mountingsevendivisions. The siegeof Imphal was finallytotallylifted June22.
July 1944-Aug. 1945. Slim's 14th Army recaptured Rangoon cleared Burma of the Japanese.
Italy:
9 Sept.1943-May 1945. The4th,8thand10th Indian Divisions fought in Italy seeing particularaction:at the crossing of the Sangro, at Cassino,theLirlValley,andInthe Gothic lines.and atthecrossing ofthe Sentoandthe Po rivers.
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Aug. 1944. Lord Wavellcalleda conferenceof all Provincial Governors to discuss plans for the post-war period. The tdeas addressed:
consultation of prinCipalIndianpartyleaders, continued governance of India under the existing constitution, formation of a Constituent Assembly to compose a constitutionfor anindependent India.and to negotiate a treaty governing the transfer of power. He proposed an executive ofequal numbersofHindus and Musltms.
25 June 1945. At Simla Lord Wavell convened a conference of key Indian political leaders. The crucial point of the conference regarded the formulation of the Executive Councl!. Jlnnah rejected Wavell's plan for five Muslim members to be seated on the Council with one beinganon-Muslim League member.
On this point the conference broke down on July14.
17 Aug. 1945. Prime MinisterClement Atlee (1883-1967) reconstructed the India Committeeof the Cabinet to Include himself, Cripps, Pethick·Lawrence(1871-1961), Wedgwood Benn (1877-1960), Ellen C.
Wilkinson (1891-1947), and Lord Llstowel (1906-1997). At Its first meeting It decided to bringLordWavelltoLondon for consultations and to press for early elections to form a constitution-makingbody.
21 Aug. 1945. With the end of the war with Japan, LordWavellcalled forelectionsof the Centre and Provincial assemblies In the forthcoming cold weather.
19 Sept. 1945. Following his return from Londonandthree weeks ofconsultations,Lord Wavellannounced that the provisions of the 1942 Cripps Declaration remained as the Government's offer to the Indians and that elections of provinCial assemblies would be held inthewinter 1945/46. Both Congress and the Muslim League criticized Wavell's statement.
Nov. 1945-Feb. 1946. With the capture of thousands ofIndian soldiers early in the war In Malaya, Subhas Chandra Bose (1897-1945) influenced about 14,000 to jOin the Indian National Army,Or INA,to fight on the side of the Japanese. Some INA units saw actionIn the 2ndArakan Campaignand atImphal. On November 5,1945trials of threeINA soldiers deemed to havecommittedOrabettedmurder began at the Red Fort in Delhi. Ultimately thirty-six Indians were brought to trial on chargesof brutalitytofellowcountrymen. The trials created such a high level of Indian political contention that the Issue was not pursued.
1945/1946. The cold weather assembly elections attain this results. At the Centre Legislative AssemblyCongresswon fifty-seven seats, the Muslim League took thirty,
History of British India 117 Independents five, Akali Sikhs two, and the Europeanseight.In the Provincial Assemblies the Congress won seven provinces and the Muslim League two.
1946. Since the 1919 political reforms In the governance of India had gone hand-in-hand with the Indianlzatlon of the services. Bythis time the British held 429 of the939positions In the IndianCivilService.Inadditiontwice as many of the British incumbents were slated to retire ascomparedto the Indians.
Jan. 1946. As proposed byLord Pethick-Lawrence(1871-1961), Secretary of State for India, a Parliamentary delegation of ten members, led by Professor Robert Richards (1884-1954),toured India.While the tour may have been of someeducationalvalue, it had no measurable impact of British policy toward India. Its essential Impressionembraced the strength of Jlnnah and the Muslim League.
Feb. June 1946. CABINET MISSION.
19 Feb. 1946. In Parliament the British Government announced the forwarding of a team of threeCabinetMinisters to India to seek agreement on how toenact self-determination and independence with the Indian political leaders. The Cabinet Mission Included:Lord Pethick Lawrence(1871-1961),Sir Stafford Cripps (1889-1952) and A. V. Alexander (1885-1965), First Lord of the Admiralty.
24 Mar. 1946. The Cabinet Missionarrivedat New Delhi. It proceeded to conduct talks over a three-week period with leaders of the Congress, Muslim League, Sikhs, Scheduled Castes,andthe Liberalleader, Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru and many others totaling 472 individuals.
16-18 Apr. 1946. The Cabinet Mission met with M.K. Jlnnah (1876-1948) to outline two plans: a small Pakistan with sovereignty Ora big Pakistan inanAll-India Union. Heavoided makingachoice.
21 Apr. 1946. Crippsbrought to the Cabinet Mission'sattentiona plan secretly submitted to him by Nawab M.A. Gurmani of the Punjab.
Through a complex voting system, Muslim majority provinces could joinasovereignand non-Muslim majority districts couldvotetoJOin the rest of India. Nehru turned the Idea down
118 History of British India and Jinnah indicated no interest.
5-12May1946. At Simla the Cabinet Mission convened a conference including four members each from the Congress Party and Muslim League. They included for the Congress:
Nehru, Azad, Patel and Abdul Ghaffar Khan and for the Muslim League: Jinnah, Liaqat Ali Khan, Ismail Khan and Abdur Rab Nishtar.
The Government of India invited Gandhi to come and standby if needed for consultation.
The agenda treated the grouping of provinces, nature of a union, and the constitution making process. Cripps'Union of All-India Plan failed to win the acceptance of either the Congress or Muslim League. On May12it became evident that no solution was possible and the Mission announced the failure of the conference.
16May1946.The Cabinet Mission announced its three-tier scheme for forming a Union of AlI-India consisting of Hindu-majOrity provinces, Muslim majority Provinces, and the Indian States.
25 June 1946. The Congress Working Committee passed a resolution to accept the Cabinet Mission's plan and to enter the Constituency Assembly.
29June1946. The Cabinet Mission left India with only the implicit success of haVing placing Congress and Muslim League in a position of haVing to force their way through to resolution.
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16June1946. After unsuccessful bargaining, Lord Wavell unilaterally named the fourteen members of his Executive Council. They included: six Congress Party members including one from the Scheduled Caste,five Muslim League members, one Sikh, one Indian Christian, and one Parsee. If either of the parties refused to join the Council,the Viceroy announced his intention to proceed with an Interim Government. On June25the Congress accepted the plan, but essentially nullified it with reservations. The Muslim League accepted Wavell's plan.
29June1946. The Muslim League withdrew its acceptance of both the May16and June16 agreements due to their perception of Congress Party intransigence and the breach of faith by theBritlsh Government.
8 Aug. 1946. The Congress Working Committee accepted the invitation to form a government. On August29 its composition included six Hindus: Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964), Vallabhbhail Patel (1875-1950), Rajendra Prasad(1884-1963),Sarat Chandra Bose (1889-1950), Chakravarti RaJagopalacharl (1879-1972) and Jagjivan Ram(1908-1986);three Muslims:ArunaAsaf Ali(1909-1996),Sir Shafaat Ahmad Khan and Syed All Zaheer; one Sikh: Sardar Baldev Singh(d.1961);one Pharsi: C.H. Bhabha; one Indian-Christian: John Matthai (1886-1959) and two empty seats for Muslims.
16Aug. 1946. Jinnah named this a "Direct Action Day" which passed off reasonably qUietly throughout most of India except for Calcutta. Here, Husain Shaheed Suhrawardy (1893-1963), Head of the Bengal Ministry, declared a public holiday and In consequence an idle city exploded in communal violence resulting in 20,000dead or injured over the following three days. The British began to restore a peace only when several British and Indian Army battalions entered the city on the evening of August 16. The Great Calcutta Killing set In motion communal violence and killing over much of India for the next several months as India moved toward Independence.
2Sept.1946.Lord Wavell named the Cabinet for the Interim Government. It Included: Nehru as Prime Minister; Congressmen: Patel, Prasad, Rajaji,Bose, Asaf All and Ram; and minorities: Bhabha jParsO, Mattha! (Christian), Baldev Singh (Sikh), and non-Congress Muslims: Shafaat Ahmed Khan and Syed All Zaheer.
10 Oct. 1946. At Noakhali and Tipperah in East Bengal,violent communal rioting broke out led by the Muslim majority. This spate of violence ended only through the intervention of several companies of Gurkhas. On October25 massive communal rioting broke out in Bihar.
In the November 1-6 period Hindu violence aimed at the Muslims In Bihar left 7,000to 8,000 dead. From these events the Government of India became Increasingly concerned about the Impartiality of the Indian Pollee and how long The Indian Army would remain neutral.
13Oct. 1946. Lord Wavell received Jlnnah's grudging letter approving the appointment of
five members of the Muslim League to the Cabinet of theInterimGovernment. Jinnah's purpose was to preclude the Congress Party from having a monopoly of executive power at the Centre. Accordingly Bose, Ahmad Khan and Zaheer resigned and Liaqat All Khan (1895-1951), Ismail Ibrahim Chundrlgarh (1897-1960),Abdul RabNishtar,GhazanfarAll Khan and Jogendra Nath Mandai from the Muslim League joined the Interim Government on October 26.
4-6 Dec. 1946. The British Government Invited Jinnah, Liaqat Ali Khan, Nehru and Sadar Baldev Singh to come to London for talks regarding how a Constituent Assembly might be useful. No agreement emerged from the talks.
7 Jan. 1947. The British Cabinet rejected Wavell's "breakdown plan". The idea of a scuttle Intheface of Congress take over of the InterimGovernment represented a weakness and damageto Britain's international role of unacceptable proportions. The Cabinet directedthatthe Government of India's policy would be the maintenance oflawandorder and continued governance until Congress/Muslim League agreement was reached.
4 Feb. 1947. Lord Wavell received Atlee's letter of January 31 him of his dismissal with a month's notice.
20 Feb. 1947. British Prime Minister Atlee announced Inthe Commons the selection of Lord Mountbatten (1900-1979) as the new Viceroy and his mandate to effect thetransfer of power to Indian offiCials notlater thanJune 1948.
4 Mar. 1947. In the Punjab the level of communal violence and the breakdown of parliamentary government so total that Sir Evan Jenkins (1896-1985), Governor ofthe Punjab, assumed power of the government underSection 93 of the constitution.
24 Mar. 1947. Lord Mountbattenassumed the duties of Viceroy ofIndiaat NewDeihl. At the ceremony In the Durbar Hall of the Viceroy's House, he broke precedent by delivering a short speech addressing the transfer of power from the British to the Indians.
History of BritishIndia 119 24 Mar.-6 May 1947. Lord Mountbatten conducted at least one hundred-thirty-three interviewswithIndian leaders,some more than once.In addition to the major leaders, he saw:
V. K. Krishna Menon (1894-1966), M. A. K.
Azad (1888-1958), J. B. Krlpalanl (1888-1982), Llaqat Ali Khan (1895-1951) among many others. His purpose encompassedthe search for Ideas, their development, and the subsequent level of response by various leaders. He also sought toInitiatefriendships.
The principal proposalsIncluded:the Cabinet Mission Plan, a united India, and a partitioned India.
Mar.·June 1947. DECISION FOR THE TRANSFER OF POWER.
Apr. 1947, Lord MountbattenestabUshed a committee of General Sir Hastings Ismay (1887-1965),Sir Eric Mleville(1896-1971),Sir George Abell (1904-1989) and himself to draw up a plan for the transfer of power. The Committee met asneededwith Nehru, Jinnah, Patel, Liaqat All Khan, andBaldevSingh.
15/16 Apr. 1947. Ismay completed and presented to an assembly of provincial governors atDeihl"Plan Balkan". The concept called for the provinces and/or sub-provinces to decidewhich assemblies,Indiaor Pakistan, to join.
2 May 1947. Ismayleftfor London to deliver andtoexplain Mountbatten's "Plan Balkan" to the British CabinetInLondon.
10/11 May 1947. On a hunch, Lord Mountbatten Informally showed a draft of
"Plan Balkan" for the transfer of power to Nehru who was available as the Viceroy's guest at Mashobra near Simla. Nehru's reaction was a violent and total rejection of the plan. Hesaw
"Plan Balkan" for the transfer of power to Nehru who was available as the Viceroy's guest at Mashobra near Simla. Nehru's reaction was a violent and total rejection of the plan. Hesaw