When was the Indian Independence Act
1947
What were the main points in the Indian Independence Act
- Division of British India into India and Pakistan both which were fully sovereign dominions
- est. of the office of governor-general (represent the Crown)
- complete legislative authority goes to respective Constituent Assemblies of two new countries
What were some of the causes of decol in India before 1945
- non cooperation movement in 1920s
- Legislative changes in the 30s- Gov India Act 1935 and election in 1937 (showed INC could run a country)
- Cripps Offer
- Roundtable conference
- Changing Brit gov attitude- ‘India will be a running sore if we try and keep ir’
Who was the viceroy of India in 1945
Viceroy Wavell
What did the elections in India post 1945 show about the support of each main political group
showed greater polarisation of support
overall congress won 90% of seats BUT muslim league won 75% of all Muslim votes
What was the Simla Conference (1945)
Indian political leaders invited to Simla to discuss the two constitutional options by cabinet mission
What was the mood like at the Simla Conference
mood wasn’t great- leades refused to talk to each other and Gandhi said he would block any moves towards partition
What were the two constitutional options discussed at the Simla Conference
first option- single state with a three tier constitutional structure
second option- two state option (Hindustan and Pakistan)- they would conclude formal treaties with each other but would have no common gov
What was the May Statement
cabinet made a declaration of intent- create a constituent assembly of elected representatives (draft a constitution for single state with regional groupings)
When did Jinnah call for universal Muslim hatal
16th August 1946
What was the nature of the Great Calcutta Killings
-during the Muslim hatal the Hindus threw stones as they passed which caused attacks over 3 days
How many people were affected by the Great Calcutta Killings
6000 people died
20,000 wounded
100,000 made homeless
Who did Congress blame for the Great Calcutta Killings
held the governor responsible for not preparing for rioting- elsewhere in India hatal caused no trouble at all
What were the London Talks (1946)
Indian leaders were summoned to talks in London over 4 days
What were Attlee’s opinions of both Jinnah and Nehru
thought Jinnah was ‘an Indian fascist’
reassured Nehru of his support of Congress
Why was Attlee forced to replace Wavell
Constituent Assembly convened on 7th December 1946 but broke down as Muslim demand for separate states grew stronger
What were Britain’s main concerns regarding Palestine
Wanted to keep good Anglo-American relations which pointed to a pro-Jewish solution but also protecting oil supplies which pointed to a pro-Arab solution
How did the Cold War affect matters in Palestine
There were very conflicting ideologies- even though US were mostly pro-Zionist the Arabs weren’t communists so didn’t want the British to use violence
What percentage of British oil came from the Middle East
60-70%
What were US attitudes towards Jewish Settlement in Palestine
Truman demanded that 100,000 Jewish refugees be admitted at once- big leap from the 25,000 that was stated in the White Paper
BUT- most American officials disagreed with Truman- believed Jewish immigration should be restricted
Examples of Palestinian terrrorism
Haganah organisation caused several hundred explosions throughout Palestine
July 1946 a wing of the King David Hotel (closely associated with Brit administration) was blown up killing 91 people
Irgun terrorists captured two unarmed sergeants and hanged them
In what ways was terrorism in Palestine not too big of a concern for the British
- just drafted 80,000 troops to sort out the Haganah organisations explosions
- dealt with terrorism without leaving e.g. Malaya- not enough to make the British quit
In what ways was terrorism in Palestine a big concern for the British
-Labour gov didn’t want to be trapped in this situation as Palestine drained resources and had become a degraging death-trap
Why was a unitary state unacceptable to the Jews in Palestine
Jews were a minority so wouldn’t have any say in politics
Why would a federalised system be unacceptable to Arabs in Palestine
why should they have to divide a country that they’ve been in for ages
What were the arguments against partition in Palestine
- any scheme which would satisfy the Jews would be unfair to the Arabs
- Partition would lead to est of a Jewish state which had not been promised in Balfour declaration and was not required of the mandate authority- involved serious injustice to the Arabs
Why did the British withdraw from Palestine on the 20th September
- British gov couldn’t enforce the UN’s plan as it would be opposed by the Arabs
- cost of Palestine- £100 million between Jan 1945 and Nov 1947 in which 338 Britons had died violently at Jewish hands
- no more British live would lost and British resources saved + wouldn’t be pursuing a policy destructive of its own interests in the Middle East
What links can be drawn with India in the withdrawing from Palestine
- like India they though announcing a withdrawal may contribute towards a settlement
- thought the situation was similar- to leave India but continue fighting in Palestine with simply incongrous
What were the true strategic interests for leaving Palestine
- driving a wedge between them and arabs would cause them to look to Russians so Jewish state would never provide Britain with a useful base as surrounded by hostile Arabs
- if we’ve left India then Palestine less useful anyway as ‘route to India’ not needed
What was the nationalist group which was active in Burma following WW2
AFPFL- led by Aung San
Why was British withdrawal in Burma hastened
there was rapid breakdown of order
When was Burma granted independence
January 1948
When was Malaya declared a state of emergency
1948
Why did the British see Malaya as important in their post-war economic and imperial strategies
major producer of rubber
What groups in Malaya arose from the ethnic tension between the Chinese and Indians and the Malay people
- United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) was created in March 1946 to fight for the rights of Malay people
- Malay Chinese Association (MCA)
What did the Federation of Malaya establish in January 1948
- executive council which held the real power and was headed by the British
- legislative council which had 62 members and represented the various states and other groups
Why did the British declare a state of emergency in Malaya
British were frightened by the possible damaging impact on the rebel attacks on rubber plantations
What is a state of emergency
suspension of normal constitutional procedures during a situation of particular national danger
When was the British High Commissioner Sir Henry Gurney assassinated in Malaya
October 1951
What percentage of the votes did the Chinese and Malays win in the 1955 election
81%
Why did the USA want the British to remain in Malaya
scared of the threat of communism