International Encyclopedia of Revolution and Protest

Extract

Following World War I, British rulers attempted to introduce limited reforms in India through the Montague-Chelmsford Report of 1918 and the Government of India Act of 1919. The aim of these measures was to co-opt nationalist opposition. The 1919 Act established a “dyarchy” with at its center a bicameral system with elected majorities and a viceregal veto as well as a “certificate” procedure for pushing rejected bills. Departments with limited funding and political support (education, health, agriculture, local bodies) were transferred to ministers responsible to provincial legislatures. Provincial governors too had the veto, while finance and law and order remained under the control of the bureaucracy. The electorates were enlarged to 1.5 million for the imperial legislature and 5.5 million for the provinces, with provisions for community-based representation and reservations. From World War I, rising military expenditure, runaway inflation, and forced recruitment caused a massive drain on all classes in India, but capitalists and peasants were most affected, a key factor in the phenomenal rise of Gandhi . Grain and raw materials financed a 300 percent increase in defense spending as much of the Indian population starved. Peasants , who supplied the bulk of recruits, could not be pushed further, so customs and income tax were expanded. Overall inflation doubled from 1913 to 1920, ... log in or subscribe to read full text