1. A2 Historical enquiry: India and the British Empire, 1757-1947

2. L.O. Know why Britain’s policy in 1918-19:
British policy towards India: Government of India act, Rowlatt Act and Amritsar
L.O. Know why Britain’s policy in :
a). undermined Britain’s legitimacy
b). inflamed Indian nationalism

3. How would you answer this question?
“If one incident could be said to have doomed British rule in India, then the Amritsar Massacre was it.” In the context of , how convincing is the view that the Amritsar Massacre of 1919 marks the turning point in India’s struggle for independence?
(Depth study of effects of Amritsar on nationalism, British governmental and popular attitudes and international opinion, by comparison to periods before and after Amritsar)

4. Pre Ist World War nationalism
A minority movement
Upper-class educated Indians in the Indian National Congress
Two threads: radicals under Tilak and moderates under Gokhale; moderates triumphed in 1907
Moderate Muslim League founded 1906 to ensure that Muslims gained fair representation in any future self-rule

5. What changed this? Indians’ experience of fighting in WW1
Montagu Declaration 1917
Woodrow Wilson’s 14 points
Emergence of Gandhi
The Rowlatt Act 1919
Protests against the Rowlatt Act – Gandhi’s hartal (refusal to work)
Government of India Act
The Amritsar Massacre
Gandhi launched non-co-operation movement
All classes, all regions, all faiths

6. Amritsar massacre
Many historians see this as a pivotal moment for British rule
Undermined legitimacy in India, Britain and in world opinion

7. Quotations
“1919 was a turning point in the history of India and Amritsar was the pivot.” James (BE p.417)
“India was Ireland but on a vast scale; and Amritsar was India’s Easter Rising, creating nationalist martyrs on one side and a crisis of confidence on the other.” Ferguson (E. p. 333)
“Its horror obscures its singularity: it was not representative of the official imperial response to disorder, but an aberration that had a devastating effect on the Government of India’s claim to operate under the rule of law.” (French, L. or D. p.31)
“ .. A government so hopelessly indifferent to the welfare of its charge ..(Gandhi Doc 19 in Copland)

8. British policy towards India
Read the Rees hand out
Answer the questions on your sheet (double sided) using the information from the hand out