The Indian Nationalist Movement, 1885–1947: Select Documents

287 Pages·1979·26.762 MB·English

by  B. N. Pandey (eds.)

THE INDIAN NATIONALIST MOVEMENT, 1885-1947
SELECT DOCUMENTS
Also by B. N. Pandey
A Book of India
The Rise of Modern India
The Introduction of English Law into India
The Break-up of British India
Nehru
Leadership in South Asia
The Evolution of India and Pakistan, 1858-1947: Select Documents
(edited jointly with C. H. Philips and H. L. Singh)
The Indian Nationalist
Movement, 1885- 1947
SELECT DOCUMENTS
Edited by
B. N. PANDEY
Selection and editorial matter © B. N. Pandey 1979
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1979 978-0-333-02416-4
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
without permission
First published /979 by
THE MACMILLAN PRESS LTD
London and Basingstoke
Assoeiated eompanies in Delhi
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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
The Indian nationalist movement, 1885-1947
I. Nationalism - India - History - Sources
I. Pandey, Bishwa Nath
322.4'2'0954 DS447
ISBN 978-0-333-23707-6 ISBN 978-1-349-86215-3 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-86215-3
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Contents
List oJ Documents Vll
Preface XVll
Acknowledgements XXI
Abbreviations XXlll
A The PreLude: The Moderate Phase, 1885-1916
Chronology of Events 3
(a) The Indian National Congress 5
(b) The Muslim Question 14
(c) The Terrorist Alternative 23
(d) British Responses 30
B The Advent oJ Mass Politics, 1917-1935 39
Chronology of Events 41
(a) The Indian National Congress 48
(b) Muslim Politics 77
(c) Other Political Parties 85
(i) Hindu Mahasabha 85
(ii) The National Liberal Federation
of India 89
(iii) The Communist Party of India 95
(iv) The Congress Socialist Party 98
(d) British Policy 105
C Towards Partition, 19,36-1947 115
Chronology of Events 1 17
lI] The Polarisation oJ Political Forces, 19,36-1945 123
(a) Congress in Power and Opposition 123
(b) The Growth of the Muslim League 149
(c) The Minor Parties 159
(i) The Congress Socialists and Communists 159
(ii) The Hindu Mahasabha and the Liberals 166
(d) The British Raj on the defensive 173
[II] The Last Phase, 1946-1947 184
(a) The Cabinet Mission 184
VI Contents
(b) The Interim Government 199
(e) The Partition ofIndia 209
D Tke Indian States, /9/8-/947
Chronology rif Events
(a) British Poliey
(b) Congress Poliey
(e) The Integration of the Indian States
APPENDIX A Biographical Notes 249
APPENDIX B Congress Presidents, Vieeroys and Secretaries
of State for India, 1885-1947 264
List of Documents
(A) The Prelude The Moderate Phase, 1885-1916
Chronology qf Events
(a) The Indian National Congress, 1885-1916
I. W. C. Bonnerjee on the foundation of Congress in December
1885 5
2. A. O. Hume on the aims and objects ofCongress, 30 April 1888 6
3· G. K. Gokhale to Sir William Wedderburn on the anti-
partition movement in Bengal, 24 May 1907 7
4· G. S. Khaparde's account of the Surat split in Congress,
December 1907 9
5· G. K. Gokhale to Sir William Wedderburn on the political
situation, 24 September 1909 10
6. G. K. Gokhale to Sir William Wedderburn on the Morley-
Minto Reforms, 3 December 1909 I I
7· G. K. Gokhale to Bhupendranath Basu on the re-entry ofthe
extremists into Congress, 25 December 1914 13
(b) The Muslim Q,uestion, 1885-1916
I. Sir Syed Ahmed Khan on Congress, 28 December 1887 14
2. Badruddin Tyabji to Ameer Ali, 13 January 1888 15
3. Sir Syed Ahmed Khan to Badruddin Tyabji, 24January 1888 15
4. Muslim Address to Lord Minto, I October 1906 16
5. Lord Minto to Sir Arthur Godley on the value of the Muslim
Address, I 7 October 1906 16
6. The Formation of the AII-India Muslim League: Inaugural
Address by Viqar-ul-Mulk, 30 December, 1906 17
7. Motilal Nehru to Jawaharlal Nehru on the rising tension
between Hindus and Muslims, I April 1909 18
8. Motilal Nehru toJawaharlal Nehru on the birth ofthe Hindu
Sabha, 6 January 191 I 18
9· The Aims ofthe Muslim League, 31 December 1912 19
10. The Congress-League Scheme of Reform, 1916 20
Vlll List of Documents
(c) The Terrorist Alternative, 1885-1916
I. Terrorism in Bombay, 1897-1914 23
2. The Nasik Conspiracy, 1909 24
3. Dunlop Smith's Diary, 5 May 1908 25
4. Lord Morley to Lord Minto on the Deportees, 27 January
1910 26
5. In Search of Arms through Asia, 1914-15 27
6. Terrorism in Bengal and Punjab, 1914-15 28
d) British Responses, 1885-1916
I. Lord Lansdowne on the system ofIndian representation in the
Councils, 16 March 1893 30
2. New Policy foreshadowed : John Morley to Lord Minto, 15
June 1906 31
3. Lord Morley on the Reform Proposals of 1908, 17 December
1908 31
4. Lord Morley on the separate eieetarate for the Muslims, 23
February 1909 33
5. Lord Morley to Lord Minto on Parliamentary strategy; 12
March 1909 33
6. Keir Hardie to B. G. Tilak on Labour thinking on the Indian
problem, 3 I March 191 I 34
7. Government of India to the Secretary of State on further
reforms, 25 August 191 I 35
8. The Reunion of Bengal, 19II 36
9. India and the War, 1914. 37
B The Advent of Mass Politics, 1917-I 935
Chronology of Events
(a) The Indian National Congress, 1917-1935
I. The Champaran Satyagraha : M. K. Gandhi's statement
before the court, 18 April 1917 48
2. Jawaharlal Nehru on the Horne Rule Movement and the
internment ofMrs Annie Besant, 21 June 1917 49
3. M. K. Gandhi explains Satyagraha, 2 September 1917 49
4. The Ahmedabad Satyagraha : M. K. Gandhi to Ambalal
Sarabhai, 21 December 1917 50
5. The Kheda Satyagraha : M. K. Gandhi's speech, IO April
1918 51
6. The Rowlatt Satyagraha : M. K. Gandhi's instructions to the
Satyagrahis, 7 April 19 I 9 5 I
List of Documents lX
7. M. K. Gandhi to the Viceroy on the Non-cooperation
Movement, I August 1920 52
8. M. K. Gandhi on the Non-cooperation strategy, 9 January
1921 54
9. M. K. Gandhi to Jawaharlal Nehru on the suspension of the
Non-cooperation Movement, 19 Febrary 1922 55
10. Constitution of the Indian National Congress as amended by
the Cocanada Congress (1923), 1924 56
11. M. R. Jayakar to M. K. Gandhi on the split in the Swaraj
Party, 26 November 1925 59
12. Motilai Nehru to Jawaharlal Nehru on Indian politics, 14
April 1927 60
13. Jawaharlal Nehru to M. K. Gandhi on the Independence
Resolution ofthe Madras Congress (1927), 11 January 1928 61
14. Motilal Nehru to M. K. Gandhi on the Calcutta Convention
(December (928), 14 August 1929 63
15. Pledge taken on Independence Day, 26 January 1930 64
16. Purshotamdas Thakurdas to Motilal Nehru on the response of
the commercial community, 22 September 1930 65
17· The Gandhi-Irwin Pact, 5 March 1931 65
18. Resolution of Congress on fundamental rights, 6-8 August
1931 67
19. Congress Directives to M. K. Gandhi at the Second Round
Table Conference, September 1931 68
20. Devadas Gandhi to Jawaharlal Nehru on the Round Table
Conference, 2 October 1931 7 I
2 I. Separate Electorate for the untouchables:
(a) M. K. Gandhi to Ramsway MacDonald, 18 August
1932 73
(b) Ramsay MacDonald to M. K. Gandhi, 8 September
1932 74
(c) The Poona Pact, September 1932 74
22. Rajendra Prasad to Dr M. A. Ansari on Office-acceptance, 26
December 1934 75
23. Vallabhbhai Patel to Rajendra Prasad on the Congress
Presidency, 22 November 1935 76
(b) Muslim Politus, 1917-1935
I. M. K. Gandhi on the Khilafat Question, 7 March 1920 77
2. The Delhi proposals ofthe Muslim Leaders, 20 March 1927 79
3. Viceroy to the Secretary of State on the Delhi Proposals, 26
March 1927 80
4. M. A. Jinnah's speech at the Calcutta Convention, 28
December 1928 81