The Cripps Mission, the Gandhi-Jinnah talks and the Simla Conference, 1942-1945

O Level Pakistan Studies History · The emergence of Pakistan: 1940 to 1947. A short explanation of the idea, the rules to remember, the mistake to avoid, a worked example and practice questions with answers.

Test this topic free All O Level Pakistan Studies History topics

The idea

Between 1942 and 1945 there were three attempts at a settlement, and all three failed. Each failure, however, left the Muslim League stronger.

In 1942 Japan was advancing towards India, so Britain sent Sir Stafford Cripps to win Indian support with a promise for after the war. Both main parties turned it down.

In 1944 Gandhi and Jinnah talked face to face in Bombay but could not agree on when and how Muslims would separate. In 1945 the Viceroy, Lord Wavell, called the Simla Conference to form an Indian Executive Council. It broke down over who could name the Muslim members.

Rules to remember

Cripps Mission, March 1942: dominion status after the war, an elected body to write the constitution, and the right of any province to opt out.
The Congress rejected it: it wanted power at once (Gandhi called it a 'post-dated cheque') and disliked the opt-out.
The League rejected it: the opt-out was not a clear acceptance of Pakistan.
Gandhi-Jinnah talks, Bombay, September 1944: Gandhi wanted the British to leave first and a plebiscite afterwards, and did not accept that Muslims were a separate nation.
Jinnah wanted partition settled before the British left. The talks failed, but they showed him as the leader of the Muslims, dealing with Gandhi as an equal.
Simla Conference, June 1945 (Wavell Plan): an Executive Council of Indians, with equal numbers of Muslims and caste Hindus.
It failed because Jinnah insisted that only the League could name the Muslim members; the Congress wanted to name a Muslim too.

Common mistake

Students mix up the three offers. Cripps (1942) = dominion status after the war with a provincial opt-out. Wavell at Simla (1945) = an Executive Council with Hindu-Muslim parity. The three-tier plan with groups of provinces is the Cabinet Mission (1946), not either of these.

Worked example

Why did both the Congress and the League reject the Cripps proposals, although for opposite reasons?

The proposals let any province stay out of the new Indian union after the war.
For the Congress this opt-out went too far, because it could break up India, and the offer gave no real power at once.
For the League it did not go far enough, because it was not a definite promise of Pakistan.

Answer: The same clause was too much for the Congress and too little for the League, so both said no.

Practice questions

Try each one, then open the answer.

1. In which year did Gandhi and Jinnah hold talks in Bombay?

A
1942
B
1945
C
1940
D
1944

Show answer

Answer: D. The talks were held in September 1944, after Gandhi's release from prison.

2. Why did the Simla Conference of 1945 break down?

A
Jinnah insisted the League name all Muslim members
B
Gandhi refused to sit with any League member
C
the Viceroy refused to include any Muslims
D
the Sikhs walked out over the Punjab boundary

Show answer

Answer: A. The Congress wanted to nominate Maulana Azad and the Unionists also claimed a seat; Jinnah refused, and Wavell ended the conference.

3. Why were the Gandhi-Jinnah talks of 1944 seen as a gain for Jinnah despite failing?

A
Gandhi formally accepted the Two-Nation Theory
B
the Congress agreed to join a League-led government
C
they raised his standing as leader of the Muslims
D
the British accepted the Lahore Resolution

Show answer

Answer: C. Gandhi came to Jinnah's house to negotiate, which showed that the League had to be dealt with as an equal.

Read the full notes

Keep going

← The Second World War and the Pakistan Resolution, 1940 The 1945-46 elections, the Cabinet Mission Plan and Direct Action Day →All rules on one page Stuck? Ask a question