The Lucknow Pact to the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms, 1914-1919

O Level Pakistan Studies History · The emergence of Pakistan: 1905 to 1939. A short explanation of the idea, the rules to remember, the mistake to avoid, a worked example and practice questions with answers.

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The idea

The First World War (1914 to 1918) changed Indian politics. More than a million Indians served, so Indians expected a reward in self-government. Muslims were also uneasy because Britain was fighting Ottoman Turkey, whose Sultan was the Caliph.

The Congress and the Muslim League drew together. In the Lucknow Pact of 1916 they made joint demands, and the Congress accepted separate electorates for the first time.

After the war came disappointment. The Rowlatt Act kept harsh wartime powers, troops shot an unarmed crowd at Amritsar, and the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms of 1919 gave only limited power through dyarchy.

Rules to remember

Common mistake

Do not mix up the gains of each side at Lucknow. The Congress gave way on separate electorates and one-third of central seats; the Muslims gave way on their majorities in the Punjab and Bengal. Also, dyarchy in 1919 was in the provinces, not at the centre.

Worked example

Under dyarchy after 1919, an Indian minister ran education in a province. Could he also give orders to the police?

  1. Dyarchy split provincial subjects into two lists.
  2. Education was a transferred subject, so an Indian minister answerable to the council could run it.
  3. Police was a reserved subject, kept by the governor and his officials.

Answer: No. Police stayed under the British governor, which is why many Indians said real power had not been handed over.

Practice questions

Try each one, then open the answer.

1. Why were many Indians disappointed by the 1919 reforms?

  1. A
    separate electorates for Muslims were abolished
  2. B
    the provincial councils were closed down
  3. C
    Indians lost the right to vote altogether
  4. D
    real power stayed with British officials
Show answer

Answer: D. The Viceroy kept overriding powers and key subjects stayed in British hands. Separate electorates were kept and extended to Sikhs.

2. What did the Congress accept in the Lucknow Pact?

  1. A
    a separate Muslim state in the north-west of India
  2. B
    the Khilafat demands put forward by the Ali brothers
  3. C
    joint electorates with some seats reserved for Muslims
  4. D
    separate electorates and one-third of central seats
Show answer

Answer: D. This was the only time the Congress formally accepted separate electorates; it rejected them in the Nehru Report of 1928.

3. How did the First World War affect Muslim attitudes to Britain?

  1. A
    Britain was fighting the Ottoman Caliph
  2. B
    Britain's alliance with the Ottomans made Muslims more loyal
  3. C
    the war led directly to the Partition of Bengal
  4. D
    Muslims were excused from service in the Indian Army
Show answer

Answer: A. Turkey, seat of the Caliphate, fought against Britain, so Indian Muslims faced a conflict of loyalties that later fed the Khilafat Movement.

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