Lesson 1/35 min
Reform acts, pacts and commissions (1909–1935)
The Morley-Minto reforms of 1909 raised the central legislative council from 16 to 60 members. In 1916 the first pact between Hindus and Muslims was signed at Lucknow, and in 1919 came the Montagu-Chelmsford reforms.
Acts and pacts at a glance
| Year | Name | Key point |
|---|---|---|
| 1909 | Morley-Minto Reforms (Government of India Act 1909) | Viceroy Lord Minto; central legislative council raised from 16 to 60; one Indian taken into the viceroy's executive council |
| 1916 | Lucknow Pact | At Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh), between Congress and the Muslim League; one-third of seats in the central council for Muslims; the first Hindu-Muslim pact |
| 1918–1919 | Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms (Government of India Act 1919) | Report in 1918, Act in 1919; began responsible government in India |
| 1923 | Swaraj Party and the Bengal Pact | Swaraj Party formed (Motilal Nehru and Chittaranjan Das); the Bengal Pact was Das's agreement with Muslims |
| 1930 | Simon Commission report | The ‘White Commission’; it had no Indian member |
| 1935 | Government of India Act 1935 | Federal system of government; based on the Simon Commission report |
Around the 1919 Act
- Taking an Indian into the viceroy's council was first provided by the Morley-Minto Act
- Annie Besant formed the ‘Home Rule League’ and demanded self-government
- From 1909 on, the Muslim League and Congress pressed for responsible government (Zubair)
- The 1919 Act gave a two-chamber central legislature and dyarchy in the provinces; separate electorates continued
Watch out: Zubair's book lists ‘provincial autonomy’ and ‘federal government’ as features of the 1919 Act. Provincial autonomy and the federal plan came with the 1935 Act; in 1919 the provinces had dyarchy.
The Simon Commission and after
- The Simon Commission had 7 members, all British; its report came out in 1930
- Muhammad Ali Jinnah put forward the Fourteen Points in 1929
- In 1930 Gandhi began civil disobedience and satyagraha for full swaraj; Dandi is in Gujarat
- The Round Table Conferences met in London; in 1932 Ramsay MacDonald announced the Communal Award (community-wise privileges)
- Jinnah was elected president of the Muslim League in 1934; Gokhale had called him the ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity
- Jawaharlal Nehru called the 1935 Act a ‘charter of slavery’
Watch out: Khandokar's book says the Simon Commission had 8 members. Sources say 7, so 7 is used.
Memory trick: Morley-Minto 1909 (16→60) · Lucknow 1916 · Montagu-Chelmsford 1919 · Swaraj and Bengal Pact 1923 · 1935 Act.
Check yourself
In which year was the Lucknow Pact signed, and what share of central council seats was proposed for Muslims?
At a glance
- 1
Morley-Minto Act 1909: central legislative council raised from 16 to 60; viceroy Lord Minto.
- 2
Lucknow Pact 1916: one-third of seats for Muslims; the first Hindu-Muslim pact.
- 3
Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms (Government of India Act 1919): report 1918; began responsible government; the Home Rule League was Annie Besant's.
- 4
1923: the Swaraj Party of Motilal Nehru and Chittaranjan Das; Das's Bengal Pact; Das is ‘Deshbandhu’.
- 5
Simon Commission report 1930 (7 members, all British); Jinnah's Fourteen Points 1929.
- 6
Government of India Act 1935: federal system, based on the Simon report; Nehru called it ‘slavery’.