Crisis of the colonial order during 1919 and 1939

IAS Mains General Studies Sample Answers

The crisis of the colonial order during 1919 and 1939 was directly linked to the Constitutional Reforms, Disillusionment and Militant, Anti-colonial Struggles. Elucidate!

The colonial order faced a threatening crisis in India as all over the world during 1919 and 1939. Some revolutionary activities had created a trouble in colonial order, even before the end of the first world war. The promises which the British Government made for the Indian people during the first world war were not fulfilled. Rollet Act and the incident of Jallianwala Bhagh enhanced mass dissatisfaction further. British government introduced several constitutional reforms during 1919-1939 to control the Indian dissatisfaction.

With the legislative council's Bill 1919 British tried to go for parliamentary reforms. They tried to satisfy the Indians with dual governance and the expansion of the legislature, in this Act. But Indian people and specially Congress Party had lost their faith on British Government and their reforms by that time. Khilafat and Non-cooperation Movement were started and that pressurized the British Government even further. Later to strengthen the 1919 Act and constitutional reforms British constituted 'Simon Commission', but Indians were not satisfied with it and there was a huge protest against it.

British style of reforming Indian constitution, such as the Act of 1919 and formation of Simon 'Simon Commission', without respecting Indian opinion agitated Indians. Now congress adopted "Purna Swarajya" as its goal in 1929. Indian protested and mass movements called Civil Disobedience and Dandi March were the major crisis creating actions for the colonial order. British Government wanted to establish its rule permanently and get rid of these crisis, thus they brought Government of India Act, 1935. Later Congress contested elections according to this Act and they formed governments in most of the states. The illusion that the League represented the Muslims and Congress to the Hindus was also done away with by the result of the 1937 elections. But in response to these crisis some activists choose a violent path of struggle to get rid of colonial rule.

They killed unpopular British officers, like Kakori, Kanpur, Lahore etc. Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev threw a bomb in Central Assembly and let themselves hanged in 1931. It created a great threat to the government. During this period Congress fought against the British Government dividing into extremist and moderate groups in their own style.
Therefore, it can be said that all these happened because this period helped in disillusioning the old beliefs regarding Indian conditions and British Supremacy. Colonial crisis during 1919-1939 was responsible for awakening Indians for more constitutional reforms.

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