Essays
The Cripps mission was an attempt in late March 1942 by the British government to secure Indian cooperation and support for their efforts in World War II. The mission was headed by Sir Stafford Cripps, a senior left-wing politician and government minister in the War Cabinet of Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
Cripps in India
Upon his arrival in India, Cripps held talks with Indian leaders. He began by offering India full dominion status at the end of the war, with the chance to secede from the Commonwealth and go for total independence. Privately, grant India Dominion Status with immediate effect, reserving only the Defence Ministry for the British.
However, in public, he failed to present any concrete proposals for greater self-government in the short term, other than a vague commitment to increase the number of Indian members of the Viceroy's Executive Council. Cripps spent much of his time in encouraging Congress leaders and Jinnah to come to a common, public arrangement in support of the war and government.
There was little trust between the British and Congress by this stage, and both sides felt that the other was concealing its true plans. The Congress stopped talks with Cripps and, guided by Gandhi, the national leadership demanded immediate self-government in return for war support. Gandhi said that Cripp's offer of Dominion Status after the war was a "post-dated cheque drawn on a crashing bank".
Causes of Failure
The three reasons have been given for the failure the Cripps mission: 1) Gandhi's opposition led the Indian National Congress to reject the British offer; 2) Cripps' modification of the original British offer, which provided for no real transfer of power; 3) behind-the-scenes efforts of the Viceroy and Secretary of State for India to sabotage the mission. Hence it concludes that documents released in 1970 support the third interpretation.
Long term impact
The long-term significance of the Cripps Mission really became apparent only in
Cripps in India
Upon his arrival in India, Cripps held talks with Indian leaders. He began by offering India full dominion status at the end of the war, with the chance to secede from the Commonwealth and go for total independence. Privately, grant India Dominion Status with immediate effect, reserving only the Defence Ministry for the British.
However, in public, he failed to present any concrete proposals for greater self-government in the short term, other than a vague commitment to increase the number of Indian members of the Viceroy's Executive Council. Cripps spent much of his time in encouraging Congress leaders and Jinnah to come to a common, public arrangement in support of the war and government.
There was little trust between the British and Congress by this stage, and both sides felt that the other was concealing its true plans. The Congress stopped talks with Cripps and, guided by Gandhi, the national leadership demanded immediate self-government in return for war support. Gandhi said that Cripp's offer of Dominion Status after the war was a "post-dated cheque drawn on a crashing bank".
Causes of Failure
The three reasons have been given for the failure the Cripps mission: 1) Gandhi's opposition led the Indian National Congress to reject the British offer; 2) Cripps' modification of the original British offer, which provided for no real transfer of power; 3) behind-the-scenes efforts of the Viceroy and Secretary of State for India to sabotage the mission. Hence it concludes that documents released in 1970 support the third interpretation.
Long term impact
The long-term significance of the Cripps Mission really became apparent only in