India, c1914-48: the Road to Independence | Edexcel A-Level History (9HI0)

India, c1914-48: the Road to Independence

160 questions
16 subtopics
Paper 2: the depth study, one option of sixteen
Paper 2

A Paper 2 depth study of the last three decades of British rule, covering the Raj and Indian society in 1914, the growth of Congress and the Muslim League, Gandhi's campaigns, the strains of the Second World War, and the decision to partition..

It covers india in 1914, india and the First World War, effects of war on British rule, the growth of nationalism, gandhi and civil disobedience, 1920–22, congress reorganised, 1922–30, the Muslim League, british response, failure of the Round Table Conferences, 1930–32, political developments, 1932–35, government of India Act and its impact, 1935–39, reaction to outbreak of the Second World War, impact of the Second World War on Indian politics, britain and India, 1942-45, attempts at political settlement, 1945–46 and withdrawal, partition and independence, 1947–48.

Sample questions from India, c1914-48: the Road to Independence

Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.

India in 1914

How was such a small administration able to rule India?

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By working through Indian subordinates, the princes and the landholding elites, by dividing communities, and by the ultimate sanction of the Indian Army.
Effects of war on British rule

What did the 1917 Montagu Declaration promise?

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Gradual development towards responsible self-government within the Empire.
Gandhi and civil disobedience, 1920–22

What was Gandhi's method of protest?

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Non-violent civil disobedience (satyagraha).
The Muslim League

What did Muhammad Iqbal propose in his Allahabad address of 1930?

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Speaking as Muslim League president, he argued Indian Muslims were a nation and called for a Muslim state in the north west, an early form of the Pakistan idea.
Failure of the Round Table Conferences, 1930–32

Why did the First Round Table Conference fail?

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Congress boycotted it because its leaders were in prison during the civil disobedience campaign, so the main nationalist body was absent.
Government of India Act and its impact, 1935–39

What did the Government of India Act of 1935 provide?

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Provincial autonomy with elected ministries, a wider franchise of some 35 million, and a federation including the princely states which never came into being.
Impact of the Second World War on Indian politics

What was the threat of Japanese invasion?

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After the fall of Singapore and Burma in 1942 Japanese forces reached the Indian border and bombed Calcutta, which made Indian cooperation urgent for Britain.
Attempts at political settlement, 1945–46

Why did the election results make partition more likely?

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They demonstrated that Indian politics had polarised on communal lines, leaving no third force and no basis for a single agreed constitution.

The 16 subtopics

One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.

Subtopic	What it covers	Questions
India in 1914	Recall questions on the provinces and princely states, how so few officials ruled, why India mattered to Britain, the religious communities, and the Morley-Minto reforms.	10
India and the First World War	Recall questions on the loyal response of 1914, the scale of the military and financial contribution, wartime inflation, the Home Rule movement, and the influenza epidemic.	10
Effects of war on British rule	Recall questions on the Amritsar massacre and why it was a turning point, the Rowlatt Acts, the Montagu Declaration and the reforms that followed it, and Indian expectations after 1918.	10
The growth of nationalism	Recall questions on how Congress changed after 1918, the Lucknow Pact, Gandhi's emergence, Tilak's contribution, and what swaraj meant.	10
Gandhi and civil disobedience, 1920–22	Recall questions on satyagraha and ahimsa, why the method worked politically, the non-cooperation programme, Chauri Chaura, and the controversy over calling it off.	10
Congress reorganised, 1922–30	Recall questions on the new party structure, the Swarajists, the constructive programme and khadi, the growth of membership, women's participation, and the Lahore Congress.	10
The Muslim League	Recall questions on the Khilafat movement and its collapse, the idea of separateness, Jinnah's changing position, the Fourteen Points, and the League's early weakness.	10
British response	Recall questions on the boycott of the Simon Commission, the death of Lala Lajpat Rai, the Nehru Report, the Irwin Declaration, and the scale of imprisonment.	10
Failure of the Round Table Conferences, 1930–32	Recall questions on the purpose of the conferences, the Gandhi-Irwin Pact, Ambedkar's position, why the talks broke down, and what Britain did afterwards.	10
Political developments, 1932–35	Recall questions on renewed civil disobedience, the Communal Award, Gandhi's fast, the Poona Pact, the campaign against untouchability, and the Congress Socialist Party.	10
Government of India Act and its impact, 1935–39	Recall questions on what the Act provided, why federation failed, the 1937 elections, the conduct of the Congress ministries, and the revival of the League.	10
Reaction to outbreak of the Second World War	Recall questions on the declaration without consultation, the resignation of the ministries, the Day of Deliverance, the Lahore Resolution, and Bose and the INA.	10
Impact of the Second World War on Indian politics	Recall questions on the Japanese threat, the Cripps Mission and its rejection, the Quit India movement and its suppression, and the Bengal famine.	10
Britain and India, 1942-45	Recall questions on the sterling balances, the Indianisation of the army, Wavell's assessment, American pressure, and the failure of the Simla Conference.	10
Attempts at political settlement, 1945–46	Recall questions on the election results, the Cabinet Mission plan and why it failed, Direct Action Day and the Calcutta killings, and the interim government.	10
Withdrawal, partition and independence, 1947–48	Recall questions on Mountbatten's decision to advance the date, the Radcliffe Line, why Congress accepted partition, the princely states, and the scale of the violence.	10

India, c1914-48: the Road to Independence is 160 of the 6,832 questions in the guide.Get the guide, £9

How the guide is worked

Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.

Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.

Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.