The Government of India Act 1919


 
 
Concept Explanation
 

The Government of India Act 1919

The Government of India Act 1919: Was an act of the British Parliament that sought to increase the participation of Indians in the administration of their country. The act was based on the recommendations of a report by Edwin Montagu, the then Secretary of State for India, and Lord Chelmsford, India’s Viceroy. Hence the constitutional reforms set forth by this act are known as Montagu-Chelmsford reforms or Montford reforms.

The Growth of Mass Nationalism: After 1919 the struggle against British rule gradually became a mass movement, involving peasants, tribals, students and women in large numbers and occasionally factory workers as well. The First World War, altered the economic and political situation In India. It led to a huge rise in the defence expenditure in turn increased taxes on individual incomes and business profits. Increased military expenditure and the demands for war supplies led to a sharp rise in prices which created great difficulties for the common people. On the other hand, business groups reaped fabulous profits from the war. The war created a demand for industrial goods (jute, bags, cloth, railways) and caused a decline of imports from other countries into India.

Indian industries expanded during the war, and Indian business groups began to demand greater opportunities for development.

The war also leads the British to expand their army. Villages were pressurized to supply soldiers for an alien cause. A large number of soldiers were sent to serve abroad. Many returned after the war with an understanding of the ways in which imperialist powers were exploiting the peoples of Asia and Africa and with a desire to oppose colonial rule in India.

Merits of the Government of India Act 1919:-

  • Dyarchy introduced the concept of responsible government.
  • It introduced the concept of federal structure with a unitary bias.
  • There was the increased participation of Indians in the administration. They held some portfolios like labour, health, etc.
  • For the first time, elections were known to the people and it created political consciousness among the people.
  • Some Indian women also had the right to vote for the first time.
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    Government of India Act of 1919 _____________________________

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