2021 RBS MUNJAN 22. 23. 24 STUDY GUIDE Indian Decolonisation Assembly 2 Table of Contents: 1. Letter from the Executive Board 2. Timeline of Major Events 3. Overview of the situation in India 4. Bloc Positions 5. Run-through of major parties 6. Documentation 7. Questions the resolution must address 8. Bibliography Indian Decolonisation Assembly 3 Letter from the Executive Board Dear Delegates, As the executive board members, we extend to you a very warm welcome to the Indian Decolonization Assembly. As delegates of a highly dynamic and diversified committee, each of you will need to be exhaustive in your approach towards research and preparation. You must present new perspectives and opinions to a committee that deals with a challenging agenda. We are in the midst of a nationwide state of uncertainty and resolving this conflict between two seemingly polar opposite countries with clashing ideologies requires proactive lobbying and persistent diplomacy. We expect a host of topics to be covered throughout the course of the three days, these include political disputes, famines, economic instability, regional disagreements, and religious debates— bound to ensure a rigorous debate. Ever since the rise of the East India Company in 1612, India has slipped into a dire state plagued by crises. Delegates, it is now completely up to you to decide the fate of a country with over 300 million people. Even though the committee is online this year, we guarantee that the debating experience will be as exciting and well rounded as it has been every year at RBS MUN. We are looking forward to seeing passionate delegates and hope you all bring your A-game! If you have any questions or doubts regarding the committee or want to come ahead and introduce yourself, reach out to us as we look forward to hearing from you. You can contact us at [email protected]. Freeze date for the committee is 20th November, 1933. Regards, Executive Board Indian Decolonization Assembly, 1933 Indian Decolonisation Assembly 4 Timeline of Major Events 1783: The Chalisa famine caused the death of 11 million people in the Indian subcontinent. Multiple El Nino events followed after 1780, causing droughts that severely affected parts of North India. 1789: The Doji Bara famine took the lives of 11 million Indians. According to meteorological observations, the El Nino caused the South Asian monsoon to stop for four consecutive years since 1789. This caused a prolonged drought and extreme crop failure, accompanied by outbreaks of cholera and smallpox. The Doji Bara famine lasted till 1785. 1820: The first cholera pandemic of India struck Bengal and then rapidly raged across the country by the mid-1820s. Estimated deaths exceeded 15 million. 1853: Although the Indian Post Office was established in 1837, Asia’s first adhesive stamp, the Scinde Dawk, was introduced in 1852 by Sir Bartle Frere, the East India Company’s administrator of the province of Sindh. The Indian postal system became a widespread, dependable, and robust network providing connectivity to almost all parts of India, Burma, the Straits Settlements, and other areas controlled by the East India Company (EIC). 1853: The first railway was established between Bombay and Thane. 1855: The Santhals had fallen victim to corrupt cash lending practices and on being unable to pay their loans with the extortionate interest rate attached to them, the British snatched their lands and forced them into bonded labour. This sparked the Santhal Rebellion, which was eventually suppressed. 1857: The Indian Rebellion of 1857 (also known as The First War of Independence, Indian Insurrection/ Mutiny, The Great Rebellion, etc) was an uprising against the rule of the British East India Company,which was ultimately unsuccessful. The invasive British-style social reforms and harsh land taxes were the primary causes of this rebellion. The Indian Rebellion posed a great threat to British power in the upper Gangetic plain and Central India before the rebels were defeated in Gwalior on 20 June 1858. The rebellion started on 10 May 1857 and finally came to an end after 1 year and 6 months on 1 November 1858. It resulted in the end Indian Decolonisation Assembly 5 of the Mughal Empire (after the deposition of the Last Mughal Emperor), the transfer of rule from Company rule in India to the British Crown, and the suppression of the revolting rebels after the British victory. 1858: The ‘Government of India Act’ transferred British power from the company to the crown. Great Britain ruled India formally as a colony without the veil of the Company or the Mughal Crown, as Queen Victoria became the Empress of India. 1860: The Doab famine broke out. It affected the Ganga-Yamuna Doab in the North- Western provinces, large parts of Rohilkhand and Awadh, the Delhi and Hissar divisions of Punjab, all in British India (then under Crown rule) and the eastern regions of the princely states of Rajputana. The famine lasted till 1861 and about 2 million people lost their lives. 1861: The ‘Indian Councils Act’ of 1861 re-established the legislative forces of Bombay and Madras Presidencies that had been removed by the ‘Charter Act’ of 1833. While the power to pass laws for British India was vested in the board of administration located in Calcutta, the authoritative committees at Bombay and Madras had the authority to establish laws for “Peace and Good Government” limited to their presidencies. 1862: The high courts of Calcutta, Madras and Bombay were established. 1867: The Prarthana Samaj or Prayer Society, previously known as Atmiya Sabha, was established. This movement was based on earlier movements for religious, cultural and social reforms in Bombay. The members of this movement were all theists and had the aim of making people believe and worship only one god. 1869: The Rajputana famine, also known as Bundelkhand famine, affected an area of 770,000 km². Over 1.5 million people died in the princely states of Rajputana, India and the British territory of Ajmer. 1873: The ‘Satyashodhak Samaj’ (Truth-seekers) society was established by Jyotirao Phule on 24 September. The prime motive of this society was to improve the lives of the underprivileged groups by increasing social rights and political awareness. Consisting of Indian Decolonisation Assembly 6 theists as well, it also focused on the educational opportunities for aforementioned groups, since it was against the social and political superiority of the Brahmans. 1875: The ‘Arya Samaj’ (Noble Society) was a monotheistic reform movement that was established on 10 April 1875. It strongly promoted the practices and ethics suggested by the vedas, and was the first organization in India to introduce proselytization. 1876: The Great famine of 1876-1878 caused the death of over 10 million people. The British economic policies were directly linked to the cause of famines in India. 1877: The Delhi Durbar (Court of Delhi) organized on 1 January 1877, was an official event to proclaim Queen Victoria as Empress of India by. It marked the complete transfer of powers from the East India Company to the crown. Her majesty officially began the freedom movement here by declaring that she wished for Indians to enjoy as much power as her British subjects. 1881: The ‘Government Savings Bank Act,’ passed by the legislature in 1873, was enacted. 1882: On 1 April 1882, Post Office Savings Banks opened throughout India (except in the Bombay Presidency). A limited number of POSBs were established in the Madras Presidency, while none were established in Calcutta within the Bengal Presidency. 1885: The Indian National Congress was established on 28 December 1885. It was the first party to establish a modern nationalist movement under the British Empire within Asia and Africa. 1891: The Anglo-Manipur War was a major clash between the British Empire and the Kingdom of Manipur. The war lasted from 31 March to 27 April 1891 and broke out due to the strained relationship between the two parties on account of the murder of five British officers. The war concluded with a British triumph. 1896: The Bubonic plague struck the city of Bombay. The epidemic killed thousands of people and many people fled the city. 1898: The Bubonic plague affected Calcutta, causing panic and riots in the wake of plague prevention measures. 1902: The ‘Anushilan Samiti’ was an Indian organization in the principal quarter of the Indian Decolonisation Assembly 7 twentieth century that upheld progressive savagery as the method to end British rule in India. The association emerged from an aggregation of nearby youth gatherings and gyms (akhara). It tested British rule by inciting violent acts of patriotism including bombings, and politically inspired brutality. The Samiti worked together with other progressive associations in India and abroad. 1903: The British expedition to Tibet began in December 1903 and went on until September 1904. The endeavour was viably a temporary encroachment by British Indian powers under the support of the Tibet Frontier Commission. 1905: The partition of Bengal announced by Lord Curzon led to a massive upsurge among the people and a call for swadeshi goods, leading to a boycott of British manufactured goods. Lord Randolph Churchill became Secretary of State for India. 1906: Formation of Jugantar or Yugantar. It was one of the two revolutionary trends working secretly in Bengal for Indian autonomy. This affiliation also began in the pretense of a rural wellness club. The political party, All-India Muslim League was also established. 1909: The ‘Indian Councils Act 1909’ also known as the ‘Morley-Minto Reforms,’ achieved a restricted expansion in the involvement of Indians within the administration of British India. The changes set up Indian predominance in the provincial, but not central, authoritative bodies. Elections, which were indirect, were declared and approved for all strata of society.