MONTAGU- CHELMSFORD

REFORMS 1919
• 1916 – All parties in India and Britain – structure of
government
• Political pressures in India during war – to buy Indian support
• Montagu Chelmsford scheme
• Woodrow Wilson – war was being fought to make the world
safe for democracy – hope for Indians – self government
• 1911- Bengal Partition revoked
• 1912 – Establishment of Aligarh university – Lord Harding
• 1913 - riots at Kanpur- mosque demolition
• Muslim league leaders – Muhammad Ali, Shaukat Ali, Hasrat
Mohani etc – self government
• Annie Besant – Home rule League
• 1914 – Tilak released – Home rule league in Pune
• 1916 – Lucknow pact – 1907 Surat Split – Extremists and
moderates
• British influential group – Lionel Curtis, William Duke etc –
idea of Dyarchy in provinces
• 1917 – Montagu (Secretary of State for India) & Lord
Chelmsford (Viceroy)
• A report on Indian Constitutional reforms – Montagu –
Chelmsford Reforms or Montford Reforms – published in
1918
• Did not satisfy moderate leaders – Annie Besant denounced
the provisions
• August 1918 – Special Session of the Congress, Bombay-
condemning the scheme as inadequate, unsatisfactory and
disappointing
• Basis of Montford report that Government of India Bill was
drafted and introduced in British Parliament – Act in 1919 Dec
Changes in the central Government –
• Chief executive authority – in Governor General –
responsible to the British Parliament through Secretary of
State
• Out of 6 members of Executives Council of Governor General
– 3 were to be Indians – Law, Education, Labor, health or
industry
• Bi-cameral legislature at centre – Council of State (60 – 33
atleast elected- 20 nominated) and legislative assembly (145
– 104 elected, 52 general constituencies, 30 Muslims, 2
Sikhs, 7 Landholders, 9 Europeans and 4 Indian
Commercial Community )
• Legislative Assembly life – 3 years - extended by Governor
General
• Partial responsible government in provinces
• Subjects in central list – foreign and political relations,
public debt, tariff, customs etc
• Provincial list- self government , health, sanitation etc
• Residual powers – in Governor General in Council
• Separation of sources of revenue between central and
provincial government

Changes in the Provincial Government

• Subjects divided into reserved (Governor and members of his
executive council) and transferred (Governor with ministers) –
called dyarchy
• Transferred subjects – local self government, health,
education and departments relating to agriculture
• Reserved subjects – all others – police, justice, control over
printing presses, irrigation, land revenue etc.
• Government and members of Executive Council – British
Government – to Governor General and Secretary of States for
India

1. Applied in 8 provinces – Madras, Bombay, United Provinces,

Punjab, Bihar and Orissa, Central Provinces and Assam
2. 1923 – extended to Burma & NWFP
3. Unicameral legislature (Legislative Council) – Governor’s
executive council, elected members and nominated members
4. Number of legislative body members varied – 140 in
Bengal to 53 in Assam
5. Women were not given right to vote or stand in elections – in
Britain 1918