![]() Dilemmas in Imperial Policy MakingSalil Misra By Michael Fenwick Macnamara 2015, Sage Publications, New Delhi, Thousand Oaks, London, and Singapore, 2015, pp. xxiii 250,, Rs. 895.00 VOLUME XL NUMBER 10 October 2016 All modern, alien, imperial governments have faced a serious
dilemma during their life: how to hold on to their rule and at
the same time expand the rule to involve the local people into
administration and governance. The British
imperialism in addition faced another dilemma: how to maintain imperial rule
and the liberal democratic reputation at the same time? The book under review
argues that the Government of India Act of 1919 (popularly known as the
Mantagu-Chelmsford Reforms) was one attempt to handle this dilemma. It starts
with the premise that the Act of 1919 was extremely crucial for the formulation
of the British policy for the subsequent period. The Act altered the profile of
the imperial support system and cast its spell on the policy initiatives taken
subsequently. In particular the Act did two things. One, it released and
diffused some power to various segments of the Indian population (rural
interests, landlords, constitutionalists). In so doing, it created a
legislative body consisting largely of Indians, that would be pitched against
the Executive, largely British. Irwin explained the new potential conflict in
the following words: ‘…we have created a predominantly popular legislature,
subject to all the temptations of democratic bodies, and set it to work with an
executive not drawn from the ranks of its elected members, which it has very
partial powers to control, and no power to remove. The legislature drifts
naturally to irresponsible courses; while the executive, equally inevitably, is
tempted to disregard a legislature, which it can always in the last resort
override’ (p. 73). The Act thus set in motion new channels of conflict which
were played out in a variety of ways in subsequent decades. Two, the Act
initiated a provincialization of politics, which brought in Governors as an
extremely important element in the imperial policy making. Along with the
Viceroy and the Secretary of State, the Governors emerged as the third major
arm in decision making. Their advice was constantly sought by Irwin and they
gave it freely and independently. The book under review is the story of the
role of Governors in important policy decisions during the Viceroyalty of Irwin
(1926–31).
The period 1926–31, witnessed the arrival of the Simon
Commission, the declaration of complete Independence by Congress, the no-tax
campaign in Bardoli, starting of the Civil Disobedience Movement (1930–34) with
Dandi March by Gandhi and finally the Gandhi-Irwin Pact of 1931. These were all
important political developments and ... Table of Contents >> |