August Offer 1940: Background, Features, Rejection and More

The August Offer, or Linlithgow Offer, was a proposal introduced on August 8, 1940, by the Viceroy of India, Linlithgow (1936-1944 AD). Indians overwhelmingly rejected the August Offer 1940 because most of its provisions were against Indian interests. The British government enacted a new law in 1935, called the Government of India Act of 1935. Under the provisions of this law, a major election was held in 1937 for the first time in the history of India. The Congress party’s massive success in most provinces of India in this election had worried the British government. Additionally, the British government faced various problems due to the start of World War II during that time.

Therefore, while the British government tried to trouble Indians through several measures during that time, they also tried to please Indian leaders by initiating discussions with them to gain Indian public support in World War II. To address both issues, Linlithgow made the August Offer to Indian leaders. Under the August Offer, Indians were promised Dominion Status after the war. However, Indians demanded complete independence. This was the primary reason for rejecting the August Offer in 1940.

Background of August Offer 1940

The internal politics of India from 1940 was full of intense events. During this time, the August Offer or Linlithgow Offer proposed by the current Viceroy of India Lord Linlithgow, was an attempt to secure Indian support during World War II. After World War II began, Britain initially faced setbacks in various European battlefronts. In this situation, the British government tried to please Indians by granting them some rights, and in return, decided to use India’s human and financial resources in World War II. For this reason, the British government announced the August Offer before Indian leaders. The events that worked as background for such a British proposal were as follows.

World War II and India’s Reaction

When World War II began in September 1939, India was a colony of the British Empire. Since India was a British colony, the British government in India declared Indian support for the war without consulting the Indians. Nationalist leaders showed various reactions to this.

Congress’s Reaction: Congress decided to help the British in World War II on two conditions. The conditions were the formation of a Constituent Assembly after the war to determine the political framework of independent India and the immediate establishment of a responsible government at the central level. However, the government rejected these conditions.

Mahatma Gandhi’s Reaction: He did not like the fascist ideology, so he supported Britain’s war effort.

Socialist Reaction: Congress was extremely anti-fascist, so Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru were quite sympathetic towards the Allies and British, but socialist leaders like Subhas Chandra Bose, Acharya Narendra Dev, and Jayaprakash Narayan were completely opposed to Congress’s stance. They did not want to support Britain in World War II; instead, they took advantage of the situation and talked about starting an anti-British Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM).

India’s Entry into World War II and Congress’s Resentment

On September 1, 1939, Germany attacked Poland. In response, France and England declared war against Germany on September 3, starting World War II. In this situation, several events that angered Congress were:

• The Government of India Act of 1935 was amended to give emergency powers to the Viceroy in matters of provincial administration. As a result, all powers of elected Indian representatives became worthless.
• When World War II began in 1939, the British government enacted the autocratic ‘Defence of India Act’ and other repressive laws under the pretext of suppressing internal anarchy. Through these laws, the British government took the power to arrest any Indian at any time.
• The Congress Working Committee asked for an immediate declaration of independence for India on September 14, 1939. But the Viceroy, without making any promise on this matter, stated that after the war, the question of giving India ‘Dominion Status’ would be considered through discussions with various Indian parties.
• Indians had no direct connection with World War II. On behalf of the Indian government and people, Viceroy Lord Linlithgow unilaterally declared war on Germany despite this, involving India in the war without consulting national leaders or the Congress governments in charge of the several provinces.

Congress was angered by these events of the British government. On the direction of the Congress Working Committee, Congress ministries formed in 8 provinces resigned. Linlithgow was, in a way, happy about that.

Ramgarh session (March 1940)

• The Congress was not happy with the government’s work. They felt that the government’s response was not working properly. Therefore, the Indian National Congress decided to hold a special meeting. This meeting was held in Ramgarh. This important meeting was presided over by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. He was a big leader of the Congress at that time. In this Ramgarh session, it was declared that “Not Dominion Status, complete independence is the goal of the Indian National Congress.” Only if the government accepted this demand in principle would they help the British in the war. But the government did not agree.
• Therefore, under the presidency of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the Congress decided that the Civil Disobedience Movement should be started across the country at an appropriate time following Gandhi’s principles of Satyagraha. Even Subhas Chandra Bose wanted the same. It was decided to start the Civil Disobedience Movement across the country from April 6 to 13, 1940. In June, Subhas Chandra Bose also wrote a letter to Mahatma Gandhi to start the Civil Disobedience Movement. But Gandhiji said, “We do not want independence from Britain’s ruins.” Jawaharlal Nehru also commented that putting Britain in trouble during this crisis would be “dishonourable” for India.

You can also read about Communal Award 1932: Objectives, Features, Reactions.

Features of the August Offer 1940

The August Offer of 1940 was a proposal from the British government, made by the Viceroy of India, Lord Linlithgow. The proposal stated:

• After the end of World War II, India would be granted Dominion status. (Dominion status meant that India would remain part of the British Empire, but would have considerable freedom to govern itself).
• After the war, the British government proposed to form a special assembly, called the Constituent Assembly. The purpose of this assembly was to draft a new constitution for India and decide how the country would be run in the future. This assembly would consist of Indian representatives, who would be elected and sent. Through this, Indians would be allowed to create their own system of government. This constitution would be implemented with the British government’s approval.
• The British government would not accept any Indian government that was not acceptable to a large section of India’s population.
• There was a proposal to increase the number of Indian members in the Viceroy’s Executive Council. This meant that the British government wanted to give Indians more administrative responsibilities so that they could be part of the work of governance.
• An ‘Advisory War Council’ would be formed with representatives from princely states and national leaders.

Response to the August Offer 1940

Linlithgow hoped that all communities and political parties of India would accept this August Offer and help British power in World War II. However, India’s main political parties, Congress and the Muslim League, rejected this proposal. The reasons behind both parties’ rejection were:

Reasons for Rejection by Congress

The August Offer did not include any promise of complete independence for India. On 21 August 1940, the Congress Working Committee held a meeting in the Wardha session. In that meeting, they rejected the ‘August Offer’ given by Viceroy Linlithgow. The reason for this was that the Congress felt that this offer could not give real independence to India. Therefore, they did not agree to accept this offer. At the Congress Working Committee meeting held in Delhi, Congress stated that Indians were ready to help the British government for victory against fascist powers. But the Viceroy must promise that:

• After the war, a Constituent Assembly would be formed.
• The purpose of this assembly was to draft a new constitution for India and fix the country’s system of governance.
• A responsible government would be formed at the central level for the time being.

Reasons for Rejection by Muslim League

The August Offer of Viceroy Lord Linlithgow did not include any clear assurance about the partition of India and the formation of Pakistan as a separate state for Muslims. Therefore, the Muslim League also rejected this proposal.

You can also read about Surat Split of 1907: Causes, Moderates and Extremists, Impact.

Results of the August Offer 1940

• After the August Offer 1940, Indian leaders realized that the British government did not want to give independence. They just wanted to give up some control. Because of this, Mahatma Gandhi and the Congress decided that the British no longer had the right to stay in India. So on 8 August 1942, Gandhiji started the “Quit India Movement.” The Indian National Congress, disappointed by Viceroy Linlithgow’s announcement, endorsed the decision of the Individual Satyagraha Movement led by Gandhiji. This was strictly an individual satyagraha, not a mass satyagraha. Because Gandhi did not want to put the British in more trouble when they were already in difficulty.
• The Congress Working Committee approved this decision on October 15, 1940, and on October 17, under Mahatma Gandhi’s direction, his disciple Vinobha Bhave started the first Individual Satyagraha. This way, gradually, the Individual Satyagraha Movement for India’s independence began.

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