Question

what were the two round table conferences

Answer 1

Round Table Conference in Indian history was a series of meetings in three sessions called by the British government to consider the future Constitution of India.

The First Round Table Conference was held from 12 November 1930 to 19 January 1931. The Congress boycotted the conference as its demand for a discussion on "Poorna Swaraj" of India was rejected by the British Government.The representatives of the Princely states, minority communities and depressed class attended the conference. But without the congress the conference failed to reach any settlement on Indian problems.

After the failure of First Round Table Conference efforts were made by the Government to make an agreement with the congress so that it would attend the next Round Table Conference. The Viceroy, Lord Irwin, was authorised to hold talks with Mahatma Gandhi. Finally, Gandhi and Irwin reached an agreement on 5 March 1931.By this pact Government agreed to release most of the civil disobedience volunteers, against whom there was no allegation of violence. The Congress suspended the Civil Disobedience Movement and agreed to participate in the second Round Table Conference.

The Second Round Table Conference was held in London in September 1931. Gandhi went to England to attend it along with Sarojini Naidu, Mahadev Desai, G.D. Birla and Madan Mohan Malavya. He powerfully advocated for the immediate grant of Dominion status to India which was refused. This led to the failure of the Second Round Table Conference. Moreover, Gandhi discovered how the British wanted to apply "divide and rule" policy through their proposed constitution. On his return Gandhi resumed the Civil Disobedience movement in 1932.

The third session of the Conference was held in Nov. 17 to Dec. 24, 1932 which was shorter and less important, with neither the Congress nor the British Labour Party attending. The result of these deliberations was the Government of India Act, 1935, establishing provincial autonomy and also a federal system that was never implemented.

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