Gandhi – Irwin pact

In contrast to the United States, who paved the road to independence with dramatic and often violent acts (think, Boston Tea Party), in India that drive was infinitely more gradual, through obstinately peaceful acts of civil disobedience led by Mahatma Gandhi. All the same, his movement exerted a lot of influence over the British Parliament — when his plea to Britain went unanswered, Ghandi and more than 70 followers went on a well-publicized trip across the country, breaking several British mandates in the process. His arrest sparked protests and outrage around every part of India.

On this day, March 4, in 1931, in a sign of the changed stance of the British, Gandhi met with the head of the government of India, Lord Irwin. A series of proposals were agreed to on both sides, including the cessation of civil disobedience on the Indian side and the release of political prisoners by the British.

The Gandhi – Irwin pact was a precondition for the Round Table talks on Indian self-rule. The series of three meetings, which took place between 1931 and 1932, were boycotted by some Indian rulers, nevertheless they helped take India to dominion status.