Minto-Morley Reforms & Related Political Developments (1909-1919)

15 vocabulary flashcards covering the key terms, people, and political arrangements linked to the Minto-Morley Reforms and related developments from 1909–1919.

Indian Councils Act 1909 (Minto-Morley Reforms)

British legislation that enlarged central and provincial councils, introduced limited elections and separate Muslim electorates, allowed budget debate, yet left veto power with the viceroy and governors.

Lord Minto

Viceroy of India (1905-1910) who, with John Morley, sponsored the 1909 reforms to give Indians a modest share in government.

John Morley

Secretary of State for India (1905-1910); co-architect of the Indian Councils Act 1909 that modestly widened Indian representation.

Separate Electorate

Electoral arrangement reserving seats for Muslims and permitting only Muslim voters to elect those members, first granted in 1909.

Provincial Legislative Councils

Regional assemblies whose membership was raised to 50 in Bombay, Bengal and Madras, and 30 elsewhere by the 1909 Act.

Muslim League

Party founded in 1906 to protect Muslim interests; welcomed separate electorates and adopted self-rule as a goal in 1913.

Indian National Congress

Pan-Indian party demanding self-government; rejected the 1909 reforms for limiting power and creating communal electorates.

Lucknow Pact 1916

Congress–Muslim League agreement granting Muslims one-third central seats, accepting separate electorates, and demanding elected majorities in legislatures.

Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms 1919

Follow-up constitutional changes establishing a bicameral central legislature and diarchy in provinces, but still reserving key powers for British officials.

Diarchy

Provincial system under the 1919 Act that split administration into ‘reserved’ (British-controlled) and ‘transferred’ (Indian-controlled) subjects.

Reserved Subjects

Important portfolios such as police, justice and revenue kept under governors and British executive councillors after 1919.

Transferred Subjects

Less critical areas—agriculture, education, health—placed under Indian ministers within the diarchic system.

Weightage Principle

Formula accepted at Lucknow giving Muslims legislative representation proportionally higher than their population to safeguard minority rights.

Self-Rule (Swaraj)

Aim of autonomous Indian government; demanded by Congress and, from 1913, by the Muslim League as well.

Limited (Tax-Based) Franchise

Voting right restricted to educated men who paid a specified tax, creating a small, elite electorate under the 1909 Act.