Arrival of Lord Wavell (1943–1947)

The arrival of Lord Archibald Percival Wavell in India as Viceroy and Governor-General in October 1943 marked a decisive and turbulent phase in the final years of British rule. Serving until February 1947, Wavell’s tenure was characterised by the dual challenge of managing India’s devastating famine and navigating the political deadlock between the Indian National Congress, the Muslim League, and the British Government over the issue of independence and partition. His period in office was marked by efforts at political conciliation, culminating in the Wavell Plan and the Simla Conference (1945), which, despite their failure, prepared the ground for the final transfer of power.

Background and Appointment

Lord Archibald Wavell (1883–1950) was a distinguished British military commander who had served in both World Wars. Before his appointment as Viceroy, he held the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army from 1941. His experience in India, administrative acumen, and understanding of Indian affairs made him a suitable choice to succeed Lord Linlithgow, whose long tenure (1936–1943) had been marked by the Quit India Movement (1942) and growing political unrest.
Wavell’s appointment came at a time when India was crucial to Britain’s war effort in Asia. The Allied campaign against Japan in Burma and the Pacific relied heavily on Indian troops and resources. However, domestic conditions were deteriorating rapidly due to famine, inflation, and widespread political disillusionment.

Political Situation on His Arrival

When Lord Wavell assumed office on 20 October 1943, India was in a state of political paralysis:

• The Quit India Movement, launched by the Congress in 1942, had been suppressed, and most of its leaders—including Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Sardar Patel—were still imprisoned.
• The Muslim League, under Muhammad Ali Jinnah, had strengthened its organisational base and was forcefully demanding the creation of a separate state of Pakistan.
• The British Government faced international pressure to clarify its post-war intentions for India, particularly from the United States and the Soviet Union, whose leaders favoured decolonisation.

Thus, Wavell inherited an environment of widespread distrust and discontent, combined with the humanitarian disaster of the Bengal Famine of 1943.

The Bengal Famine and Administrative Response

One of Wavell’s earliest challenges was dealing with the aftermath of the Bengal Famine, which had already caused the death of an estimated 3 to 4 million people. The famine, triggered by crop failure, wartime shortages, and administrative negligence, exposed the weaknesses of British colonial governance.
Wavell immediately took steps to improve relief operations, restore food supplies, and prevent further starvation:

• He organised grain imports from other provinces and overseas.
• Introduced price control measures and transport coordination to ensure equitable food distribution.
• Pressed the British Government for greater powers to handle the crisis independently of the War Cabinet in London.

Although his measures helped stabilise the situation, they came too late to reverse the human tragedy. Nevertheless, Wavell’s pragmatic approach won him respect across political lines as a more empathetic and capable administrator than his predecessor.

Wavell’s Political Initiatives

As soon as wartime conditions permitted, Wavell sought to restore political dialogue and move India towards self-government. His efforts were guided by the recognition that no durable settlement could be achieved without cooperation between the Congress and the Muslim League.

1. Release of Political Prisoners (1944)

In June 1944, Wavell ordered the release of Mahatma Gandhi and other Congress leaders, partly on humanitarian grounds after Gandhi’s health deteriorated. Their release reopened possibilities for negotiation, though mutual mistrust between the Congress and League persisted.

2. Gandhi–Jinnah Talks (1944)

Wavell encouraged direct discussions between Mahatma Gandhi and Muhammad Ali Jinnah, held in September 1944 at Jinnah’s residence in Bombay.

• Gandhi proposed a united India with safeguards for Muslims, while Jinnah insisted on the principle of Pakistan as a separate nation.
• The talks failed, revealing the deep ideological divide that made future compromise increasingly difficult.

3. The Wavell Plan (1945)

In a renewed attempt to break the political deadlock, Wavell formulated a proposal known as the Wavell Plan, announced in June 1945.The main provisions were:

• Formation of a new Executive Council at the centre, composed entirely of Indians except for the Viceroy and the Commander-in-Chief.
• Equal representation for Caste Hindus and Muslims.
• Inclusion of representatives from the Scheduled Castes, Sikhs, and other minorities.
• The Governor-General would retain control over defence and external affairs.

The proposal aimed to introduce a coalition government that would prepare India for full self-government after the war.

4. The Simla Conference (June–July 1945)

To discuss the Wavell Plan, Wavell convened a conference of Indian leaders at Simla. Key participants included:

• Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Maulana Azad (Congress)
• Muhammad Ali Jinnah (Muslim League)
• Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, Master Tara Singh, and other minority representatives

The conference failed because the Congress refused to accept the Muslim League’s exclusive right to nominate Muslim representatives. Jinnah insisted that only the League could speak for India’s Muslims, while the Congress maintained that it represented all communities. The Simla Conference thus ended in stalemate, exposing the growing communal divide that would eventually lead to partition.

End of the Second World War and Changing Circumstances

The end of the Second World War (1945) dramatically changed the political situation in India:

• The Labour Government came to power in Britain under Clement Attlee, committed to decolonisation and self-determination.
• The Indian National Army (INA) trials”” and the Royal Indian Navy Mutiny (1946) highlighted growing discontent within the armed forces and the population.
• Wavell faced rising strikes, student protests, and communal tension.

The British Government now recognised that maintaining colonial rule was no longer feasible. Wavell’s administration, however, was constrained by conflicting political demands and limited authority.

The 1946 Cabinet Mission

In March 1946, Wavell hosted the Cabinet Mission, consisting of British ministers Lord Pethick-Lawrence, Sir Stafford Cripps, and A. V. Alexander, sent to negotiate India’s constitutional future.
The mission proposed a plan to:

• Establish a Constituent Assembly to draft a constitution for a united India.
• Form an Interim Government with Indian leaders.
• Provide for grouping of provinces to balance communal interests without immediate partition.

While both the Congress and the Muslim League initially accepted the plan, disagreements over the grouping of provinces and the distribution of power led to another breakdown.

Interim Government and Rising Communal Tension

Following the Cabinet Mission’s proposals, an Interim Government was formed in September 1946, led by Jawaharlal Nehru as Vice-President of the Executive Council. However, communal violence erupted across the country—most notably in Calcutta (August 1946) during the “Direct Action Day” called by the Muslim League, resulting in massive riots and thousands of deaths.
Wavell struggled to control the situation as the political and communal crisis spiralled out of hand. His limited authority as Viceroy and the eroding legitimacy of British rule made it clear that a decisive transition of power was inevitable.

Departure and Succession

By early 1947, the British Government concluded that Wavell could no longer manage the deteriorating situation. Consequently, he was replaced by Lord Louis Mountbatten, who arrived in India in March 1947 with clear instructions to oversee the final transfer of power by June 1948 (later advanced to August 1947).
Lord Wavell formally left office on 21 February 1947, marking the end of his challenging tenure as India’s penultimate Viceroy.

Evaluation and Legacy

Lord Wavell’s tenure is often viewed as a bridge between repression and transition—between the wartime authoritarianism of Linlithgow and the decisive transfer of power under Mountbatten.
His major contributions include:

• Restoring political dialogue after the repression of the Quit India Movement.
• Attempting a fair constitutional settlement through the Wavell Plan and Simla Conference.
• Demonstrating administrative competence during the Bengal famine.

However, his efforts failed primarily because of the deep communal divisions, mutual distrust between Congress and the Muslim League, and the shifting political context in post-war Britain.
Despite these setbacks, Wavell is remembered as a sympathetic and pragmatic administrator, who sincerely sought an Indian-led solution to the constitutional impasse. His tenure laid much of the groundwork for the eventual transfer of power that took place under his successor in August 1947.