The Emergence of Pakistan, 1906–47 (2059): Revision Notes

These revision notes compress Section 2 of Cambridge O Level Pakistan Studies 2059 Paper 1, The Emergence of Pakistan 1906–47, into timelines. Each row gives the event, the date, who was involved and why it mattered to the Pakistan Movement, which is exactly what 4-mark “describe” and 7-mark “explain” questions ask for. Learn the significance column as carefully as the dates.

Syllabus coverage

2059 Paper 1, Section 2 (2026 syllabus): Key Question 6 (development to 1927), Key Question 7 (Khilafat Movement), Key Question 8 (1927–39), Key Question 9 (1940–47) and Key Question 10 (Jinnah, Allama Iqbal and Rahmat Ali).

Timeline 1: 1905–1927 (Key Question 6)

Date	Event	Significance
1905	Partition of Bengal (Curzon)	Muslim-majority East Bengal; Muslims gained; Hindus protested
Oct 1906	Simla Deputation (Aga Khan to Minto)	Demand for separate electorates accepted in principle
Dec 1906	All-India Muslim League founded, Dhaka	First Muslim political party for all India
1909	Morley–Minto Reforms	Separate electorates granted
1911	Partition of Bengal reversed	Muslims felt British could not be relied on
1913	Jinnah joins the League	Brings a leading Congress figure into Muslim politics
1916	Lucknow Pact	Congress accepts separate electorates; high point of unity
1919	Rowlatt Act; Amritsar Massacre	Repression; anti-British feeling grows
1919	Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms	Dyarchy in provinces; disappointed Indian leaders
1920–22	Non-Cooperation Movement	Joint Hindu–Muslim protest, called off by Gandhi
1920s	Shuddhi and sangathan; tabligh and tanzim	Rising communalism and riots
1927	Delhi Proposals	Muslims offer joint electorates for safeguards

Timeline 2: the Khilafat and Hijrat Movements (Key Question 7)

Date	Event	Significance
1919	Khilafat Committee formed; Ali brothers lead	Muslims protest at treatment of the Ottoman caliph
1920	Delegation to Britain rejected	British would not change peace terms
1920	Hijrat to Afghanistan	Migrants lose property; Afghanistan closes border
1921	Moplah uprising	Violence damages Hindu–Muslim trust
1922	Chauri Chaura; Gandhi suspends Non-Cooperation	Muslims feel let down by Congress
1924	Turkey abolishes the caliphate	Movement loses its purpose

Impact on Muslims: political mobilisation of ordinary people; new leadership; loss of trust in Congress; economic hardship from Hijrat.

Timeline 3: 1927–1939 (Key Question 8)

Date	Event	Significance
1927	Simon Commission appointed (all-British)	Boycotted; Indians asked to write their own constitution
1928	Nehru Report	Rejects separate electorates and one-third Muslim seats
1929	Jinnah’s 14 Points	Clear statement of Muslim demands
Dec 1930	Iqbal’s Allahabad address	Calls for a Muslim state in north-west India
1930–32	Three Round Table Conferences	No agreement on minorities
1932	Communal Award	Separate electorates retained
1933	Rahmat Ali, Now or Never	Name “Pakistan” proposed
1935	Government of India Act	Provincial autonomy; federation never introduced
1937	Provincial elections	Congress wins most provinces; League weak
1937–39	Congress ministries	Bande Mataram, Wardha and Vidya Mandir schemes anger Muslims
22 Dec 1939	Day of Deliverance	League celebrates end of Congress rule

Timeline 4: 1940–1947 (Key Question 9)

Date	Event	Significance
23 Mar 1940	Lahore (Pakistan) Resolution	Formal demand for separate Muslim states
1942	Cripps Mission	Dominion status after the war; rejected by both parties
Aug 1942	Quit India Movement	Congress leaders jailed; League grows
Sep 1944	Gandhi–Jinnah talks	Fail over the two-nation theory
Jun–Jul 1945	Simla Conference (Wavell)	Fails over who nominates Muslim members
1945–46	Central and provincial elections	League wins all Muslim central seats
1946	Cabinet Mission Plan	Groups of provinces; collapses
16 Aug 1946	Direct Action Day	Calcutta riots; communal violence spreads
3 Jun 1947	Mountbatten’s Partition Plan	Partition accepted
Jul 1947	Indian Independence Act	Two dominions from 14–15 August
Aug 1947	Radcliffe Award	Punjab and Bengal boundaries drawn

Key individuals (Key Question 10)

• Muhammad Ali Jinnah: Lucknow Pact 1916; 14 Points 1929; returned to lead the League in the mid-1930s; 1940 Resolution; negotiator with Cripps, Gandhi, Wavell, the Cabinet Mission and Mountbatten; first Governor-General.
• Allama Muhammad Iqbal: poet-philosopher; Allahabad address 1930; urged Jinnah to lead Muslims; died 1938.
• Choudhary Rahmat Ali: Cambridge student; Now or Never (1933); coined “Pakistan”; wanted complete separation, unlike Iqbal’s proposal of a Muslim state in the north-west.

Worked example

Question: Why did the Cabinet Mission Plan fail? [7]

Model answer outline: The plan proposed a weak centre with three groups of provinces, giving Muslims autonomy in the north-west and east [context]. The League accepted it because the grouping offered much of what Pakistan would provide [point 1]. Nehru then stated that Congress would not be bound by the grouping arrangements once the Constituent Assembly met, so the League withdrew its acceptance [point 2]. Disagreement over the interim government, including Congress’s insistence on nominating a Muslim, deepened mistrust [point 3]. The League’s call for Direct Action and the violence that followed showed that compromise had collapsed [point 4].

Common mistakes and exam traps

• Confusing the 1909 and 1919 reforms. Morley–Minto (1909) = separate electorates; Montagu–Chelmsford (1919) = dyarchy.
• Treating the Nehru Report and 14 Points as the same. The 14 Points were Jinnah’s response to the Nehru Report.
• Narrating instead of explaining. For 7-mark answers, make each paragraph a reason, beginning with the point.
• Missing the judgement. 14-mark answers must say which factor mattered most and why.

Frequently asked questions

What was the Communal Award? A British decision in 1932 that kept separate electorates for Muslims and other minorities after the Round Table Conferences failed to agree.

Why was the 1940 Resolution important? It turned the idea of a separate homeland into the League’s official goal.

Related pages

• Emergence of Pakistan study guide
• Paper 1 overview revision notes
• Nationhood, 1947–99 revision notes

Source: Cambridge International, Cambridge O Level Pakistan Studies 2059 syllabus for examination in 2026, Version 1, Paper 1 Section 2.