By which law did the British government first declare its intention to gradually establish a responsible government in India?
The August 1917 Declaration, also known as the Montagu Declaration, was a statement by the Secretary of State, Edwin Montagu. It declared that the British policy was the “increasing association of Indians in every branch of administration” and the “gradual development of self-governing institutions.” This was the first time the British explicitly promised a “responsible government” as their goal. ANSWER: (B) August 1917 Declaration
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Made in the British House of Commons, this declaration was a strategic move to secure Indian support during World War I and to pacify the Home Rule agitators. It acknowledged that India had moved beyond mere administrative reforms. This promise led directly to the Government of India Act 1919 (Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms). While nationalists criticized it as “too little, too late” and devoid of a fixed timeline, it was a major constitutional shift because it formally replaced the “benevolent despotism” of the British Raj with the principle of accountability to an Indian electorate.