Q. In which year did the British Government announce for the first time dominion status as the goal of British policy in India?
(a) 1922
(b) 1929
(c) 1932
(d) 1935
Ans: (b) 1929
Explanation: The correct answer is (b) 1929.
In 1929, the British Government, under the leadership of the then British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald, announced for the first time that dominion status would be the goal of British policy in India. This announcement came to be known as the “MacDonald Declaration” or the “August Offer.”
The declaration stated that the British government’s objective was to grant India the status of a dominion within the British Commonwealth. It proposed to convene a roundtable conference to discuss constitutional reforms and make provisions for greater Indian participation in the governance of the country. However, it fell short of fully satisfying Indian demands for self-rule and faced criticism from various quarters.
