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The '''Indian Empire Society''' was a London-based lobbying organization, formed in 1930 to promote the cause of the [[British India|British Empire in India]].

The Society came into being at a meeting in July 1930 held in the [[Caxton Hall]], [[London]], at which the prime mover was [[Michael O'Dwyer|Sir Michael O'Dwyer]], a former Lieutenant Governor of the [[Punjab (British India)|Punjab]], following correspondence between the [[James_Gascoyne-Cecil,_4th_Marquess_of_Salisbury|4th Marquess of Salisbury]] and [[George Clarke, 1st Baron Sydenham of Combe]].<ref>Barberis, Peter, John McHugh, & Mike Tyldesley, ''Encyclopedia of British and Irish Political Organizations'' (Continuum International Publishing Group, 2003, {{ISBN|978-0-8264-5814-8}}), p. 99</ref> Its activists were mostly former members of the [[Indian Civil Service]] and included several former provincial governors of [[British India]], among them O'Dwyer, [[James Meston, 1st Baron Meston|Lord Meston]], and [[Reginald Craddock|Sir Reginald Craddock]]. Its principal goal was to resist the policy of Indian constitutional reform which successive British governments of the 1930s had begun to pursue.

[[Field Marshal]] [[Claud Jacob|Sir Claud Jacob]], a former [[Commander-in-Chief, India]], was chairman of the Society's Executive Committee.<ref name="Prophet">[http://www.winstonchurchill.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=201 Winston S. Churchill The Prophet of Truth: 1930 July-December] at winstonchurchill.org</ref>

The society's aims, and its membership, often overlapped with those of the [[India Defence League]]. The society frequently cited its deep concern for the fate of the Indian masses under a [[democracy|democratic system]]. A joint letter (written in 1933) sums up the society's attitude:

''"As retired Government servants, with long experience of Indian conditions, we are convinced that a too rapid advance towards self-government would be fraught with the utmost danger, not only to British trade and commerce, but also to the security and happiness of the 350,000,000 of our Indian fellow-subjects."'' (published in the Times, 1933)

The society's first public meeting was held in [[Westminster]] in July 1930. The first president was [[John Hamilton, 1st Viscount Sumner|Lord Sumner]]. [[Winston Churchill]] joined in October 1930 and made speeches to the society on a number of occasions..<ref name="Prophet"/><ref>Williamson, Philip, ''National Crisis and National Government'' (Cambridge University Press, 2003
{{ISBN|978-0-521-52141-3}}) [https://books.google.com/books?id=pq1tB3BDeuwC&pg=PA180&lpg=PA180 p. 180] at books.google.com</ref> Other prominent members included:

* [[Arthur Russell, 2nd Baron Ampthill|Lord Ampthill]], former governor of [[Madras]]
* Sir [[Hugh Shakespear Barnes|Hugh Barnes]], former governor of [[Burma]]
* Sir [[Reginald Craddock]], former governor of Burma
* Sir [[Mark Hunter (civil servant)|Mark Hunter]], former official in Burma
* Sir [[Michael O'Dwyer]], former lieutenant governor of [[Punjab (British India)|Punjab]]
* Sir [[Charles Oman]], historian
* Sir [[Louis Stuart]], former chief judge of [[Oudh]]
* [[George Clarke, 1st Baron Sydenham of Combe|Lord Sydenham]], former governor of [[Bombay Province|Bombay]]
* [[Waris Ameer Ali]], former district judge in the [[United Provinces of Agra and Oudh]]

Correspondence and papers of the Society from 1930 to 1948 are held in the [[Bodleian Library]]'s Special Collections and Western Manuscripts section.<ref>[http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/nra/searches/subjectView.asp?ID=O36783 Indian Empire Society] at nationalarchives.gov.uk</ref>

==Notes==
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[[Category:Political organisations based in England]]
[[Category:Organizations established in 1930]]
[[Category:Indian independence movement]]

Indian Empire Society - Revision history

>Cydebot at 06:05, 20 May 2019