---
title: "August Offer of 1940: Terms and Failure | Model Diplomat"
description: "The August Offer of 1940 was Viceroy Linlithgow's proposal for expanded Indian council roles and post-war dominion status, but it was rejected by major parties."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/august-offer-1940"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- The August Offer of 1940 was Viceroy Linlithgow's wartime proposal promising Indians expanded council membership, a war advisory body, and post-war dominion status in exchange for cooperation.
- Why did the Indian National Congress reject the August Offer?
- What was the significance of the minority veto in the August Offer?
- How did the August Offer differ from the Cripps Mission of 1942?
- What did the British gain or lose from the August Offer?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

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## Timeline

1. 8 August 1940

   The August Offer of 1940 was a statement issued on by Lord Linlithgow, Viceroy of India, on behalf of the British government under Prime Minister Winston Ch…

2. 3 September 1939

   On Linlithgow had declared India a belligerent without consulting Indian leaders, and in protest the Indian National Congress ministries in eight provinces…

## Positions at a glance

### Indian National Congress

The August Offer of 1940 was a statement issued on 8 August 1940 by Lord Linlithgow, Viceroy of India, on behalf of the British government under Prime Minister Winston Churchill. It arose directly from the constitutional and political deadlock created by the outbreak of the Second World War. On 3 September 1939 Linlithgow had declared India a belligerent without consulting Indian leaders, and in protest the Indian National Congress ministries in eight provinces resigned in late October and November 1939 under the framework of the Government of India Act 1935. The Offer was Britain's attempt to break this impasse, secure Indian manpower and resources for the war effort after the fall of France in June 1940, and respond to mounting demands from both the Congress and the Muslim League. It built upon the unfulfilled promises of the Montagu Declaration of 1917 and the dominion-status assurance of Linlithgow's own October 1929 Irwin Declaration.

### All-India Muslim League

The August Offer of 1940 was a statement issued on 8 August 1940 by Lord Linlithgow, Viceroy of India, on behalf of the British government under Prime Minister Winston Churchill. It arose directly from the constitutional and political deadlock created by the outbreak of the Second World War. On 3 September 1939 Linlithgow had declared India a belligerent without consulting Indian leaders, and in protest the Indian National Congress ministries in eight provinces resigned in late October and November 1939 under the framework of the Government of India Act 1935. The Offer was Britain's attempt to break this impasse, secure Indian manpower and resources for the war effort after the fall of France in June 1940, and respond to mounting demands from both the Congress and the Muslim League. It built upon the unfulfilled promises of the Montagu Declaration of 1917 and the dominion-status assurance of Linlithgow's own October 1929 Irwin Declaration.

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Example

In August 1940, Viceroy Lord Linlithgow announced the August Offer in New Delhi, but Jawaharlal Nehru rejected its dominion-status promise as "dead as a doornail," and the Congress launched Individual Satyagraha that October.

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