nationalism in india

• Mahatma Gandhi returned to India in 1915 from South Africa
• Gandhiji’s novel method of mass agitation is known as ‘Satyagraha’
• Satyagraha emphasized truth and believed in non-violence to fight against injustice
• First Satyagraha in India was at Champaran in 1916 to inspire plantation workers
• In 1917, Satyagraha at Kheda to support peasants
• In 1918, Satyagraha at Ahmadabad among cotton mill workers
• ‘Hind Swaraj’ is the famous book written by Mahatma Gandhi emphasizing non-cooperation to British rule in India
• New economic situation in India created by the First World War:

  • Manchester imports into India declined due to British mills focusing on war production
  • Indian factories supplied war needs, leading to new factories and longer working hours
  • Local industrialists in colonies like India captured the home market as British exports fell
• The Rowlatt Act of 1919 gave British government power to repress political activities and detain political prisoners without trial
• Jallianwala Bagh incident on 13th April 1919 led to General Dyer ordering troops to fire at crowds, killing hundreds
• Non-cooperation programme adopted at Nagpur in Dec. 1920
• Effects of Non-cooperation Movement on the economy of India:

  • Foreign goods boycotted, liquor shops picketed, foreign cloth burnt
  • Import of foreign cloth halved between 1921-1922
  • Production of Indian textile mills and handlooms increased, khadi popularized
• Non-cooperation Movement in the countryside:

  • Peasants' movement in Awadh against high rents and forced labor
  • Militant guerrilla movement in Gudem Hills of Andhra Pradesh against forest closures
  • Plantation workers in Assam defied authorities under the Inland Emigration Act of 1859
• Slowing down of Non-cooperation Movement in cities due to Khadi cloth being more expensive than mill cloth
• Khadi cloth was more expensive than mill cloth, making it unaffordable for poor people
• Poor people could not sustain boycotting mill cloth for long due to the high cost of Khadi cloth
• Alternative Indian institutions were slow to develop as replacements for British ones
• Students and teachers started returning to government schools, and lawyers resumed work in government courts
• Khilafat movement was initiated by Mahatma Gandhi and the Ali Brothers in response to the mistreatment of the Caliph of the Ottoman empire by the British
• Chauri Chaura incident occurred in February 1922 during a no tax movement led by Gandhiji
• Gandhiji called off the Non-cooperation movement after the violent turn of events at Chauri Chaura
• Swaraj Party was established by C.R. Das and Moti Lai Nehru for a return to council Politics
• Simon Commission in 1928 was boycotted
• Lahore Congress session in 1929 demanded Puma Swaraj
• Dandi march marked the beginning of the Civil Disobedience movement
• Features of Civil Disobedience Movement:

  • People were urged to refuse cooperation with the British and break colonial laws
  • Foreign cloth boycott was encouraged
  • People were asked to picket liquor shops
  • Peasants were advised not to pay revenue and chaukidari taxes
  • Students, lawyers, and village officials were told not to attend English medium schools, colleges, courts, and offices
• 'Salt March' was initiated by Mahatma Gandhi to demand the abolition of Salt Tax
• Civil Disobedience Movement saw participation from various parts of the country, with Gandhiji leading the salt march from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi
• Rich Patidars of Gujarat and Jats of Uttar Pradesh actively participated in the movement
• Merchants, industrialists, and industrial working class of Nagpur region supported the movement financially and through boycotts
• Limits of the movement included less participation by untouchables and lukewarm response from some Muslim Political Organizations
• Poona pact of 1932 provided reserved seats in central provincial councils for depressed classes, to be voted by the general electorate
• Nationalism in India promoted a sense of collective belonging through various cultural processes:

  • Visual association of India with the image of Bharat Mata
  • Recording and use of folklore to restore national identity
  • Use of tricolor flag as a symbol of defiance
  • Reinterpretation of history to rediscover past glory and promote national pride