Making of the Indian National movement

• The Swadeshi movement was a non-violent civil disobedience movement in India from 1905 to 1907.
• Indians were discontented with British rule
• Different groups and classes were dissatisfied with British rule due to various reasons:
• Arms Act of 1878 disallowed Indians from possessing arms
• Vernacular Press Act of 1878 allowed the government to confiscate assets of newspapers if they published objectionable content
• Furore over the Ilbert Bill in 1883, which sought equality between British and Indian judges, highlighted racial attitudes of the British
• Political associations formed after 1850, led by English-educated professionals such as lawyers, expressed the idea that the Indian people should be sovereign
• Important associations included the Poona Sarvajanik Sabha, the Indian Association, the Madras Mahajan Sabha, the Bombay Presidency Association, and the Indian National Congress
• The Indian National Congress was established in December 1885 in Bombay with early leadership from Bombay and Calcutta
• The Congress sought to speak for all the people of India, irrespective of class, community, or region
• The early Congress demanded greater voice for Indians in government and administration, more representative Legislative Councils, and Indianisation of the administration
• They also demanded separation of the judiciary from the executive, repeal of the Arms Act, freedom of speech and expression, reduction of revenue, and more funds for irrigation
• The Congress raised economic issues, criticising British rule for leading to poverty and famines
• The Congress leaders worked to develop public awareness about the unjust nature of British rule through newspapers, articles, speeches, and mobilising public opinion
• The Swadeshi movement emerged in response to the partition of Bengal in 1905
• The movement aimed to oppose British rule and promote self-help, national education, and the use of Indian languages
• Radicals advocated mass mobilisation, boycott of British institutions and goods, and some suggested revolutionary violence to overthrow British rule
• After the split in 1907, the Congress was dominated by the Moderates, but the two groups reunited in December 1915 and signed the Lucknow Pact with the Muslim League in 1916
• After 1919, the struggle against British rule became a mass movement involving peasants, tribals, students, women, and occasionally factory workers
• The First World War altered the economic and political situation in India, leading to increased taxes, rise in prices, and difficulties for the common people
• Indian industries expanded during the war, and Indian business groups began to demand greater opportunities for development
• Mahatma Gandhi arrived in India in 1915 from South Africa at the age of 46
• Gandhiji led non-violent marches against racist restrictions in South Africa
• Gandhiji established the Natal Congress in 1895 to fight against racial discrimination
• Gandhiji spent his first year in India travelling throughout the country to understand the people and their needs
• Gandhiji's earliest interventions in India were in local movements in Champaran, Kheda, and Ahmedabad
• In 1919, Gandhiji called for a satyagraha against the Rowlatt Act passed by the British government
• The Rowlatt Act curbed fundamental rights such as freedom of expression and strengthened police powers
• The Rowlatt Satyagraha turned out to be the first all-India struggle against the British government
• During the Rowlatt Satyagraha, efforts were made to ensure that Hindus and Muslims were united in the fight against British rule
• In 1920, the Khilafat issue led to the initiation of the Non-Cooperation Movement supported by Gandhiji
• The Non-Cooperation Movement gained momentum through 1921-22 with various forms of protests and boycotts
• Gandhiji abruptly called off the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1922 after a violent incident in Chauri Chaura
• Gandhiji's followers stressed the importance of constructive work in rural areas after the Non-Cooperation Movement
• In 1930, Gandhiji led the Salt March to break the salt law, symbolizing the general desire for freedom
• Women from diverse backgrounds participated significantly in the national movement, including Ambabai from Karnataka
• Women's involvement in the freedom struggle was significant for the freedom movement, the women's movement, and for themselves personally
• Both British officials and Indian nationalists believed that women's participation gave the national struggle immense force
• Participation in the freedom movement brought women out of their homes and gave them a place in the professions and in the governance of India
• Ambabai of Karnataka, who had been married at age twelve and widowed at sixteen, participated in picketing foreign cloth and liquor shops in Udipi, made speeches, taught spinning, and organized prabhat pheris