Nationalism in India

• Mahatma Gandhi returned to India from South Africa


  1915
• Champaran Satyagraha


  Organised to support the oppressed plantation workers in 1917
• Kheda Satyagraha


  Mahatma Gandhi went to Kheda to show support to the peasants in 1918 with Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel
• The British government passed the Rowlatt Act in 1919 which gave them the power to repress any political activities and authorized the detention of any political prisoners without trials for up to 2 years
• Effects of JBM : the brutal act of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre enraged other Indians. There were nation-wide partials, attacks on government buildings, and clashes
• Khilafat Movement


  It was started by Shaukat Ali and Muhammad Ali, and Mahatma Gandhi supported it
• The Dalits refused to participate in the movement without separate electorates and reservation of seats
• Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar formed the Depressed Classes Association and signed the Poona Pact with the Congress in 1932
• Three main events under Gandhi's Satyagraha Movement

  • Champaran Satyagraha in 1917
  • Kheda Satyagraha in 1918
  • Mill Workers Support in 1918
• Demand of 'Purna Swaraj' formalized in the Indian National Congress session


  1929
• The Rowlatt Act gave the British Government the power to prohibit the political activities and detain the political leaders without trial for up to two years
• Khilafat Movement


  It was started by Muhammad Ali and Shakaut Ali in response to the unjust treatment given to the Caliph of the Ottoman Empire
• The Inland Immigration Act passed in 1859 prohibited the plantation workers from leaving the tea garden without prior permission
• Mahatma Gandhi wrote the book 'Hind Swaraj'
• Begar

  Forced labour without income
• Non-Cooperation Movement


  Emphasised the power of truth and the need to search the truth
• The Rowlatt Act


  Gave government enormous powers to repress political activities
• Events around the Rowlatt Act


  1. Nationwide hartal was called by Gandhi ji on 06th April

  2. Local leaders were asserted in Amritsar and Gandhiji was barred from entering Delhi, martial law was imposed in Amritsar

  3. A number of people gathered in Jalianwala Bagh to celebrate Baisakhi unaware of the martial law

  4. General Dyer ordered open fire on them killing hundreds of people

  5. People in India opposed the killings by attacking government offices, police stations etc.
• Non-Cooperation Movement


  • The movement began in 1921 with the participation of various social groups
  • The main cause was the Khilafat issue which Gandhiji believed to be a platform for Hindu Muslim unity
  • Methods of Non-Cooperation included surrender of government titles, Boycott of civil services, army, police, schools and foreign goods
  • There was oppose within the congress to Boycott legislative councils elections but the issue was resolved in 1920 congress session
• The Movement in the Towns

  1. Students left government schools, officers resigned from office, lawyers gave up their practices, traders and merchants refused to trade in foreign goods

  2. The movement slowed down due to high price of Khadi cloth, lack of alternative Indian institutions
• Rebellion in the Countryside

  1. Awadh peasant movement led by Baba Ram Chandra against landlords demanding high rents and other cesses

  2. Led to the formation of Awadh Kisan Sabha

  3. Tribal movement in Gudam Hills of Andhra Pradesh against the government forest policy, led by Alluri Sitaram Raju
• Swaraj in the Plantations


  • The Inland Emigration act of 1859 restricted the plantation workers to leave the tea gardens without permission
  • Workers defied the authorities, left the plantations
• Reasons for the rise of nationalism after First World War
• Withdrawal of Non-cooperation Movement

  1. Gandhiji withdraw the movement as it was turning violent

  2. Debate within the Congress regarding council entry

  3. Formation of Swaraj party by C. R. Das and Motilal Nehru within the Congress
• Simon Commission (1927)


  • Constituted by the Tory government of Britain under the Chairmanship of Sir John Simon
  • Sought to look into the demands of the nationalists and suggest changes in the constitutional structure of India
  • Was received in India with slogan 'Go back Simon' as it had only English members
  • Commission recommended a 'dominion status' for discussing future Constitution of India
• Civil Disobedience Movement (1931)

  1. Immediate event–Gandhiji chose salt as the medium for protesting against the British rule. He sent a letter to the viceroy Irwin stating eleven demands

  2. Mahatma Gandhi started Salt March from Sabarmati to Dandi with 78 followers, reached Dandi on 6th April 1930 and violated the salt law by manufacturing Salt from Sea

  3. Spread to the entire nation, foreign clothes were burnt, picketing of Liquor shops

  4. Gandhiji was arrested later

  5. Gandhi-Irwin pact was signed on 5th March 1931, Gandhiji agreed to participate in Round Table Conference, Government agreed to release the political prisoners

  6. Second Round Table Conference held in London (1931) without any result

  7. Mahatma Gandhi re-launched the movement in 1932, but by 1934 it lost momentum
• Participation of People in the Movement

  • Patidars of Gujarat and Jats of Uttar Pradesh
  • Industrial Worker Class
  • Poorer Peasantry
  • Business Class
  • Rich Peasant Communities
  • Women
• Reasons for the Failure of Civil Disobedience Movement
• Upsurge of Nationalism
• The Swadeshi Movement emerged as a response to the Partition of Bengal in 1905, with leaders like Bal Gangadhar Tilak advocating for self-rule and boycotting foreign goods.
• The Non-Cooperation Movement led by Mahatma Gandhi aimed at achieving independence through nonviolent means, including boycotts of British institutions and products.
• In 1892, the Indian National Congress was founded by Allan Octavian Hume to promote national unity among educated Indians.
• The Quit India Movement called for an end to British colonial rule and demanded immediate independence, resulting in mass civil disobedience and arrests of key leaders.
• The Indian National Congress played a significant role in promoting nationalist ideals and organizing protests against British rule.
• The Salt March, also known as Dandi Yatra or Salt Satyagraha, was a significant event during the Indian Independence movement that began on March 12, 1930.

  
• Mahatma Gandhi's Salt March in 1930 challenged the salt tax imposed by the British government and sparked widespread protests across India.
• Mahatma Gandhi led this march from Sabarmati Ashram to the coastal town of Dandi (in present-day Gujarat) to protest against the salt tax imposed by the British government.
• Jawaharlal Nehru became the first Prime Minister of independent India, leading the country towards social reform and economic development.
• Gandhiji's aim was to make people aware of their rights and encourage them to defy unjust laws.
• Nationalism means a feeling of pride and belongingness towards one's nation. It is a feeling that unites people and drives them to fight for a common goal.