Nationalism In India - Class 10 History - Extra Questions

Mahatma Gandhi returned to India in January 1915, he had come from South Africa where he had successfully fought the racist regime with a novel method of mass agitation, which he called satyagraha. It suggested that if the cause was true, if the struggle was against injustice, then physical force was not necessary to fight the oppressor. Without seeking vengeance or being aggressive, a satyagrahi could win the battle through non violence. This could be done by appealing to the conscience of the oppressor. People including the oppressors had to be persuaded to see the truth, instead of being forced to accept truth through the use of violence. By this struggle, truth was bound to ultimately triumph. Mahatma Gandhi believed that this dharma of non-violence could unite all Indians.

Bharat Mata is shown as a mother figure dispensing learning, food, and clothing. The mala on one hand emphasizes her ascetic quality. The artist has tried to personify the identity of India with this portrait of Bharat Mata. The image seeks to inspire devotion to Bharat Mata as a mother figure.

Mahatma Gandhi found in salt a powerful symbol that could unite the nation. On 31 January 1930, he sent a letter to Viceroy Irwin stating eleven demands. Some of these were of general interest; others were specific demands of different classes, from industrialists to peasants. The idea was to make the demands wide-ranging, so that all classes within Indian society could identify with them and everyone could be brought together in a united campaign. The most stirring of all was the demand to abolish the salt tax. Salt was something consumed by the rich and the poor alike, and it was one of the most essential items of food. The tax on salt and the government monopoly over its production, Mahatma Gandhi declared, revealed the most oppressive face of British rule.

In February 1922, Mahatma Gandhi decided to withdraw the Non-Cooperation Movement. He felt the movement was turning violent in many places and satyagrahis needed to be properly trained before they would be ready for mass struggles. Within the Congress, some leaders were by now tired of mass struggles and wanted to participate in elections to the provincial councils that had been setup by the Government of India Act of 1919. They felt that it was important to oppose British policies within the councils, argue for reform and also demonstrate that these councils were not truly democratic. C. R. Das and Motilal Nehru formed the Swaraj Party within the Congress to argue for a return to council politics. But younger leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhas Chandra Bose pressed for more radical mass agitation and for full independence.

An important feature of the Civil Disobedience Movement was the large-scale participation of women. During Gandhijis salt march, thousands of women came out of their homes to listen to him. They participated in protest marches, manufactured salt, and picketed foreign cloth and liquor shops. Many went to jail. In urban areas these women were from high-caste families; in rural areas they came from rich peasant households. Moved by Gandhijis call, they began to see service to the nation as a sacred duty of women. Yet, this increased public role did not necessarily mean any radical change in the way the position of women was visualised. Gandhiji was convinced that it was the duty of women to look after home and hearth, be good mothers and good wives. And for a long time the Congress was reluctant to allow women to hold any position of authority within the organisation. It was keen only on their symbolic presence.

While the Rowlatt satyagraha was a widespread movement, it was still limited mostly to cities and towns. Mahatma Gandhi now felt the need to launch a more broad-based movement in India. But he was certain that no such movement could be organised without bringing the Hindus and Muslims closer together. One way of doing this, he felt, was to take up the Khilafat issue. The First World War had ended with the defeat of Ottoman Turkey. And there were rumours that a harsh peace treaty was going to be imposed on the Ottoman emperor the spiritual head of the Islamic world (the Khalifa). To defend the Khalifas temporal powers, a Khilafat Committee was formed in Bombay in March 1919. A young generation of Muslim leaders like the brothers Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali, began discussing with Mahatma Gandhi about the possibility of a united mass action on the issue. Gandhiji saw this as an opportunity to bring Muslims under the umbrella of a unified national movement. At the Calcutta session of the Congress in September 1920, he convinced other leaders of the need to start a non-cooperation movement in support of Khilafat as well as for swaraj.

The Non-Cooperation movement was withdrawn in 1922 because of a violent incident in Chauri Chaura

In his famous book Hind Swaraj, Mahatma Gandhi declared that British rule was established in India with the cooperation of Indians, and had survived only because of this cooperation. If Indians refused to cooperate, British rule in India would collapse within a year, and swaraj would come.

The First World War had ended with the defeat of Ottoman Turkey. And there were rumours that a harsh peace treaty was going to be imposed on the Ottoman emperor who was also the spiritual head of the Islamic world (the Khalifa). To defend the Khalifas temporal powers, a Khilafat Committee was formed in Bombay in March 1919. A young generation of Muslim leaders like the brothers Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali, began discussing with Mahatma Gandhi about the possibility of a united mass action on the issue. Gandhiji saw this as an opportunity to bring Muslims under the umbrella of a unified national movement. At the Calcutta session of the Congress in September 1920, he convinced other leaders of the need to start a non-cooperation movement in support of Khilafat as well as for swaraj.

The effects of non-cooperation on the economic front were dramatic. Foreign goods were boycotted, liquor shops picketed, and foreign cloth burnt in huge bonfires. The import of foreign cloth halved between 1921 and 1922, its value dropping from Rs 102 crore to Rs 57 crore. In many places merchants and traders refused to trade in foreign goods or finance foreign trade. As the boycott movement spread, and people began discarding imported clothes and wearing only Indian ones, production of Indian textile mills and handlooms went up.

While the Rowlatt satyagraha had been a widespread movement, it was still limited mostly to cities and towns. Mahatma Gandhi now felt the need to launch a more broad-based movement in India. But he was certain that no such movement could be organised without bringing the Hindus and Muslims closer together.

The person who lead the tribal movement was Alluri Sitaram Raju. He claimed that he had a variety of special powers, he could make correct astrological predictions and heal people, and he claimed that he could survive bullet shots. Raju talked of the greatness of Mahatma Gandhi, said he was inspired by the Non-Cooperation Movement, and persuaded people to wear khadi and give up drinking. But at the same time he asserted that India could be liberated only by the use of force, not non-violence.

In the early phase, rich peasants became enthusiastic supporters of the Civil Disobedience Movement, organising their communities, and at times forcing reluctant members, to participate in the boycott programmes. For them the fight for swaraj was a struggle against high revenue demands. But they were deeply disappointed when the movement was called off in 1931 without the revenue rates being revised. So when the movement was restarted in 1932, many of them refused to participate.

Under the leadership prominent industrialists like Purshottamdas Thakurdas and G. D. Birla, the industrialists attacked colonial control over the Indian economy, and supported the Civil Disobedience Movement when it was first launched. They gave financial assistance and refused to buy or sell imported goods. Most businessmen came to see swaraj as a time when colonial restrictions on business would no longer exist and trade and industry would flourish without constraints.

After the violent incident of Chauri-Chaura, Gandhiji felt that the movement is turning violent in many places and satyagrahis needed to be properly trained before they would be ready for mass struggle. Hence, Gandhiji withdrew Non-cooperation movement in 1922.

Due to the Great Depression cash incomes dwindled and the small tenants found it difficult to pay their rent. They wanted the unpaid rent to the landlord to be remitted. Apprehensive of raising issues that might upset the rich peasants and landlords, the Congress was unwilling to support no rent campaigns in most places. So the relationship between the poor peasants and the Congress remained uncertain during the Civil Disobedience Movement.

In the countryside, rich peasant communities, like the Patidars of Gujarat and the Jats of Uttar Pradesh, were active in the Civil Disobedience movement. Being producers of commercial crops, they were very hard hit by the trade depression and falling prices. As their cash income disappeared, they found it impossible to pay the governments revenue demand. The refusal of the Government to reduce the revenue demand led them to participate in the Civil Disobedience movement.

The industrial working classes had not participated in the Civil Disobedience Movement in large numbers, except in the Nagpur region. As the industrialists came closer to the Congress, workers stayed aloof. But in spite of that, some workers had participated in the Civil Disobedience Movement, selectively adopting some of the ideas of the Gandhian programme, like boycott of foreign goods, as part of their own movements against low wages and poor working conditions. 

a) On 13th April 1919, a large crowd gathered in the enclosed ground of Jallianwala Bagh – some to protest against the British government’s repressive measures, others to attend the annual Baishakhi Fair. These people were unaware of the imposition of Martial Law in the city. General Dyer, the Commander, blocked the exit points from the Bagh and opened fire upon the innocent citizens. Dyer’s intention was to produce a ‘moral effect’ and terrorize satyagrahis. Hundreds of innocent people including women and children were killed and wounded due to this indiscriminate firing by the British soldiers, which ultimately led to nation-wide outrage. Jallianwala Bagh incident was the most brutal incident in the History of India.

b) The Simon Commission was constituted by the Tory Government in Britain, under Sir John Simon. The objective of the Commission was to look into the functioning of the constitutional system in India and suggest some constitutional changes. But nationalists in India opposed the Commission because it had not a single Indian member. Therefore, when the Simon Commission arrived in India in 1928, it was greeted with the slogan “Go Back Simon”. All parties, including Congress and the Muslim league, participated in the demonstrations.

A woman’s role is always considered to be of a homemaker. But by participating in the Civil Disobedience Movement, I became a part of the nation making process. It was a motivating experience for me when I tended to those injured in the lathi charge. It was like taking care of my own brother.

Satyagraha was a novel method of mass agitation. The idea of Satyagraha emphasized upon the power of truth and the need to search for truth. It suggested that if the cause was true and if the struggle was against injustice, then physical force was not necessary to fight the oppressor.
Through non-violent methods a Satyagraha could appeal the conscience of the oppressor by the power of truth, which was bound to win.

Political leaders differed sharply over the question of separate electorates because of differences in opinion. While those supporting the cause of minorities and the dalits believed that only political empowerment would resolve their social backwardness, others like Gandhiji thought that separate electorates would further slow down the process of their integration into society. Also, it was feared that the system of separate electorates would gradually divide the country into numerous fragments because every community or class would then ask for separate representations.

The Rowlatt Act was passed hurriedly through the Imperial Legislative Council despite opposition from Indian members. It gave the government autocratic powers to repress political activities besides allowing it to detain political prisoners without a trial, for two years. The Indian were outraged by this act as it was clearly undemocratic and oppressive, and hurt national sentiments and dignity.

Gandhiji saw in the Khilafat Movement an opportunity for uniting the Hindus & Muslims. He said that the Congress plea for Hindu- Muslim unity "would be an empty phrase if the Hindus hold aloof from the Muslims when their vital interests are at stake". Mahatma Gandhi was elected as President of the All - India Khilafat Conference in November 1919. He advised the Khilafat Committee to adopt a policy of Non-Cooperation with the Government.

A- Ahmedabad, Gujrat

People took out a rally in the Chauri-Chaura Village in Gorakhpur, Uttarpradesh. The police opened fire on the people. But when they ran short of bullets, people attacked the police station and set on fire in which 21 policemen died. On receiving this horrible news, Gandhiji suspended the Movement immediately. 

Gandhiji decided to launch a nationwide Satyagraha against the proposed Rowlatt Act, 1919, because

The Rowlatt Act was opposed in the following manner.

i) Rallies were organised in various cities.

ii) Workers went on strikes in railway workshops.

iii) Shops were closed down.

It was in opposition to the Rowlatt Act that the infamous Jallianwala Bagh massacre took place. General Dyer ordered his troops to open fire on the innocent civilians who had gathered from the city of Amritsar and outside to attend a peaceful meeting.

On March 12, 1930, Mahatma Gandhi launched the Civil Disobedience movement against British rule in India. Gandhiji set out from Sabarmati with 78 followers on a 241-mile march to the coastal town of Dandi on the Arabian Sea. There, Gandhiji and his followers defied British policy by making salt from seawater.

Champaran Movement was held under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi in 1917. The farmers of the Champaran district were being forced to cultivate Indigo.

The Kheda Satyagraha of 1918, was during the period of the British Raj, was a Satyagraha movement organised by Mahatma Gandhi. It was a major revolt in the Indian independence movement. Gandhi organised this movement to support peasants.

The main features of the Poona Pact were: 

The Ottoman Turkey was badly defeated in the First World War. There were rumours about a harsh peace treating likely to be imposed on the Ottoman emperor; who was the spiritual head of the Islamic world (the Khalifa). A Khilafat committed was formed in Bombay in March 1919 to defend the Khalifa. This committee had leaders like the brothers Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali. They also wanted Mahatma Gandhi to take up the cause to build a united mass action. The Khilafat issue gave Gandhiji the opportunity to bring the Hindus and Muslims on a common platform. At the Calcutta session of the Congress in September 1920, the resolution was passed to launch a non-cooperation movement in support of Khilafat and also for swaraj.

Two prominent leaders of Punjab Dr. Satyapal and Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew were arrested on April 13, 1919. More than 10,000 people had gathered in Jallianwala Bagh at Amritsar to protest peacefully against the arrest of their leaders. The British troops, commanded by General Dyer surrounded the Bagh on all sides. General Dyer, the military commander of Amritsar ordered his men to shoot on the peaceful unarmed crowd without giving any warning. According to the official report, 379 people were killed and 1137 wounded in the incident. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre gave a tremendous impetus to the freedom struggle.

The book Hind Swaraj was written by Mahatma Gandhi in 1909. In it his views on Swaraj, modern civilization and mechanization have been expressed. In this book he declared that British rule was established in India with the cooperation of Indians, and had survived only because of this cooperation. If Indians refused to cooperate, British rule in India would collapse within a year, and swaraj would come.

In June 1920, Jawaharlal Nehru began going around the villages in Awadh, talking to the villagers, and trying to understand their grievances. By October, the Oudh Kisan Sabha was set up headed by Jawaharlal Nehru, Baba Ramchandra and a few others. Within a month, over 300 branches had been set up in the villages around the region. So when the Non-Cooperation Movement began the following year, the effort of the Congress was to integrate the Awadh peasant struggle into the wider national struggle.

The image given above is a painting of the Bharat Mata'' by Abanindranath Tagore drawn in 1905. Abanindranath Tagore was inspired by the Swadeshi Movement. Abanindranath Tagore tried to develop a style of painting that could be seen as truly Indian. In this painting Bharat Mata is portrayed as an ascetic figure; she is calm, composed, divine and spiritual. 

Tribal peasants interpreted the message of Mahatma Gandhi and the idea of swaraj in a very different way. In the Gudem Hills of Andhra Pradesh, for instance, a militant guerrilla movement spread in the early 1920s. It is not a form of struggle that the Congress could approve. The leader of the guerilla movement, Alluri Sitarama Raju talked of the greatness of Mahatma Gandhi, and said he was inspired by the Non-Cooperation Movement and swaraj. He persuaded people to wear khadi and give up drinking. But at the same time he asserted that India could be liberated only by the use of force, not non-violence. The Gudem rebels attacked police stations, attempted to kill British officials and carried on guerrilla warfare for achieving swaraj.

In the Gudem Hills of Andhra Pradesh a militant guerrilla movement spread in the early 1920s. The Gudem rebels attacked police stations, attempted to kill British officials and carried on guerrilla warfare for achieving swaraj.

This is to be self attempted. The answer would vary from student to student.

Workers had their own understanding of Mahatma Gandhi and the notion of swaraj. For plantation workers in Assam, freedom meant the right to move freely in and out of the confined space in which they were enclosed, and it meant retaining a link with the village from which they had come.

The Non Cooperation movement in the cities gradually slowed down for a variety of reasons. Khadi cloth was often more expensive than mass-produced mill cloth and poor people could not afford to buy it. Similarly the boycott of British institutions posed a problem. For the movement to be successful, alternative Indian institutions had to be set up so that they could be used in place of the British ones. These were slow to come up. So students and teachers began trickling back to government schools and lawyers joined back work in government courts.

Mahatma Gandhi wanted to bring the Hindus and Muslims closer together. The First World War had ended with the defeat of Ottoman Turkey and there were rumours that a harsh peace treaty was to be imposed on the Ottoman emperor who was also the Khalifa i.e. the spiritual head of the Islamic world. To defend the Khalifa’s powers, a Khilafat Committee was formed in Bombay in March 1919. Muslim leaders like Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali, began discussing with Mahatma Gandhi about the possibility of a united mass action on the issue. Gandhiji saw Khilafat as an opportunity to bring Muslims under the umbrella of a unified national movement. At the Calcutta session of the Congress in September 1920, he convinced other leaders of the need to start a non-cooperation movement in support of Khilafat as well as for swaraj.

In 1921, The Ali brothers were arrested on charges of sedition. Gandhiji suspended the Non-Cooperation movement after the Chauri Chaura incident. He was arrested in 1922. 

A few months after his arrest, the Caliph or the Sultan of Turkey was deposed of his power due to a revolution led by Mustafa Kemal Pasha. Later on, Turkey moved towards becoming a secular state & the Khilafat issue lost its importance.

Gandhiji supported the cause of the Indian Muslim and met the leaders of the Khilafat agitation. At this time, Mohammad Ali and Shaukat Ali wished to initiate a full fledged Non-cooperation Movement. Gandhiji supported their call and urged the Congress to campaign against "Punjab wrongs" (Jallianwala-massacre), the Khilafat wrong and demand swaraj. The Non-cooperation Movement gained momentum through 1921-22. Thousands of students left government controlled schools and colleges. Many lawyers such as C.R. Das, Motilal Nehru Asaf Ah and C. Rajagopalachari gave up their practices. British titles were surrendered and legislatures boycotted. In Kheda, Gujarat, Patidar peasants organised non-violent campaigns against the high land revenue demand of the British. In coastal and interior Tamil Nadu, liquor shops were picketed. In the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, tribals and poor peasants staged a number of forest satyagrahas, sometimes sending their cattle into forests without paying grazing fees. They were protesting because the colonial state had restricted their use of forest resources in various ways. They believed that Gandhiji would get their taxes reduced and have the forest regulations abolished. In many forest villages, peasants proclaimed Swaraj and believed that Gandhi Raj was about to be established. In Sindh (now in Pakistan), Muslim traders and peasants were very enthusiastic about the Khilafat call. In Bengal too, the Khailafat-Non-cooperation alliance gave enormous communal unity and strength to the national movement. In Punjab, the Akali agitation of the Sikhs sought to remove corrupt Mahants supported by the British from their gurdwaras. This movement got closely'identified with the Non-cooperation Movement. In Assam, tea garden laborers, showing Gandhi Maharja Ki Jai, demanded a big increase in their wages. They left the British-owned plantations amidst declarations that they were following Gandhiji's wish. Interestingly, in the Assamese Vaishnava songs of the period, the reference to Krishna was substituted by Gandhi Raj. People understood Gandhiji's like a kind of messiah, as someone who could help them overcome their misery and poverty.

By August 31, 1920, the Khilafat Non-Cooperation Movement started. People resigned from government services; shops selling foreign goods were picketed; students boycotted schools & colleges; &' hartals' & demonstrations were held. By the end of 1920, the Khilafat Movement & the Congress Non-Cooperation movement merged into one nationwide movement.