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Nationalism and Satyagraha in India

The document discusses the link between nationalism and anti-colonial movements in colonies, highlighting how shared oppression united diverse groups. It explains how the First World War exacerbated hardships in India, fueling the National Movement, and details the outrage against the Rowlatt Act for its oppressive nature. Additionally, it covers Gandhiji's withdrawal of the Non-Cooperation Movement due to rising violence and the need for better-trained satyagrahis, while defining Satyagraha as a non-violent method of fighting injustice.

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4 views2 pages

Nationalism and Satyagraha in India

The document discusses the link between nationalism and anti-colonial movements in colonies, highlighting how shared oppression united diverse groups. It explains how the First World War exacerbated hardships in India, fueling the National Movement, and details the outrage against the Rowlatt Act for its oppressive nature. Additionally, it covers Gandhiji's withdrawal of the Non-Cooperation Movement due to rising violence and the need for better-trained satyagrahis, while defining Satyagraha as a non-violent method of fighting injustice.

Uploaded by

divyanshshrivastava606
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

1.

Explain:
(a) Why growth of nationalism in the colonies is linked to an anti-colonial movement.
(b) How the First World War helped in the growth of the National Movement in India.
(c) Why Indians were outraged by the Rowlatt Act.
(d) Why Gandhiji decided to withdraw the Non-Cooperation Movement.

Answer

(a) The sense of being oppressed under colonialism provided a shared bond that tied many different
groups together. People began discovering their unity in the process of their struggle with colonialism.
The movements of freedom struggle were joined by the masses to free themselves from foreign
exploitation. Thus, the growth of nationalism in the colonies is linked to anti-colonial movements.

(b) During the First World War, to finance the defence expenditure, customs duties were raised
and income tax introduced. The forced recruitment in rural areas caused widespread anger. In 1918-19
and 1920-21, crops failed in many parts of India which resulted in acute shortages of food. Also, there
was an influenza epidemic. The hardships of people did not ended after the war. Thus, they united
under leaders to find a new way of struggle.

(c) The Rowlatt Act was hurriedly passed through the Imperial Legislative Council despite the united
opposition of the Indian members. It gave the government enormous powers to repress political
activities and allowed detention of political prisoners without trial for two years. This was an unjust and
oppressive law for Indians. Thus, Indians were outraged by the Rowlatt Act.

(d) Gandhiji felt the movement was turning violent in many places such as Chauri Chaura incident. He
felt that satyagrahis needed to be properly trained before they would be ready for mass struggles. Thus,
Gandhiji decided to withdraw the Non-Cooperation Movement.

2. What is meant by the idea Satyagraha?

Answer

Satyagraha was a novel method of mass agitation. The idea of ‘Satyagraha’ emphasized the power of
truth and the need to search for truth. It suggested that if the cause was true, if the struggle was against
injustice, then physical force was not necessary to fight the oppressor. A satyagrahi could win the battle
through non-violence without seeking vengeance or being aggressive.

[Link] was ‘Champaran Movement’?


Answer: It was the first satyagrahi movement that took place in 1916, in which Mahatma Gandhi
travelled to Champaran to inspire the indigo planters to struggle against the oppressive plantation
system.

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