Chapter-2 Nationalism in ❖
The Idea of Satyagraha
Satyagraha focused on the importance of truth and the
India pursuit of it.
❖ It advocated that physical force was unnecessary to
fight against injustice if the cause was true.
❖ Through non-violence, a Satyagrahi could win without
seeking revenge or being aggressive.
❖ The aim was to persuade people, including oppressors,
❖ Nationalism in India developed during the anti-colonial to see the truth, rather than imposing it through violence.
struggle. ❖ Satyagraha ensured that truth would ultimately
❖ Educated Indians demanded more autonomy in the triumph.
mid-19th century.
❖ The Indian National Congress led the nationalist
movement. Movements by Mahatma Gandhi
❖ M. K. Gandhi played a key role in mobilising and
In January 1915, Mahatma Gandhi returned to India from
uniting Indians. South Africa. He visited Champaran in Bihar in 1916 to
❖ Internal conflicts arose due to differing ideologies and
motivate peasants to fight against the oppressive plantation
strategies. system. The following year, he led a Satyagraha to support
the demands of the Kheda district peasants in Gujarat to
relax revenue collection. In 1918, Gandhi organised a
Satyagraha among cotton mill workers in Ahmedabad.
Effects of War The Rowlatt Act(Black act)
❖ War led to a rise in defence spending financed by loans ❖ Rowlatt Act was passed hastily through the
and higher taxes. Imperial Legislative Council in 1919 despite strong
❖ Prices doubled between 1913 and 1918, causing opposition from Indian members.
hardship for people. ❖ The Act granted the government broad
❖ Forced conscription in rural areas caused anger among powers to suppress political activities.
the population. ❖ Political prisoners could be detained without
❖ Crop failures and an influenza outbreak resulted in food trial for up to two years.
shortages. ❖ The Act led to the imposition of martial law,
❖ Between 12-13 million people died from famine and with General Dyer appointed to enforce it.
epidemic caused by the war.
Gandhi’s response-
• He launched Rowlatt satyagraha. Seeing violence spread, Gandhi called of the satyagraha.
• Based on non violence. Khilafat Issue
• Boycott to foreign goods and adopt swadeshi goods. ❖ Ottoman Turkey was defeated in WWI.
• Rallies were organised,workers went on strike, shops ❖ Muslims were concerned about the harsh peace treaty
closed down. imposed on the Khalifa.
❖ A Khilafat Committee was formed in Bombay in 1919 to
Response by Britishers- defend the Khalifa's temporal powers.
• Local leaders were picked up from amritsar. ❖ Young Muslim leaders (Mohammad Ali and Shaukat
• Gandhi was barred from entering delhi. Ali) discussed a united mass action
• On 10 April police fired upon a peaceful with Gandhi.
protest,provoking widespread attacks on banks,post office ❖ Gandhi saw this as an opportunity to unify Muslims
and railway stations. under a national movement and to start a broad based
• Martial law was imposed( No public gatherings allowed) movement.
General Dyer took command. ❖ The non-cooperation movement was launched in 1921
to support Khilafat and Swaraj.
Jallianwala Bagh Massacre Non Co-Operation Movement
❖ On April 13, 1919, a large crowd gathered in the
enclosed area of Jallianwalla Bagh.
❖ Some came to protest the government's new repressive Why Non-Cooperation-
measures, while others were attending the annual Baisakhi Mahatma Gandhi's book Hindi Swaraj (1909) declares
fair. that British rule in India was established with the
❖ Many villagers from outside the city were unaware of help of Indians.
the imposed martial law. According to Gandhi, the British dominion in India
❖ General Dyer blocked the exit points and ordered his survived solely because of Indian cooperation.
troops to fire on the unarmed crowd, killing hundreds. Gandhi believed that if Indians refused to cooperate,
❖ Dyer's intention was to create a sense of terror and awe the British rule in India would collapse within a year.
in the minds of Satyagrahis by producing a moral effect. In his book, Gandhi envisioned Swaraj, or self-rule, in
India as a viable alternative to British dominion.
As the news of Jallianwala bagh spread, crowds took the
streets. There were strikes ,clashes with police attacks on Calcutta session-
govt [Link] in govt’s brutal repression,seeking In September 1920, congress did not pass the NCM due to
to humiliate and terrorise people. People were humiliated, experience of jallianwala bagh massacre and they did not
beaten and arrested. want to boycott council elections.
Nagpur session- • In june 1920, J. L. Nehru visited in villages in awadh to
In December 1920, Mahatma Gandhi convinced leaders of comprehend their grievances. In October nehru and few
congress and NCM was adopted. others set up the Oudh kisan sabha and within a month
300 branches had been setup.
• When NCM started,The houses of talukdars and
Differing Strands within the movement- merchants were attacked, bazaars were looted and grain
The Non-Cooperation-Khilafat Movement commenced in boards were taken over.
January 1921, with the involvement of diverse social groups
who attributed varying interpretations to the term. Participation by The Tribals-
• In the early 1920s, a militant guerrilla movement began
1. In towns in the Gudem Hills of Andhra Pradesh, where the
• The middle-class started the Non-Cooperation government shut down forest areas, leading to a
Movement in the towns. Thousands of students left govt detrimental impact on the livelihood of the hill people.
controlled schools and colleges, Headmasters and teachers • Eventually, the hill people rebelled, led by Alluri
resigned- in support of the movement. Sitaram Raju, who claimed to possess a range of special
• Many lawyers also gave up their legal practices. powers.
• Liquor shops picketed. • Raju was arrested and executed in 1924.
• People boycotted foreign goods and adopted the
swadeshi.
• However, the movement lost momentum due to various 3. Swaraj in plantation
factors such as the high cost of Khadi clothes and limited • Plantation workers in Assam desired the freedom to
options of Indian institutions for students and teachers. move freely in and out and maintain a connection with
• As a result, many students and teachers returned to their hometowns.
government schools. Lawyers also rejoined government • The Inland Emigration Act of 1859 restricted plantation
courts. workers from leaving the tea gardens without permission.
• Upon learning of the Non-Cooperation Movement,
2. Countryside many plantation workers left their jobs and attempted to
• From awadh region peasants participated in NCM led return home.
by Baba Ramchandra(A sanyasi who had earlier been to fiji • Unfortunately, the workers were apprehended by the
as an indentured labour) police and subjected to severe beatings, never reaching
• Here movement was against Talukdars and landlords. their intended destinations.
• This movement called for abolition of begar, reduction
or revenue, fixed land tenure. The NCM was withdrawn in Feb 1922 due to its violent
turn.(chauri chaura incident in which 22 policemen were
killed ) And also Britishers had arrested all main leaders, to find a way to relate this abstract idea to more concrete
without them, movement was directionless. issues of everyday life.
Salt march and CDM
Towards Civil Disobedience Salt March(Dandi March)-
After the withdrawal of NCM Some leaders like C.R. Das • January 31, 1930: Gandhi sends a letter to Viceroy Irwin
and Motilal Nehru wanted to participate in provincial outlining eleven demands, including the abolition of the
council elections & formed the Swaraj Party in 1923 while salt tax.
some younger leaders like J. L. Nehru and S. C. Bose pressed • March 11, 1930: Deadline for the British government to
for more radical mass agitation and for full independence. meet the demands or face civil disobedience.
• March 12, 1930: Gandhi begins the Salt March,
The late 1920’s saw the worldwide economic depression & accompanied by 78 volunteers.
falling agricultural prices in 1926 and collapsed in 1930 , • Distance of the march: Over 240 miles, from Sabarmati
peasants found it difficult to sell their harvest and pay their ashram to Dandi.
[Link] the 1930 country was in turmoil. • April 6, 1930: Gandhi reaches Dandi and breaks the salt
law by making salt from seawater.
Against this background The Statutory Commission(All This marked the beginning of civil disobedience
British members headed by John Simon)was set up to review movement.
the constitutional system in India & suggest changes. The
Simon Commission was met with the slogan "Go back Civil Disobedience Movement-
Simon". In this agitation britishers resoonded with laathi The Civil Disobedience Movement, which started with the
charge in which lala lajpat rai was died. Salt March, gained widespread popularity and led to the
breaking of the salt law in various parts of the country.
In oct 1929 Lord Irwin announced a vague offer of ❖ The movement also involved the boycott of foreign
“dominion status” and a round table conference to discuss a cloth, refusal to pay revenue by peasants, and violation of
future constitution. forest laws in several places.
❖ In April 1930, Abdul Ghaffar Khan, a follower of
In December 1929, the Lahore Congress session under Mahatma Gandhi, was arrested, followed by the arrest of
the presidency of J.L. Nehru formalized the demand for Gandhi himself a month later.
"Purna Swaraj" or full independence for India. January 26, ❖ This led to attacks on symbols of British rule across the
1930, was declared as Independence Day when people were country .Witnessing the violent situation, Mahatma
to take a pledge to struggle for complete independence. But Gandhi decided to call off the movement and signed the
the celebrations attracted very little attention. So Gandhi had Gandhi-Irwin Pact on 5 March 1931, agreeing to
participate in a Round Table Conference in London.
Gandhiji, leaders of cong., B.R. Ambedkar • Congress avoided ‘no rent’ campaigns to not upset
participated in the conference. It gave separate electoral [Link] relation with Congress remained
system to dalits due to demand of ambedkar.(Gandhi uncertain.
opposed this through fast till death protest, resulted in
Poona pact- between gandhi and ambedkar in which
ambedkar was agreed to give up separate electoral system.) Industrialists-
❖ However, when the conference failed to achieve its • Hoping to expand their businesses, they opposed British
objectives, Mahatma Gandhi returned to India policies that restricted trade and demanded protection
disappointed and relaunched the Civil Disobedience from foreign imports.
Movement. • They formed bodies like the Indian Industrial and
❖ The movement continued for almost a year, but by Commercial Congress (1920) and FICCI (1927).
1934, it had lost its momentum. • Leaders like Purshottamdas Thakurdas and G.D. Birla
supported the Civil Disobedience Movement by funding it
Participants- and boycotting foreign goods. They saw swaraj as an
Landlords- opportunity for free trade.
• However, after the Round Table Conference failed, their
• Patidars (Gujarat) and Jats (U.P.) were rich peasants
involved in the movement. support declined due to fears of militant activities, business
• Affected by falling prices and trade [Link] disruptions, and the rise of socialism within the Congress.
to pay high revenue due to loss of cash [Link]
Civil Disobedience as a protest against high revenue Workers-
demands. • Workers did not participate in large scale because
• Organised communities and enforced congress had close relationships with industrials and not
[Link] when movement ended in 1931 talk about the interests of workers.
without revenue relief. • Some workers supported boycott of foreign goods and
• Did not rejoin when movement resumed in 1932. joined protests against low wages and poor conditions.
• Strikes: Railway workers (1930), dockworkers (1932).
• Chotanagpur tin miners joined protests wearing Gandhi
Peasants- caps.
• Poor peasants (small tenants) struggled to pay rent to
landlords during the [Link] remission of
unpaid rent. Women-
• Joined radical movements led by Socialists/ • Women participated on large scale in CDM. It was first
Communists. time when women had participated in public protest.
• Women participated in protests, dandi march, picketing • Gandhiji's Swaraj flag with a spinning wheel symbolised
etc self-help and autonomy, becoming an emblem of the
• Congress limited women’s roles, allowing only symbolic independence struggle.
presence, not leadership.
Conclusion
Limits of CDM
Dalits • Growing anger against colonial rule united various
• Dalits, addressed as untouchable,were not moved by the groups and classes in the early 20th century.
concept of swaraj. • Congress under Mahatma Gandhi led organized
• They demanded reserved seat in educational movements for independence.
institutions and separate electorate. (Rejected by INC) • Nationalists aimed to forge national unity through
• Dr ambedkar organised the dalits into the depressed these movements.
classes association in 1930. • Diverse aspirations and expectations among
groups:
Muslims- • Freedom meant different things to different
• Congress had close relationships with hindu mahasabha people.
and its interests were against of Muslim. •
• Muslims wanted reservation as per proportion of • Congress tried to balance group demands and
Muslim population in central legislature.(rejected by INC) avoid alienation.
• Resulted in phases of unity followed by disunity
and internal conflicts.
Sense of Collective Belonging • Ultimately, a nation with many voices was
• Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay created Bharat Mata as emerging, all desiring freedom.
a visual representation of Indian identity.
• Abanindranath Tagore portrayed Bharat Mata as a
spiritual figure, strengthening the connection between Quit India Movement
culture and nationalism. Background:
• Nationalists recorded folk tales and songs, preserving • Cripps Mission failure & impact of World War II
cultural heritage and uniting people through shared led to widespread discontent.
narratives. • Gandhiji called for complete British withdrawal.
• Tricolour flag with eight lotuses and a crescent moon
symbolised unity among provinces and religious groups Quit India Resolution:
during the Swadeshi movement.
• Passed: 14 July 1942, Wardha (Congress Working
Committee).
• Endorsed: 8 August 1942, Bombay (All India
Congress Committee).
• Called for non-violent mass struggle.
• Gandhiji’s famous “Do or Die” speech delivered.
Nature of Movement:
• Mass participation: Students, workers, peasants.
• Widespread hartals, demonstrations, national
songs & slogans.
• State machinery paralyzed in many areas.
Key Leaders:
• Jayprakash Narayan, Aruna Asaf Ali, Ram
Manohar Lohia.
• Women participants:
◦ Matangini Hazra (Bengal)
◦ Kanaklata Barua (Assam)
◦ Rama Devi (Odisha)
British Response:
• Repression with force.
• Took over a year to suppress.