Nationalism in India Study Flashcards

Vocabulary and key concept flashcards covering the 'Nationalism in India' chapter, including major movements, legal acts, and historical figures from 1915 to 1942.

Modern Nationalism in Europe

A concept associated with the formation of nation-states and a change in people’s understanding of their identity and sense of belonging.

Forced recruitment

A process by which the colonial state forced people to join the army.

Census of 1921

A record indicating that 12 to 13 million people perished in India as a result of famines and the influenza epidemic.

Satyagraha

A novel method of mass agitation based on the power of truth and the need to search for truth, emphasizing that non-violence could win battles by appealing to the conscience of the oppressor.

Champaran Movement (1917)

A satyagraha organized by Mahatma Gandhi in Bihar to inspire peasants to struggle against the oppressive plantation system.

Kheda Satyagraha (1918)

A movement in Gujarat to support peasants affected by crop failure and a plague epidemic who were demanding relaxation of revenue collection.

Rowlatt Act (1919)

An act that gave the government enormous powers to repress political activities and allowed detention of political prisoners without trial for two years.

Martial Law

A state of military control imposed in Amritsar in 1919, with General Dyer taking command.

Jallianwalla Bagh Incident

An event on 13 April 1919 where General Dyer opened fire on a large crowd in an enclosed ground to ‘produce a moral effect’ of terror and awe.

Khilafat Committee

A committee formed in Bombay in March 1919 to defend the temporal powers of the Khalifa, the spiritual head of the Islamic world.

Hind Swaraj (1909)

A book by Mahatma Gandhi declaring that British rule was established in India with the cooperation of Indians and would collapse if they refused to cooperate.

Boycott

The refusal to deal and associate with people, or participate in activities, or buy and use things; usually a form of protest.

Non-Cooperation-Khilafat Movement

A movement that began in January 1921, incorporating various social groups responding to the call of Swaraj.

Justice Party

A party of non-Brahmans in Madras that did not boycott council elections, seeing it as a way to gain power usually reserved for Brahmans.

Picket

A form of demonstration or protest by which people block the entrance to a shop, factory or office.

Begar

Labour that villagers were forced to contribute without any payment.

Oudh Kisan Sabha

An organization set up in October 1920, headed by Jawaharlal Nehru, Baba Ramchandra, and others to address peasant grievances in Awadh.

Bardoli Satyagraha (1928)

A successful peasant movement led by Vallabhbhai Patel in Gujarat against the enhancement of land revenue.

Alluri Sitaram Raju

A leader in the Gudem Hills of Andhra Pradesh who led a militant guerrilla movement and claimed special powers like surviving bullet shots.

Inland Emigration Act of 1859

A law that prohibited plantation workers in Assam from leaving tea gardens without permission, which was rarely granted.

Chauri Chaura (1922)

The site in Gorakhpur where a peaceful demonstration turned violent, leading Mahatma Gandhi to halt the Non-Cooperation Movement.

Swaraj Party

A group formed within the Congress by C. R. Das and Motilal Nehru to argue for a return to council politics.

Simon Commission

A Statutory Commission set up in 1928 to look into India's constitutional system, which was boycotted because it had no Indian members.

Purna Swaraj

The demand for full independence for India, formalised at the Lahore Congress session in December 1929 under Jawaharlal Nehru.

Independence Day Pledge (26 January 1930)

A declaration stating that the British Government ruined India and that India must sever the connection to attain Complete Independence.

Salt March

A 240-mile march from Sabarmati to Dandi led by Gandhi and 78 volunteers to violate the salt law by manufacturing salt from sea water.

Gandhi-Irwin Pact (5 March 1931)

An agreement where Gandhi consented to participate in a Round Table Conference in London and the government agreed to release political prisoners.

Hindustan Socialist Republican Army (HSRA)

A revolutionary organization founded in 1928 at Ferozeshah Kotla in Delhi by leaders including Bhagat Singh, Jatin Das, and Ajoy Ghosh.

FICCI

The Federation of the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries, formed in 1927 to organize Indian business interests.

Depressed Classes Association (1930)

An organization established by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar to represent the interests of the dalits.

Poona Pact (September 1932)

An agreement that gave Depressed Classes reserved seats in provincial and central legislative councils, to be voted in by the general electorate.

Bharat Mata

A visual symbol of the Indian nation, first created by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and later painted by Abanindranath Tagore as an ascetic figure.

Vande Mataram

A hymn to the motherland written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in the 1870s and included in his novel Anandamath.

Swaraj Flag (1921)

A tricolour flag (red, green, and white) designed by Gandhiji featuring a spinning wheel in the centre representing self-help.

Quit India Movement (1942)

A mass movement launched by Gandhiji following the failure of the Cripps Mission, famous for the ‘Do or Die’ speech.