Nationalism and Independence in India (1919-1964)

Introduction

• This book prepares students for the IB History Paper 3 exam, focusing on Nationalism and Independence in India (1919-1964), which is Topic 10 in HL Option 3 (History of Asia and Oceania).

• The book examines the growth of the nationalist movement from World War I (1914) to independence (1947).

• It also addresses political and constitutional developments, major campaigns, and the roles of specific groups and individuals.

• Special attention is given to factors leading to the partition of the subcontinent into India and Pakistan.

• The book analyzes post-independence India under Jawaharlal Nehru until 1964, highlighting India's emergence as a united, secular democracy.

Themes

• The book examines the growth of Indian nationalism and the achievement of independence, focusing on:

  • The impact of World War I and demands for Home Rule.

  • Key political and constitutional developments between 1919 and 1935, including the Amritsar Massacre, the 1919 Government of India Act, the Simon Commission, the Round Table Conferences, and responses to the 1935 Government of India Act.

  • The roles of key groups and figures such as the Indian National Congress, the All-India Muslim League, Gandhi, Nehru, and Jinnah.

  • The struggle for independence, covering the Non-Cooperation movement, the Salt March, the Civil Disobedience campaign, and the 'Quit India' campaign.

  • The growth of Muslim separatism, including the 'Two Nation' theory and the Lahore Resolution.

  • The impact of World War II, including Bose and the Indian National Army, the Cripps Mission, and the weakening of British power.

  • The achievement of independence, focusing on the role of Mountbatten and the reasons for partition.

  • Post-independence India, including ethnic and religious conflicts, the princely states, the conflict over Kashmir, and the successes and failures of Nehru’s domestic policies.

Key Concepts

• The book emphasizes six key concepts for IB History exams:

  • Change

  • Continuity

  • Causation

  • Consequence

  • Significance

  • Perspectives

Theory of Knowledge

• The topic of Nationalism and Independence in India has clear links to ideas about knowledge and history.

• The controversial nature of the topic has impacted historians writing about these states, leaders, policies, and actions.

• Historians must decide which evidence to select and use, potentially influenced by their political views, which affects the objectivity of historical truth.

• Students are advised to read diverse interpretations of events, British policies, leaders' aims, nationalist struggles, and historical events to gain a clear understanding of relevant historiographies.

IB History and Paper 3

• Paper 3 is exclusively for Higher-Level IB History students and requires the selection of three Option sections for in-depth analysis.

• The exam provides two questions per section, with students required to answer a total of three questions.

• Students can answer both questions from one section, selecting the third from another, focusing on in-depth analytical essays.

• It is crucial to study all bullet points in the IB History Guide for a broad choice of questions.

Exam Skills

• Exam answers should demonstrate factual knowledge/understanding, awareness of historical interpretations, and structured, analytical arguments.

• Chapter 10 is a useful reference for effective exam strategies.

Questions and Mark Schemes

• Each chapter includes comprehension questions and exam tips to develop necessary skills.

• Success in Paper 3 requires essays with sustained analysis, argument, and precise supporting knowledge, organized clearly.

• Close attention to the question's wording is essential, avoiding narratives with vague links to the question.

• Present a well-structured, analytical argument supported by precise evidence.

• Awareness of historical debates and interpretations boosts marks. Critically evaluate interpretations by considering weaknesses and strengths.

Examiner's Tips

• Each chapter focuses on a specific skill, providing examiner’s tips for achieving high marks:

  • Skill 1 (Chapter 2): Understanding the wording of a question.

  • Skill 2 (Chapter 3): Planning an essay.

  • Skill 3 (Chapter 5): Writing an introductory paragraph.

  • Skill 4 (Chapter 6): Avoiding irrelevance.

  • Skill 5 (Chapter 7): Avoiding a narrative-based answer.

  • Skill 6 (Chapter 8): Analyzing your own knowledge and combining it with historical debate awareness.

  • Skill 7 (Chapter 9): Writing a conclusion.

• Chapter 10 offers further guidance with tips and comments, helping students avoid common mistakes.

• Chapter 10 provides a simplified Paper 3 mark scheme for better understanding.

Background to the Period

• The Indian subcontinent or South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh) was the British colony of India until 1947.

• Understanding Indian history before 1947 is important.

• Colonialism in India should be viewed within the context of European imperialism in Asia.

The Land and the People

• South Asia has distinctive geographic features: mountains in the north, fertile plains in the Indus and Ganges rivers, and a coastline.

• India’s history spans thousands of years, including the Indus Valley civilization (3000 BCE).

• Numerous invaders were attracted to India's resources (spices, gold) and many people, cultures, languages, and religions mixed.

• Hinduism was the main religion, but Turkish invaders brought Islam around 1200, establishing the Delhi Sultanates.

• The Mughals, a Muslim dynasty, expanded their empire until it included most of present-day India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh by 1700.

• Mughal rulers relied on local Hindu rulers for support, who paid taxes to the Mughal emperor.

• Islam and Hinduism co-existed for centuries.

• The Sikh religion also emerged, drawing elements from both Islam and Hinduism.

Colonialism in Asia

• European interest in Asia was sparked by the spice trade.

• In 1498, the Portuguese found a sea route to the Indian Ocean, followed by the Dutch, Spanish, French, and English.

• The English East India Company (EIC) was established in 1600 to trade with India. They gradually expanded control, having their own army.

• By the mid-19th century, the EIC ruled large parts of India, with the Mughal emperor having no real power.

• Following an uprising against EIC control in 1857-1858, the British government took over most of India as a British colony.

• Other parts of Asia also became European colonies; Dutch East Indies, French Indochina, British Malaya, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Sri Lanka.

• Non-European powers such as the USA, Russia, Ottoman empire, and Japan also colonized parts of Asia.

• The only large Asian countries that retained their independence were Japan, Thailand, and China. However, China was economically dominated by European powers.

• The nationalist struggle for independence in India mirrored anti-colonial struggles in other Asian colonies.

• The scale and effectiveness of the Indian nationalist movement, and its achievement of independence in 1947, inspired anti-colonial struggles in Africa and other parts of Asia.

Terminology and Definitions

Caste

• Traditional Hindu society was divided into a hierarchy of levels called castes which determined a person's occupation, rights, privileges and opportunities.

• Those outside the caste system, 'untouchables', suffered exclusion and discrimination.

• Independent India outlawed untouchability. However this deeply entrenched practice was difficult to eradicate.

Civil Disobedience

• The refusal to obey certain unjust laws or government regulations, non-violent and visible, done as a form of protest, with the expectation of punishment.

• The Civil Disobedience campaign refers specifically to the campaign led by Gandhi and the Indian National Congress between 1930 and 1932, which started with the Salt March.

Communalism

• Promoting the interests of one ethnic, religious, or cultural group rather than those of society as a whole.

• Responsible for the tensions between Hindus and Muslims in pre-independence India and the violence that accompanied partition in 1947.

Dalit

• Meaning 'the oppressed', it's a term used by untouchables to refer to themselves.

• They formed the radical Dalit Panther organisation to fight for their rights in the 1970s.

Dominion Status

• Gave colonies autonomy to run their own affairs. They were members of the empire but not ruled by Britain.

• Settler colonies were granted dominion status, but British colonies in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean were not.

Harijans

• Meaning 'children of God', this was Gandhi's term for the untouchables.

• He fought for greater rights and freedom for them, and opposed separate representation.

• He reached an agreement with Dr B.R. Ambedkar about reserved seats rather than separate electorates.

Hartal

• A strike, work stoppage, the closing of shops in a market as a form of protest, or boycott of British goods.

• A feature of the Rowlett satyagraha of 1919 and later used in other non-violent protest campaigns launched by Gandhi.

Hindutwa

• A politicized form of Hinduism promoting Hindu values and a state based on Hindu beliefs and culture.

• Its emergence contributed to communal tensions. It was the ideology of the militant Hindu nationalist group the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

• Gandhi’s assassin was a member of the RSS.

Home Rule

• Self-government or independence from Britain.

• Support for Home Rule Leagues in India during World War I sustained the nationalist movement and contributed to the Montagu Declaration in 1917.

Jain

• A small religious community teaching respect for all living things and strict vegetarianism.

• Gandhi was influenced by Jainism.

Khalifat

• Caliph is a term for a supreme spiritual and political leader in the Muslim world.

• The Khalifat movement sought to secure the position of the Ottoman sultan as the spiritual leader of all Muslims.

• It played a role in the Non-Cooperation movement of 1920 to 1922.

Mahatma

• 'Great soul': the name given to Mohandas Gandhi.

Non-Cooperation

• A refusal to cooperate with government policies.

• The Non-Cooperation movement was the first mass movement of civil disobedience launched by Gandhi and the Indian National Congress between 1920 and 1922.

Satyagraha

• 'Soul force' or 'truth force'; a quest for truth though mass political activity.

• Based on the belief that ordinary people can bring about political change by using peaceful means to fight for justice.

Secular

• Secularism is the view that religion should be separated from government or public education.

• The Indian National Congress promoted secularism as its goal, and the constitution of independent India confirmed India’s status as a secular state.

Swadeshi

• The idea of indigenous self-sufficiency.

• First used as a form of organised protest after the partition of Bengal in 1905, and contributed to Britain’s decision to introduce the Morley-Minto reforms in 1909.

Swaraj

• Self-government or independence from foreign rule.

• The Indian National Congress adopted Purna Swaraj (complete independence) as its goal at its 1929 Congress session in Lahore.

Place Names

• Many place names in India have been changed in recent years.

• This book uses the names in use at the time of the historical events discussed.

History and Changing Perspectives

• Historians often change their views of past events as new primary resources come to light or simply because new perspectives emerge (Historiography).

• Imperialist historians focus on the role played by Britain in bringing about change, and see this as positive.

• Nationalist historians emphasize the Indians' efforts and focus on Congress and its leaders.

• Historians of the Subaltern Studies group focus on the role played by ordinary people ('History from below').

• Historians writing from a Marxist perspective view British colonialism as exploitative and analyze the Indian nationalist movement from a class perspective.

Summary

• This book prepares students to:

  • Understand the impact of World War I and the Home Rule movement.

  • Explain political and constitutional developments between 1919 and 1935 and responses to them in India.

  • Evaluate the role of key groups and individuals in the nationalist movement.

  • Compare the main campaigns and strategies used in the struggle for independence.

  • Account for the rise of Muslim separatism.

  • Understand the impact of World War II on the independence movement.

  • Explain the situation in India after the war, leading to independence and partition.

  • Understand the challenges facing post-independence India and evaluate the effectiveness of domestic policies.