Nationalism in India: Quick Review Notes (copy)

Modern nationalism in India is inextricably linked to the anti-colonial movement.
Shared experiences of being oppressed under colonialism provided a bond that tied diverse social groups together.
The Congress, led by Mahatma Gandhi, attempted to forge these groups into one unified movement, though this process often involved internal conflict.

The war ( $1914-1918$ ) transformed the economic and political situation: heavy increase in defense expenditure, reliance on war loans, and tax increases (customs duties and income tax).
Prices doubled between $1913$ and $1918$ , leading to extreme hardship for the common people.
Forced recruitment in rural areas caused widespread anger.
Crop failures in $1918-19$ and $1920-21$ combined with an influenza epidemic, resulting in the deaths of $12 \text{ to } 13 \text{ million}$ people according to the census of $1921$ .

Mahatma Gandhi returned to India from South Africa in January $1915$ .
Satyagraha is a method of mass agitation based on the power of truth and non-violence ( $dharma$ ).
Early successes include:
- $1917$ : Champaran (Bihar) to support peasants against the plantation system.
- $1918$ : Kheda (Gujarat) to support peasants affected by crop failure and plague.
- $1918$ : Ahmedabad cotton mill workers' strike.

Rowlatt Act ( $1919$ ): Allowed the government to detain political prisoners without trial for $2$ years.
Resistance: Gandhi organized a non-violent $hartal$ on $6 \text{ April } 1919$ .
Jallianwalla Bagh Massacre ( $13 \text{ April } 1919$ ): General Dyer opened fire on a peaceful crowd to create a feeling of "terror and awe".
Result: Brutal repression followed, leading Gandhi to call off the Rowlatt Satyagraha.

Gandhi aimed to unite Hindus and Muslims by taking up the Khilafat issue (defending the temporal powers of the Ottoman Khalifa).
In March $1919$ , a Khilafat Committee was formed in Bombay by Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali.
Non-Cooperation was formally adopted at the Nagpur Congress session in December $1920$ and launched in January $1921$ .
Key Strands:
- Towns: Middle-class boycott of schools, colleges, and courts; foreign cloth imports dropped in value from $\text{Rs } 102 \text{ crore}$ to $\text{Rs } 57 \text{ crore}$ between $1921$ and $1922$ .
- Countryside: Awadh peasants led by Baba Ramchandra (a sanyasi) against $begar$ and high rents from talukdars.
- Tribals: Alluri Sitaram Raju led a militant guerrilla movement in the Gudem Hills of Andhra Pradesh.
- Plantations: Assam workers defied the Inland Emigration Act of $1859$ to leave tea gardens.
End of the Movement: Gandhi called a halt in February $1922$ after the violent Chauri Chaura incident.

Internal Debate: C. R. Das and Motilal Nehru formed the Swaraj Party to argue for council entry, while radicals like Jawaharlal Nehru pushed for full independence.
Simon Commission ( $1928$ ): An all-British commission sent to India, greeted with the slogan "Go back Simon".
Purna Swaraj: At the Lahore Congress in December $1929$ , the demand for "Full Independence" was formalized.
Salt March ( $1930$ ): Gandhi sent $11$ demands to Viceroy Irwin. On $12 \text{ March } 1930$ , he began a $240 \text{ mile}$ march with $78$ volunteers from Sabarmati to Dandi.
Campaign: On $6 \text{ April } 1930$ , Gandhi broke the salt law, signaling the start of the Civil Disobedience Movement.

Rich Peasants: Patidars (Gujarat) and Jats (Uttar Pradesh) were active but grew disappointed when revenue rates were not revised.
Business Classes: Formed the Federation of the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FICCI) in $1927$ ; leaders like G. D. Birla supported the movement.
Dalits (Untouchables): Dr. B.R. Ambedkar formed the Depressed Classes Association in $1930$ . The Poona Pact ( $1932$ ) secured reserved seats for Dalits within the general electorate.
Muslims: Growing suspicion of the Congress-Hindu Mahasabha link; Sir Muhammad Iqbal and Jinnah debated separate electorates for minority safeguards.

Bharat Mata: The identity of the nation was visually associated with Bharat Mata, first written about by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in the hymn "Vande Mataram" and later painted by Abanindranath Tagore as an ascetic figure.
Folklore: Nationalists collected folk tales (e.g., Natesa Sastri in Madras) to discover national identity.
Icons: The Swaraj flag ( $1921$ ) featured a tricolour (red, green, white) and a spinning wheel.

Launched in August $1942$ following the failure of the Cripps Mission.
The Congress adopted the "Quit India" resolution in Bombay ( $8 \text{ August } 1942$ ).
Gandhi delivered the "Do or Die" speech, sparking a massive non-violent struggle involving students, workers, and leaders like Jayprakash Narayan and Aruna Asaf Ali.