Learning Objectives
- Understand the growth of national consciousness in India
- Study Gandhiji's role in the national movement
- Learn about the Non-Cooperation, Civil Disobedience, and Quit India movements
- Understand how different social groups participated in the freedom struggle
Key Concepts
First World War, Khilafat, and Non-Cooperation
World War I (1914-18) created economic hardship in India — increased taxes, rising prices, forced recruitment. The Rowlatt Act (1919) gave the government power to detain political prisoners without trial, sparking widespread anger. On 13 April 1919, General Dyer ordered troops to fire on a peaceful gathering at Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar, killing hundreds. This massacre turned the nation against British rule.
Mahatma Gandhi launched the Non-Cooperation Movement (1920-22) to oppose British rule through peaceful, non-violent means. Key features: surrender of government titles, boycott of foreign goods, courts, legislative councils, and government schools; promotion of khadi and swadeshi goods. The Khilafat Movement (led by Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali) was merged with Non-Cooperation to unite Hindus and Muslims against the British. Gandhi called off the movement after the Chauri Chaura incident (February 1922) where a mob set fire to a police station, killing 22 policemen.
Civil Disobedience Movement
On 31 January 1930, Gandhi wrote to Viceroy Lord Irwin demanding abolition of the salt tax. When refused, Gandhi launched the Civil Disobedience Movement with the Dandi March (12 March - 6 April 1930). He walked 240 miles from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi on the Gujarat coast to make salt, breaking the British salt law. This was a powerful act of symbolic defiance.
The movement spread across India: peasants refused to pay revenue, tribal communities violated forest laws, workers went on strikes. Foreign goods were boycotted. Women participated in large numbers for the first time, participating in protests and picketing liquor and foreign cloth shops.
The movement was temporarily halted by the Gandhi-Irwin Pact (March 1931), and Gandhi attended the Second Round Table Conference in London. When the conference failed, the movement was relaunched in 1932 but eventually withdrew.
Participation of Different Social Groups
Peasants: In Awadh, peasants led by Baba Ramchandra revolted against talukdars and landlords. They demanded reduction of revenue, abolition of begar, and redistribution of land.
Tribal Communities: In the Gudem Hills of Andhra Pradesh, tribals led by Alluri Sitarama Raju revolted against colonial forest policies. Raju was inspired by the Non-Cooperation Movement.
Workers: Workers went on strikes in Nagpur and Madras. They demanded better wages and working conditions. However, the Congress was cautious about workers' movements to avoid alienating industrialists.
Women: Women actively participated in protests, pickets, and marches. However, the movement did not radically change their social position — they were largely seen as playing a supportive role.
Dalits: Dr. B.R. Ambedkar organised Dalits and demanded separate electorates. He established the Depressed Classes Association in 1930. The Poona Pact (1932) between Gandhi and Ambedkar gave Dalits reserved seats in provincial and central legislative councils within the general electorate.
Sense of Collective Belonging
Nationalism was strengthened through symbols, songs, and reinterpretation of history. Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay wrote "Vande Mataram" (1870s). Rabindranath Tagore wrote "Amar Sonar Bangla". The tricolour flag with spinning wheel became a symbol of defiance. Reinterpretation of folk tales, songs, icons, and historical figures created a sense of shared national identity.
Summary
Indian nationalism grew through various movements led by Mahatma Gandhi. The Non-Cooperation Movement (1920-22) united Hindus and Muslims but was called off after Chauri Chaura. The Civil Disobedience Movement (1930) began with the Dandi March and involved mass participation. Different social groups — peasants, tribals, workers, women, and Dalits — participated with varying degrees of involvement and different aspirations. National symbols, songs, and shared history created a sense of collective belonging.
Important Terms
- Satyagraha
- Gandhiji's philosophy of non-violent resistance based on truth and moral force
- Rowlatt Act
- 1919 law allowing detention of political prisoners without trial
- Non-Cooperation
- Movement to resist British rule by refusing to cooperate with colonial institutions
- Civil Disobedience
- Deliberate breaking of unjust laws as a form of protest
- Swadeshi
- Use of Indian-made goods and boycott of foreign products
- Poona Pact
- 1932 agreement between Gandhi and Ambedkar on Dalit representation
- Khilafat Movement
- Movement to restore the Caliph of the Ottoman Empire, united with Non-Cooperation
Quick Revision
- Rowlatt Act (1919) → Jallianwala Bagh massacre (13 April 1919)
- Non-Cooperation Movement (1920-22), called off after Chauri Chaura (Feb 1922)
- Dandi March: 12 March - 6 April 1930, Sabarmati to Dandi, 240 miles
- Gandhi-Irwin Pact: March 1931
- Poona Pact (1932): reserved seats for Dalits within general electorate
- Alluri Sitarama Raju led tribal revolt in Gudem Hills
- "Vande Mataram" by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay
Practice Tips
- Prepare a timeline: 1919 (Rowlatt Act) → 1920 (NCM) → 1930 (CDM) → 1942 (Quit India)
- For 5-mark questions, explain the role of different social groups in the national movement
- Practise source-based questions — they frequently appear from this chapter