British Colonialism in India

The Rowlatt Satyagraha

• The Rowlatt Satyagraha was the first all-India struggle against the British government, mainly restricted to cities.
• It led to demonstrations and hartals across the country in April 1919, which the government brutally suppressed.
• General Dyer's atrocities in Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar, on Baisakhi day (13 April 1919), were part of this repression.

Jallianwala Bagh Massacre

• The massacre was carried out by General Dyer, leading to the deaths of many people.
• The event sparked widespread outrage, with Rabindranath Tagore renouncing his knighthood in protest.

Khilafat Agitation and the Non-Cooperation Movement

• The Khilafat issue was a major cause of discontent, as the British imposed a harsh treaty on the Turkish Sultan or Khalifa in 1920.
• Mahatma Gandhi saw India as a land for people of all religions and wanted Hindus and Muslims to unite against British rule.

Mahatma Gandhi's Early Life and Movements

• Mahatma Gandhi founded the Natal Congress in 1895 to fight racial discrimination in South Africa.
• He led successful movements in Champaran, Kheda, and Ahmedabad, where he met Rajendra Prasad and Vallabhbhai Patel.
• In Ahmedabad, he led a successful millworkers' strike in 1918.

The National Movement (1919-1922)

• The Rowlatt Satyagraha was a national movement against the Rowlatt Act, which restricted fundamental rights and strengthened police powers.
• Gandhiji asked Indians to observe 6 April 1919 as a day of non-violent opposition to the Act.
• Satyagraha Sabhas were set up to launch the movement.

The Pakistan Demand and Partition

• The Muslim League demanded a separate nation, Pakistan, which led to negotiations with the British cabinet mission in 1946.
• The mission proposed a united India with some autonomy for Muslim-majority areas, but the Congress and Muslim League could not agree on the specifics.
• Partition became inevitable, with the Muslim League deciding on mass agitation for its Pakistan demand.

Notable Figures

• Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, also known as Badshah Khan, founded the Khudai Khidmatgars, a non-violent movement among the Pathans of the North West Frontier Province.
• He strongly opposed the Partition of India and criticized his Congress colleagues for agreeing to the 1947 division.