Indian National Movement: 1885-1947

• These notes summarize India's struggle for freedom, covering the Indian National Movement from 1885 to 1947.

Phases of the Indian National Movement

• The Indian National Movement was led by the Congress and is divided into three phases.:
• Early Nationalist Phase: 1885-1905
• Assertive Nationalist Phase: 1905-1918
• Gandhian Phase: 1918-1947

Early Nationalists (Moderates) (1885-1905)

• During the initial years, the Congress was led by early nationalists.
• Members were mainly from the educated middle-class intellectual community, including lawyers, teachers, journalists, officials, professionals and industrialists.
• Important leaders included Dadabhai Naoroji, Surendranath Banerjea, and Gopal Krishna Gokhale.

Beliefs of Early Nationalists

• Initially, British rule was seen as a blessing that brought benefits to India.
• They believed it was in India's interest to remain under British rule as they were not ready to govern themselves.
• It was thought that the British could be persuaded to introduce reforms to suit the interests of Indian subjects.
• They believed in the British sense of justice and fair play.

Objectives of the Early Nationalists

• They wanted proper participation of Indians in the government soon.
• They wanted a gradual move toward self-government at a distant time.

Methods of the Early Nationalists

• Moderates adopted peaceful and constitutional methods.
• They presented grievances and waited for the government to pass laws to address them.
• Hoped the government would gradually meet their demands.
• Promoted unity, spread political awareness, and built public opinion through meetings, lectures, and the press.
• Delegations were sent to England to advocate for necessary reforms.

Demands of the Early Nationalists

• They wanted the British to introduce reforms for the welfare of all sections of Indian society.
• Believed that the British would grant their requests if convinced the demands were reasonable and just.

Contribution of the Early Nationalists

• Established a solid foundation for a more radical approach later.
• Spread political awareness and instilled a sense of national unity.
• Congress trained Indians in political affairs, educating them about freedom, democracy, secularism, and nationalism.
• This training helped organize and raise the national movement to the next stage.
• The peaceful and secular approach of early nationalists remains relevant in today's world.
• New trends emerged, and assertive nationalists took over Congress leadership by the 20th century.

Assertive Nationalists (Radicals) (1905-1918)

• Assertion Nationalists had no faith in British justice and fair play.
• They believed British rule was a curse and that the British had no intention of introducing reforms for the welfare of the Indians
• Nationalist leaders: Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai, Bipin Chandra Pal, and Aurobindo Ghosh.

Objectives of Assertive Nationalists

• The goal was immediate freedom (swaraj) from British rule, not gradual self-government.

Methods of Assertive Nationalists

• Did not support the constitutional methods used by early nationalists.
• Favored active opposition and mass involvement to achieve swaraj.
• Congress transformed into a regiment of freedom fighters ready to make sacrifices.

The Partition of Bengal (1905)

• The British partitioned Bengal in 1905 using a divide and rule policy.
• Assertive nationalists used boycott, swadeshi, and national education.
• Urged people to boycott British goods and use Indian-made goods only.
• Nationalists saw the British plan to divide Bengal along communal lines by separating Hindus and Muslims to destroy unity.

The Surat Split (1907)

• Initial unity between early and assertive nationalists post-Bengal partition was short-lived.
• Early nationalists supported radical protest methods of swadeshi and boycott.
• Disagreement led to the expulsion of assertive nationalists from Congress at the Surat session in 1907.
• The British crushed the Swadeshi movement, and Tilak was imprisoned for six years.

The Muslim League (1906)

• The Muslim League was established in December 1906, led by Nawab Salimullah Khan in Dacca (Dhaka).
• Prominent Congress leader Muhammad Ali Jinnah joined the League in 1913.

Objectives of the Muslim League

• Promote loyalty among Muslims towards the British government.
• Protect the political rights of Muslims.
• Prevent feelings of hostility towards other communities.
• The League served as a political platform for upper-class Muslims.
• It supported Bengal's partition and demanded safeguards for Muslims in government service.
• The League appealed for separate electorates in 1906, leading to Muslim voters electing Muslim representatives.
• Led to the partition of India.

The First World War and India (1914-1918)

• India, as a British colony, was drawn into the war in 1914.
• Initially, Indian nationalist leaders supported the British government with men and money.
• Over a million Indian soldiers were sent overseas, and a hundred million pounds were given to the British.

The Home Rule Leagues (1916)

• The British declared the war was to promote self-government, which gave Indian nationalists hope for their own self-government.
• By 1915, the British ignored demands for reform, and Tilak realized their lack of intention to grant concessions.
• Tilak revived the national spirit, as Congress was passive.
• Two Home Rule Leagues in 1916, one led by Tilak and the other by Annie Besant, campaigned for self-government after the war.

The Lucknow Session of the Congress (1916)

• The attitude of Muslims changed towards the pro-British.
• Nationalist Muslims like the Ali brothers and Abul Kalam Azad spread nationalist ideas.
• Azad criticized the British policy of divide and rule and urged Muslims to unite against British imperialism.
• The League and the Congress came closer, signing the Lucknow Pact in 1916 for political reforms in India, demanding Dominion Status.
• The Lucknow session reunited Moderates and Radicals, holding a joint meeting after the 1907 Surat Split.
• The Congress and Muslim League united to pose a front against the government.

Milestones Post-Lucknow Pact (1916)

• The British government realized that repressive measures could not contain anti-British sentiment.
• The Government of India Act, 1919 (Montague-Chelmsford Reforms), introduced Dual Government in provinces.
• The right to vote was restricted, Provincial Legislative Councils were enlarged, and the Governor General was answerable to the Secretary of State

Emergence of Mahatma Gandhi

• Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in 1869 in Gujarat.
• He studied law in England and practiced as a lawyer in South Africa for 22 years.
• Racial discrimination experienced by Indians in South Africa shocked Gandhi.
• He led a struggle against racial injustice, developing satyagraha, which he used in the Indian national movement.

Gandhian Methods

• Satyagraha combines 'satya' (truth) and 'agraha' (eagerness).
• Based on truth and non-violence.
• A satyagrahi was peaceful, fearless, and hated evil, not the 'evil-doer'.
• Satyagraha sought to transform and enlighten the enemy by using non-violent methods to resist attacks. Methods included:
• Peaceful demonstration
• Defiance of unjust British laws
• Boycott of British goods
• The use of charkha and khadi for self-reliance
• Non-payment of taxes

Hindu-Muslim Unity and Social Justice

• Gandhi believed in the equality of all religions and Hindu-Muslim unity, living and dying for the cause.
• Gandhi championed the poor, downtrodden, women's emancipation, and the 'untouchables' (Harijans), working to eradicate prejudice.
• He believed political freedom was meaningless without social reform.

Gandhiji's Early Campaigns

• Gandhi returned to India in 1915 and started in national politics.
• Early campaigns were conducted at Kheda, Champaran, and Ahmadabad, were his first experiments with satyagraha,
• Champaran Satyagraha: Championed tenant farmers against British indigo planters, leading to compensation for peasants.
• Ahmadabad Mill Strike: Organized workers against exploitative mill owners, who eventually increased their salaries.
• Kheda Satyagraha: Advised cultivators to stop paying land tax because crops had failed; the demand was accepted.

Circumstances Leading to the Non-Cooperation Movement

• Jallianwala Bagh Tragedy (1919): The British government used repression.
• In 1919, the Rowlatt Act was passed against the anti-British movement.
• The act violated basic rights, especially in Punjab, which led to violence as two leaders arrested in Amristar.
• Public meeting held on April 13, 1919, the military commander General Dyer surrounded Jallianwala Bagh, blocked the exit and ordered his troops to open fire on the peaceful unarmed people.

Khilafat Movement (1919)

• Turkey was defeated in WWI, and its territories were divided by Britain and France.
• Harsh treatment of the Turkish sultan.
• The Khilafat Movement, a response by the Ali brothers, Maulana Mohammad Ali and Maulana Shaukat Ali, that Gandhi and the Congress supported.
• Main aim was to uphold the power of the Caliph.

Non-Cooperation Movement (1920)

• Launched on 31 August 1920, under Gandhi's leadership.
• A set of measures were set in place.
• Boycott of foreign goods, govt schools/colleges/law courts/legislatures/British institutions, elections/govt functions.
• Renunciation of titles and honours awarded by the British
• It also had constructive programmes of the Movement that addressed social/economic issues:
• Promotion of Hindu-Muslim unity
• Abolition of untouchability
• Promotion of the swadeshi spirit
• However, early in 1922, peasants procession was fired that was followed by the Chauri Chauara police station being burned down
• The police shooting that led to 22 policemen being killed.

Aftermath of the Non-Cooperation Movement

• Gandhi ended it because of the violence, upholding non-violence.
• Despite its failure, the national spirit was strengthened.
• Gandhi withdrew from active politics to focus on social reform.

Lahore Session of the Congress (1929)

• In December 1929, that was led by Jawaharlal Nehru, the Indian National Congress that defined "Poorn Swaraj (Complete Independence)".
• January 26, 1930 was known as "Independence Day".

Civil Disobedience Movement (1930-34)

• This was breaking govt laws to defy the British govt.
• Launched in March 1930, with the Salt Satyagraha
• Began with Dandi March, with 78 followers, on a 385-km. journey along the coastal village of Dandi.
• They violated the salt law.
• The government suppressed the movement with brutality.
• Gandhi, Nehru and other leaders were arrested, with over 90,000 imprisoned.

Quit India Movement (1942)

• The menacing presence of the Japanese army on the eastern borders of India posed a serious threat to India's security.
• On August 8th,1942, Gandhiji declared, “Do or Die.".
• August, the country was shocked as Gandiji was arrested with the Congress banned
• Protests arose which was reacted violently.

The Indian National Army

• Subhash Chandra Bose, due to the lack of any post 1942 movement formed the Forward Bloc.
• The intention of this was to go abroad with the help of his political allies to drive out the Enemies of the British Empire.
• In tokyo he took over the leadership of the -Indian Independence Movement in East Asia from Rash Behari Bose.
• In 1944, at Singapore, Bose, declared,"Give me Blood, and I will give you Freedom!".
• He wished to librate India

Indian Independence and Partition of India (1947)

• It was declared that power would be transferred to the Indians by June 1948
• Lord Mountbatten, arrived to india to discuss the partition of India.
• There has been a growing divide between Hindus and Muslims.
• British rule came to an end on 15 August 1947 with India's independence.
• Pakistan was formed with the North-West Frontier Province, Sind, Balochistan, West Punjab and East Bengal.
• Gandhi died a martyr in january 30th, 1948.
• Indian was declared as the Sovereign, Democratic Republic.