Nationalism in India & Satyagraha

Nationalism in India

• Nationalism creates a feeling of oneness, patriotism, and unity among people in a country.

Impact of World War I on India

• There was a significant increase in defense expenditure financed by war loans, increased taxes, customs, and income tax.
• Prices increased, causing extreme hardship for common people.
• Villages were urged to supply soldiers, leading to forced recruitment and widespread anger in rural areas.
• Crop failures from 1918-1921 resulted in acute food shortages.
• An influenza epidemic spread, causing many deaths. As of the 1921 census, 12 to 13 million people are estimated to have perished as a result of famines and the epidemic.

Satyagraha

• It is the emphasis on the power of truth and the need to search for it.
• It suggested that physical force was unnecessary if the cause was true.
• A satyagrahi could win through non-violence, without seeking vengeance.
• Appealing to the conscience of the oppressor would result in the truth ultimately triumphing and uniting all Indians.

Key Moments Related to Satyagraha

• In 1917, Gandhi traveled to Champaran inspiring peasants to struggle against the oppressive plantation system.
• Later, in 1917, Satyagraha was organized to support peasants of the Kheda district in Gujarat who were affected by crop failure and an epidemic. They could not pay revenue because they were demanding the revenue of collection to be relaxed.
• In 1918, Gandhi organized a Satyagraha movement among cotton mill workers.

The Rowlatt Act

• Gandhi launched a nationwide Satyagraha against the Rowlatt Act in 1919
• The Act was hurriedly introduced by the Imperial Legislative Council despite opposition from Indian members.
• It gave the government enormous political power to detain any political prisoner for 2 years without trial.

Response To The Rowlatt Act

• Gandhi wanted to non-violent civil disobedience, which would start with hartals on April 6.
• The rage of people was such that they attacked the railways, communication, etc.
• Clamping down on nationalists was decided by governments, who were concerned the means of communication would be destroyed.
• Nationalist leaders were picked from Amritsar, and Gandhi was barred from entering Delhi.
• Peaceful processions of people in Punjab stirred unrest, so police fired upon them, destroying post offices and rails.
• Martial Law was imposed, and General Dyer took command.

Jallianwala Bagh Incident

• On April 13, the infamous Jallianwala Bagh incident occurred.
• A large crowd gathered in the enclosed ground of Jallianwala Bagh to protest new repressive measures; villagers were also attending the Baisakhi fair.
• Dyer blocked exit points, opened fire on the crowd, and murdered hundreds.
• Dyer's object was to create a mortal effect to provoke terror in the minds of Satyagrahis.

Reaction After Jallianwala Bagh

• Crowds protested in streets in north Indian towns.
• Strikes, clashes with police, and attacks on government buildings occurred.
• Seeking to terrorize the populous, the government responded with brutal repression. Satyagrahis were forced to rub noses on the ground and to crawl on streets, and do 'Salaam' to officers, people were flogged, and villages around Gurjanwala were bombed.

Uniting Hindus and Muslims

• Gandhi realized the need for a broad-based movement required uniting Hindus and Muslims.
• World War I defeated Turkey, with rumors of a harsh peace treaty imposed on the Ottoman emperor.
• A Khalifat Committee was formed in Bombay in March 1919 to defend the Khalifa's temporal powers.
• Muslim leaders Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali discussed the possibility of uniting with Mahatma Gandhi for a mass action.
• Gandhi saw this as an opportunity to bring Muslims under a national movement's umbrella.
• The Calcutta session, convened in 1920, started a non-cooperation movement in support of Khilafat and Swaraj.

Satyagraha and Indians

• Gandhi declared that British rule would collapse if Indians refused to cooperate.

How non-cooperation would start

• Refusal to take titles which the government awarded
• Boycott civilian services, assembly, police, courts, schools and foreign goods; a full-fledged disobedience campaign could follow.
• Gandhi and Shaukat Ali promoted this movement and its widespread support through multiple tours.

Non-Cooperation Programme Adoption.

• Many were worried however about the proposals.
• They were hesitant to forgo council elections set for November 1920, but were concerned about popular violence.
• There was disagreement amongst supporters and opponents, but at the Congress session in Nagpur in December 1920, a concession was reached.

The circumstances which led to Jallianwala Bagh

• The Rowlatt Act was passed by the government despite the united opposition of the Indian members, who gave powers to arrest people.
• Gandhi launched Rowlatt Satyagraha, and rallies and labour strikes led to shop shutdowns.

Understanding of Gandhi's notion of Swaraj

• Liberation for farmers in Assam meant free movement in and out of restrictive areas, and retaining contact with their home villages.
• Plantation employees were rarely awarded permission to leave tea farms without permission due to inland emigrations.
• Plantation employees defied officials when they listened to Non-Cooperation Movement, departing tea farms and heading to their residences.
• Plantation employees thought Gandhi Raj would begin, awarding farmland to everyone across each hamlet.

Impacts of The Non-Cooperation Movement

• Middle-class involvement started the movement in cities; governmental institutions reported student dropouts and educator resignations, attorneys forfeit legal matters.
• Most provinces had council election forgoing, except for Madras, Chennai today, with Justice party.
• Textile production soared, specifically concerning domestic goods, so importing was curbed, and retailers stopped serving liquor; the government halved this measure.
• Retailers curbed foreign items for currency to local companies because of this domestic mills and hand-operated equipment got more inquiries and improved the slowly sinking textile manufacturing industry.

Slowing down of Non-Cooperation

• Khadi garments were notably more expensive than store textiles, poor citizens could not take it up.
• There was an issue with avoiding British associations, and many Indian substitutes could be used, but they were sluggish in arriving where teachers were no longer permitted to join schools, officials returned to court after legal positions.
• Labourers, sector, investors, dealers had different interpretations for self-governance, often applying violent strategies which Gandhi and Congress did not approve, making them discontinue advocacy.

Chaura and Gandhi

• 22 police forces died here.

Swaraj Party

• Congress leaders, exhausted by mass-battles, wanted to engage in provincial assembly elections legislated with Indian Act of 1919.
• They argued it was essential to oppose regulations, advocate change, and exhibit legislative bodies were non-democratic.
• CR Das and Motilal Nehru organised the Swaraj within Congress to battle a come-back of politics.

Factors That Shaped Indian Politics in Late 1920s

• The world-wide economic downtrend greatly lessened agricultural costs since prices decreased since 1926.
• Agriculture trade plummeted and peasants struggled to receive revenue because of tough sells and lower turnover.
• Britain created a legislated agency because this governing group lacked indigenous representation, as every individual was colonist, to regulate Constitutiond System in motion.
• Gandhi discovered the "oppressive face of British rule" after government monopoly, revealing their over-production, was terminated by tax.
• Letters were addressed to Irvin mentioning the 11 mandates for it.

The Salt tax

• Gandhi found a powerful symbol that can unite the nation.
• Letters were sent on Jan 31, 1930 to Vicroy Irwin showing 11 requests and broad interests.
• The abolition of this demonstrated how oppressed Britain's control exerted a monopoly over its manufacturing.
• Ultimatums with a lack of fulfillment were followed by a civil disobedience combat issued from leaders.

The Salt March and Volunteers

• Gandhi began his well-known march and it included 78 supporters.
• Gandhi was a distance of over 240 miles from Sabamati that bordered Gujarati, marching on a daily for about 10 miles.
• On April 6 Gandhi gained momentum and ceremoniously broke the law by heating sea water to marking the event.

Comparision to Non-Cooperation

• People were asked not refrain from collaboration and split with colonist regulations.

Civil Disobedience Movement

• Thousands broke the salt rule.
• Foreign clothes were curbed and liquor shops cordoned.
• Regulations were violated and people stepped down from villages to forestall.

Reactions to Civil Disobedience

• Colonial leaders would arrest Congress members creating violent showdowns.
• Gandhi disciple Ghaffer khan would be involved in riots in the streets for armoured cars.

Arrest of Gandhi

• Sholapur industrialist laborers at tacked government posts.
• Women that were marchers would be targeted.

The Gandhi-Irwin Pact

• It was signed Mar 5, 1931
• Gandhi consented in the round-table to meet in London and free any political prisoners.
• In the December of '31, Gandhi was sent to London and negotiations were terminated to be returned home as he heard about the arrest of Ghaffar Khan and Nehru.
• Congress took it as illegal and made them have events.