10th Social Science Past Paper PDF

www.tntextbooks.online Unit - 7 Anti-Colonial Movements and the Birth of Nationalism Learning Objectives To acquaint ourselves with „„T...

www.tntextbooks.online Unit - 7 Anti-Colonial Movements and the Birth of Nationalism Learning Objectives To acquaint ourselves with „„The nature of tribal and peasant revolts against the British „„Contributory factors for the outbreak of the Great Rebellion of 1857 and the subsequent changes in the British approach to governing India „„Factors leading to the formation of the Indian National Congress and the perspectives of the early nationalists „„Divide and rule policy of the British behind the Partition of Bengal (1905) and the launch of Swadeshi movement in Bengal „„Background for the launch of Home Rule Movement Introduction After Plassey, the British adopted a policy of territorial expansion. Soon the remaining On 23 June 1757 the Nawab of Bengal parts of the Indian subcontinent came under Siraj-ud-daulah was defeated by the East India their control. British brought systemic changes Company at the Battle of Plassey. The battle in land revenue administration, army, police, was orchestrated by Robert Clive, commander- judicial system and other institutions of in-chief of the East India Company, who governance. managed to get the clandestine support from Mir Jafar, the uncle of Siraj-ud-daulah and the The early Indian response to colonial chief of the Nawab’s army. Clive was helped by exploitation and the colonial political and the Jagat Seths (moneylenders from Bengal) economic domination consisted of two who were aggrieved by Siraj-ud-daulah’s elements. The response in the late 18th and policy. The Battle of Plassey was followed by early 19th century was restorative in nature. the plunder of Bengal. Between 1757 and 1760, Tribal uprisings and peasant rebellions made the company received ₹ 22.5 million from Mir an attempt to restore the old order. The second Jafar, who became the new Nawab of Bengal. response appeared in the second half of the 19th The same money was later invested to propel century in the form of Indian nationalism that the industrial revolution in Britain, which imagined India as a nation emphasising on a rapidly mechanised the British textile industry. consciousness of unity and national aspiration. On the other hand, India was led to the path In this lesson the story of resistance and a of de-industrialisation and forced to create varied range of response against the British rule a market for the products manufactured in in the Indian subcontinent from the early and Britain. The plunder of India by the East India mid-nineteenth century to the early twentieth Company continued for another 190 years. century are outlined. In the process the nature 14 10th_History_Unit_7.indd 14 02-08-2019 16:03:52  www.tntextbooks.online of British rule, its policies and administrative d. Mass Insurrection – Usually leaderless and apparatus, which adversely affected almost all spontaneous uprising. the sections of the society are analysed. Changes in the Revenue System The East India Company restructured the  Peasant and Tribal Mughal revenue system across India in such a 7.1 Resistance manner that it increased the financial burden on the peasants. There was no widespread While the urban elite of India was busy system of private ownership of the land in pre- responding to the western ideas and rationality British India. Similarly, zamindars and others by engaging in various socio-religious reform who were to collect revenue and remit it to movements, a far more aggressive response to the govt were never given the possession right the British rule emerged in rural India. The on land. So the changes introduced by the traditional elite and peasantry along with the British in land tenures, as we studied in Std. IX tribals revolted. They were not necessarily significantly altered the agrarian relations. seeking the removal of British but rather the restoration of the pre-colonial order. Subletting of Land The concept of private property rights The practice of letting out and subletting in land, rigorous collection of land revenue, of land complicated the agrarian relations. encroachment of tribal land by the non- The zamindar often sublet land to many tribal people, the interference of Christian subordinate lords who in return collected a missionaries in the socio-religious life of the fixed amount of revenue from the peasant. local people were a few of the many issues This increased the tax burden on the peasants. which added to the sense of resentment against the British. The tribal people, in (a) Peasant Uprising particular, started looking at them as invaders Peasant revolts began to erupt in the early and encroachers. The fundamental aspect of 19th century and continued till the very end various tribal and peasant revolts was that all of British rule in India. Many of these revolts of them tried to eliminate the most immediate were led by religious leaders, who treated the and visible cause of their misery. There were British rule as an invasion into the socio- nearly a hundred peasant uprisings during religious life of the people of India. British rule. They can be classified into the following categories: Farazi Movement a. Restorative rebellions – Agitation of this Farazi movement type relates to attempts to restore old order launched by Haji and old social relations. Shariatullah in 1818, b. Religious Movements – Such agitations in the parts of eastern were led by religious leaders who fought Bengal, advocated the participants to for the liberation of the local populace by abstain from un- restructuring society on certain religious Islamic activities. principles. This brought him into c. Social Banditry – The leaders of such direct conflict with movements were considered criminal by the Zamindars and the British and the traditional elite but were Haji Shariatullah subsequently with looked upon by their people as heroes or British, who favoured the Zamindars to champions of their cause. suppress the peasant uprising. After the death 15 Anti-Colonial Movements and the Birth of Nationalism 10th_History_Unit_7.indd 15 02-08-2019 16:03:52  www.tntextbooks.online of Shariatullah in 1839, the rebellion was led oppression, demonstrated in their actions by his son Dudu Mian who called upon the against the Zamindar houses, their grain peasants not to pay tax. It gained popularity stocks, the moneylenders, and the merchants. on a simple doctrine that land and all wealth At times the British state machinery, which should be equally enjoyed by the common folk. came forward to protect these local agents Dudu Mian laid emphasis on the egalitarian of oppression, was also attacked. These nature of religion and declared that “Land characteristics were reflected in the peasant belongs to God”, and collecting rent or levying movements of the 20th century too. taxes on it was therefore against divine law. Large numbers of peasants were mobilised (b) Tribal Uprising through a network of village organisations. Under colonial rule, for the first time in There were violent clashes throughout 1840s Indian history, government claimed a direct and 1850s with the zamindars and planters. proprietary right over forests. The British rule After the death of Dudu Mian in 1862, the was and its encouragement of commercialisation of revived in the 1870s by Noah Mian. forest led to the disintegration of the traditional tribal system. It encouraged the incursion of Wahhabi Rebellion in Barasat tribal areas by the non-tribal people such as The Wahhabi moneylenders, traders, land-grabbers, and rebellion was an anti- contractors. This led to the widespread loss of imperial and anti- adivasi land and their displacement from their landlord movement. traditional habitats. It originated in and Tribal resistance was therefore, a response around 1827, in the against those who either introduced changes in Barasat region of the peaceful tribal life or took undue advantage Bengal. It was led by of the innocence of the tribal people. an Islamic preacher Titu Mir Titu Mir who was ‘Tribes’ who are they? deeply influenced by the Wahhabi teachings. He became an influential figure among the The modern usage of word tribe in predominately Muslim peasantry oppressed India restricts the definition to distinguish under the coercive zamindari system. However, them (tribes) from the rest of the Indian the fact that the majority of zamindars were society, a stratified system based on caste. Hindus, gave this movement an anti-Hindu Often the term is misused to refer to complexion. isolated groups. Tribes in India were and are very much part of the Indian society. On 6 November 1831 the first major They in fact have acted for long as part attack was launched in the town of Purnea. of Indian peasantry subsisting through Titu Mir immediately declared freedom from shifting cultivation. British rule. Soon there was retaliation from the British and a large number of troops were (i) Kol Revolt sent to Narkelberia. Titu Mir along with his One major tribal revolt, the Kol uprising 50 soldiers were killed in the struggle. of 1831-32, took place in Chota Nagpur and In the end, the peasant rebellion Singbhum region of Jharkhand and Orisa, clearly showed an awareness of the power under the leadership of Bindrai and Singhrai. structure in rural society and a strong will The Raja of Chhota Nagpur had leased out to to restructure authority. The rebels were moneylenders the job of revenue collection. quite familiar with the political source of The usury and forcible eviction of tribals from Anti-Colonial Movements and the Birth of Nationalism 16 10th_History_Unit_7.indd 16 02-08-2019 16:03:52  www.tntextbooks.online their land led to the resentment of Kols. The initial protest and resistance kols was in the form of plunder, arson and attacks on the properties of outsiders. This was followed by the killing of moneylenders and merchants. The tribal leaders adopted varied methods to spread their message such as the beating of drums and the circulation of arrows accompanied by a warning to all outsiders to Sidhu Kanu leave. In 1855, two Santhal brothers Sidhu and Kols organised an insurrection in Kanu proclaimed that they had received a divine 1831-32, which was directed against message from the God, asking them to lead the government officers and moneylenders. rebellion. On June 30, 1855 they announced The Kol rebels took control of the king’s that God has ordered them “to slaughter all palace. They even succeeded in forming an the mahajans and daroga, to banish the traders independent government there. The British and zamindars and all rich Bengalis from their suppressed the rebellion with great violence. country…. And to fight all who resisted them, for the bullets of their enemies would be turned (ii) Santhal Hool (Insurrection) into water”. Two Darogas (chief police officers) Santhals, scattered in various parts of were killed by the santhal crowd. eastern India, when forced to move out of By July 1855 the rebellion has taken the their homeland during the process of creation form of open insurrection against the mahajans, of zamins under Permanent Settlement, the zamindars and the British officials. They cleared the forest area around the Rajmahal marched with bows, poisoned arrows, axes and Hills. They were oppressed by the local police swords taking over the Rajmahal and Bhagalpur and the European officers engaged in the by proclaiming that the Company rule was railway construction. Pushed out of their about to end. In response villages were raided familiar habitat, the Santhals were forced to and properties destroyed by the British. Nearly rely on the moneylenders for their subsistence. 15 to 25 thousand rebels were murdered before Soon they were trapped in a vicious circle of the insurrection was finally suppressed. These debt and extortion. Besides this, Santhals events compelled the British government to also felt neglected under the corrupt British restructure their policies towards the tribal administration and their inability to render people. In 1855 an act was passed to regulate justice to their legitimate grievances. the territories occupied by the Santhals. The Act formed the territory into a separate division Outbreak called Santhal Pargana division. Around 1854 activities of social banditry led by a person named Bir Singh was reported from different places. These were directed against mahajans and traders. Following this Bir Singh was summoned to the zamindari court, where he was beaten up and humiliated. Bir Singh along with his friends retaliated by committing further dacoities on the mahajans and merchants. The repressive measures only angered the Santhals. Santhal Rebellion 17 Anti-Colonial Movements and the Birth of Nationalism 10th_History_Unit_7.indd 17 02-08-2019 16:03:52  www.tntextbooks.online (c) Munda Rebellion arrested in February 1900 who later died in jail. Birsa Munda became a folk hero who One of the prominent tribal rebellions is to this day celebrated in many folk songs. of this period occurred in Ranchi, known The Munda rebellion prompted the British as Ulugulan rebellion (Great Tumult).The to formulate a policy on Tribal land. The Munda people were familiar with the co- Chotanagpur Tenancy Act (1908) restricted operative or collective farming known as the entry of non-tribal people into the tribal Khuntkatti (joint holding) land system. It land. was totally eroded by the introduction of private ownership of land and the intrusion of merchants and moneylenders. The Munda  The Great Rebellion 7.2 people were also forcefully recruited as of 1857 indentured labourers to work on plantations. In 1857, British rule witnessed the The corrupt police, lack of access to justice biggest challenge to its existence. Initially, and the disillusionment with Christian it began as a mutiny of Bengal presidency missionaries aggravated the miseries of sepoys but later expanded to the other parts Munda people. In the 1890s tribal chiefs of India involving a large number of civilians, offered resistance against the alienation of especially peasants. The events of 1857–58 tribal people from their land and imposition are significant for the following reasons: of bethbegari or forced labour. 1. This was the first major revolt of armed forces accompanied by civilian rebellion. 2. The revolt witnessed unprecedented violence, perpetrated by both sides. 3. The revolt ended the role of the East India Company and the governance of the Indian subcontinent was taken over by the British Crown. (a) Causes Birsa Munda The movement received an impetus 1. A  nnexation Policy of British when Birsa Munda declared himself as the India messenger of God. Birsa claimed that he In the 1840s and 1850s, more territories had a prophecy and promised supernatural were annexed through two major policies: solutions to the problem of Munda people and the establishment of Birsaite Raj. The Munda The Doctrine of Paramountcy. British leaders utilised the cult of Birsa Munda to claimed themselves as paramount, exercising recruit more people to their cause. A series supreme authority. New territories were of night meetings were held and a revolt was annexed on the grounds that the native rulers planned. On the Christmas day of 1889, they were corrupt and inept. resorted to violence. Buildings were burnt The Doctrine of Lapse. If a native ruler down and arrows were shot at Christian failed to produce a biological male heir to the missionaries and Munda Christian converts. throne, the territory was to ‘lapse’ into British Soon police stations and government officials India upon the death of the ruler. Satara, were attacked. Similar attacks were carried Sambalpur, parts of the Punjab, Jhansi and out over the next few months. Finally the Nagpur were annexed by the British through resistance was crushed and Birsa Munda was the Doctrine of Lapse. Anti-Colonial Movements and the Birth of Nationalism 18 10th_History_Unit_7.indd 18 02-08-2019 16:03:52  www.tntextbooks.online 2. I  nsensitivity to Indian Cultural with others were court-martialled and Sentiments hanged. This only fuelled the anger and in the following days there were increasing There was always a suspicion among the incidents of disobedience. Burning and arson people regarding British intentions. In 1806 were reported from the army cantonments in the sepoys at Vellore mutinied against the Ambala, Lucknow, and Meerut. new dress code, which prohibited Indians from wearing religious marks on their Bahadur Shah Proclaimed as foreheads and having whiskers on their chin, Emperor of Hindustan while proposing to replace their turbans with a round hat. It was feared that the dress code On 11 may 1857 a band of sepoys from was part of their effort to convert soldiers to Meerut marched to Christianity. the Red Fort in Delhi. The sepoys were Similarly, in 1824, the sepoys at followed by an equally Barrackpur near Calcutta refused to go to exuberant crowd Burma by sea, since crossing the sea meant who gathered to ask the loss of their caste. the Mughal Emperor The sepoys were also upset with Bahadur Shah II to Bahadur Shah II discrimination in salary and promotion. become their leader. Indian sepoys were paid much less than their After much hesitation he accepted the offer European counterparts. They felt humiliated and was proclaimed as the Shahenshah-e- and racially abused by their seniors. Hindustan (the Emperor of Hindustan). Soon the rebels captured the north-western (b) The Revolt province and Awadh. As the news of the The precursor to the fall of Delhi reached the Ganges valley, revolt was the circulation of cantonment after cantonment mutinied rumors about the cartridges till, by the beginning of June, British rule in of the new Enfield rifle. North India, except in Punjab and Bengal, There was strong suspicion had disappeared. that the new cartridges Civil Rebellion had been greased with cow and pig fat. The cartridge had to be bitten off before loading The mutiny was equally supported by (pork is forbidden to the Muslims and the an aggrieved rural society of north India. cow is sacred to a large section of Hindus). Sepoys working in the British army were in fact peasants in uniform. They were equally affected by the restructuring of the revenue administration. The sepoy revolt and the subsequent civil rebellion in various parts of India had a deep-rooted connection with rural mass. The first civil rebellion broke out in parts of the North-Western provinces and Mangal Pandey Revolt at Meerut Oudh. These were the two regions from which the sepoys were predominately recruited. A On 29 March a sepoy named Mangal large number of Zamindars and Taluqdars Pandey assaulted his European officer. His were also attracted to the rebellions as they had fellow soldiers refused to arrest him when lost their various privileges under the British ordered to do so. Mangal Pandey along government. The talukdar–peasant collective 19 Anti-Colonial Movements and the Birth of Nationalism 10th_History_Unit_7.indd 19 02-08-2019 16:03:53  www.tntextbooks.online Centres of Great Rebellion in 1857 N W E S Ambala Meerut Delhi Bareilly Agra Lucknow Gwalior Kanpur Allahabad Jhansi Banaras Barrackpore Arabian Bay of Anda Sea Bengal man and Nicobar I Lakshad (India) (India) weep Islands sl a ds n Not to Scale Indian Ocean Anti-Colonial Movements and the Birth of Nationalism 20 10th_History_Unit_7.indd 20 02-08-2019 16:03:53  www.tntextbooks.online was a common effort to recover what they had lost. Similarly, artisans and handicrafts persons were equally affected by the dethroning of rulers of many Indian states, who were a major source of patronage. The dumping of British manufactures had ruined the Indian handicrafts and thrown thousands of weavers out of employment. Collective anger against the British took the form of a people’s revolt. Nana Sahib Kanpur Massacre Another such significant leader was Rani Lakshmi Bai, who assumed the leadership in Jhansi. In her case Dalhousie, the Governor General of Bengal had refused her request to adopt a son as her successor after her husband died and the kingdom was annexed under the Doctrine of Lapse. Rani Lakshmi Bai battled the mighty British Army until she The Great Rebellion of 1857 was defeated. Bahadur Shah Jafar, Kunwar Singh, Khan Prominent Fighters against the Bahadur, Rani Lakshmi Bai and many others British were rebels against their will, compelled by The mutiny provided a platform to the bravery of the sepoys who had defied the aggrieved kings, nawabs, queens, and British authority. zamindars to express the anti-British anger. Nana Sahib, the adopted son of the last (c) Suppression of Rebellion Peshwa Baji Rao II, provided leadership in he By the beginning of June 1857, the Kanpur region. He had been denied pension Delhi, Meerut, Rohilkhand, Agra, Allahabad by the Company. Similarly, Begum Hazrat and Banaras divisions of the army had been Mahal in Lucknow and Khan Bahadur in restored to British control and placed under Bareilly took the command of their respective martial law. The British officers were given territories, which were once ruled either by the power to judge and take the life of Indians them or by their ancestors. without due process of law. William Howard Russell, the The siege of Kanpur was an important correspondent of the London Times, who was episode in the rebellion of 1857. The in India in 1858, met an officer who was a besieged Company forces and civilians in part of the column that under Colonel Neill’s Kanpur were unprepared for an extended orders marched from Allahabad to Kanpur. siege and surrendered to rebel forces under The officer reported that ‘in two days, 42 men Nana Sahib, in return for a safe passage were hanged on the roadside, and a batch of to Allahabad. The boats in which they 12 men was executed because their faces were were proceeding were burned and most turned the wrong way when they were met of the men were killed, including British on the march.’ Even boys who had playfully Commander of Kanpur Major General flaunted rebel colours and beaten a tom-tom Hugh Wheeler. were not spared. Every Indian who appeared 21 Anti-Colonial Movements and the Birth of Nationalism 10th_History_Unit_7.indd 21 02-08-2019 16:03:53  www.tntextbooks.online Hanging the rebels in Blowing mutinous sepoys a public place from the guns in sight was shot or hung on the trees that e) India Becomes a Crown Colony lined the road; villages were burnt....’ The British were shocked by the events of 1857. The British Parliament adopted the (d) Causes of Failure Indian Government Act, in November 1858, There is hardly any evidence to prove and India was pronounced as one of the many that the rebellion of 1857 was organised and crown colonies to be directly governed by the planned. It was spontaneous. However, soon Parliament. The responsibility was given to after the siege of Delhi, there was an attempt a member of the cabinet, designated as the to seek the support of the neighboring states. Secretary of State for India. The transfer of Besides a few Indian states, there was a general power from the East India Company to the lack of enthusiasm among the Indian princes British Crown also meant that there was to participate in the rebellion. The Indian a regular parliamentary review of Indian princes and zamindars either remained loyal affairs. or were fearful of British power. Many a time Changes in the Administration they acted as a fifth column. Those involved in the rebellion were left with either little or British rule and its policies underwent a no sources of arms and ammunition. The major overhaul after 1857. British followed a emerging English-educated middle class too cautious approach to the issue of social reform. did not support the rebellion. Queen Victoria proclaimed to the Indian people that the British would not interfere One of the important reasons for the in traditional institutions and religious failure of the rebellion was the absence of a matters. It was promised that Indians would central authority. There was no common be absorbed in government services. Two agenda that united the individuals and the significant changes were made to the structure aspirations of the Indian princes and the of the Indian army. The number of Indians was various other feudal elements fighting against significantly reduced. Indians were restrained the British. from holding important ranks and position. In the end, the rebellion was brutally The British took control of the artillery and suppressed by the British army. The rebel shifted their recruiting effort to regions and leaders were defeated due to the lack of communities that remained loyal during 1857. weapons, organisation, discipline, and For instance, the British turned away from betrayal by their aides. Delhi was captured Rajputs, Brahmins and North Indian Muslims by the British troops in late 1857. Bahadur and looked towards non-Hindu groups like Shah was captured and transported to the Gorkhas, Sikhs,and Pathans. British also Burma. exploited the caste, religious, linguistic and Anti-Colonial Movements and the Birth of Nationalism 22 10th_History_Unit_7.indd 22 02-08-2019 16:03:53  www.tntextbooks.online Queen Victoria Queen Victoria’s Proclamation regional differences in the Indian society The Indigo Revolt began in 1859. The through what came to be known as “Divide rebellion began as a strike, as the peasants of and Rule” policy. a village in Bengal’s Nadia district refused to grow any more indigo. The movement quickly  Peasant Revolts under spread to the other indigo-growing districts 7.3 of Bengal. The revolt then turned violent. Crown The peasants, both Hindu and Muslim, (a) Indigo Revolt 1859-60 participated in the revolt, and women— armed with pots and pans—fought alongside Before synthetic dyes were created, natural the men. Indian journalists in Calcutta wrote indigo dye was highly valued by cloth makers articles about the brutality of the planters. around the world. Many Europeans sought The 1860 play Nil Darpan (“Mirror of the to make their fortunes by becoming indigo Indigo”) by Dina Bandhu Mitra, did much planters in India. They employed peasants to to draw attention in India and Europe to the grow the indigo, which was processed into plight of the indigo growers. dye at the planters factories. The dye was then exported to Europe. By the early 19th century, India supplied the vast majority of the indigo to Britain. The system was oppressive. The peasants were forced to grow the crop. The British planter gave the cultivator a cash advance to help pay for the rent of the land and other costs. This advance needed to be repaid with interest. The planters forced the peasant grow indigo, rather than food crops. At the end of the season, the planters paid the cultivators low prices for their indigo. Moreover, the small Indigo Factory amount the peasant earned was not enough to pay back the cash advance with interest. So The indigo industry quickly declined they fell into debt. However, the peasants again in Bengal. By the end of the 19th century, would be forced to enter into another contract the demand for natural indigo dye began to to grow indigo. The peasants were never able decline worldwide, as man-made blue dyes to clear their debts. Debts were often passed came into use. from father to son. 23 Anti-Colonial Movements and the Birth of Nationalism 10th_History_Unit_7.indd 23 02-08-2019 16:03:53  www.tntextbooks.online (b) Deccan Riots 1875 and various democratic aspirations. They articulated modern notions of citizenship, the After the transfer of power to the Crown, idea of the state, civil society, human rights, deindustrialisation forced workers out of equality before the law, liberty, the distinction the land. Heavy taxation ruined agriculture. between public and private, sovereignty, Famine deaths increased. The first recorded democracy and so on. The flourishing of print incident of rioting against the moneylenders media both in the vernacular and in English in the Deccan was in May 1875, in Supa a played a significant role in circulating such village near Poona. Similar cases of riots ideas. were reported from close to 30 villages in Poona and Ahmadnagar. The rioting was Even though they were numerically small directed mostly at the Gujarat moneylenders. they had a national character and capacity Under British rule peasants were forced to to establish contacts on an all India scale. pay revenue directly to the government. They were working as lawyers, journalists, Also, under a new law moneylenders were government employees, teachers or doctors. allowed to attach the mortgaged land of the They took the initiative to float political defaulters and auction it off. This resulted outfits, such as Madras Native Association in a transfer of lands from the cultivators to (1852) East India Association (1866), Madras the non-cultivating classes. Trapped in the Mahajana Sabha (1884), Poona Sarvajanik vicious cycle of debt and unable to pay the Sabha (1870), The Bombay Presidency outstanding amount the peasant was forced Association (1885) and many others. to abandon cultivation. The British directed their policies to trample on the aspirations of Indians, who were According to Anthropologist Kathlene exposed to English education and Western Gough British rule brought... disruption ideas and therefore had strong belief in modern and suffering among the peasantry which values and institutions. However, the national was more prolonged and widespread than consciousness in the late 19thcentury was had occurred in Mughal times. Ranajit also rooted in a glorification and celebration Guha writes, ‘agrarian disturbances in many of Indian past, in which various religious forms and on scales ranging from local riots and cultural symbols were used to kindle the to war-like campaigns spread over many patriotic zeal among the people. districts were endemic throughout the first three quarters of British rule until the very (b) Economic Critique of end of the nineteenth century.’ Colonialism One of the most significant  The Foundation contributions of early Indian nationalists 7.4 of Indian National was the formulation of an economic critique Congress (1870 – 1885) of colonialism. India was economically subjugated and transformed into a supplier (a) Rise of Nationalism of raw material to the British industries. The second half of the 19th century saw the Simultaneously it became a market to dump emergence of national political consciousness English manufactures and for the investment among a new social class of English educated of British capital. So the colonial economy Indians. The Indian intelligentsia played was a continuous transfer of resources from a critical role in generating a national India to Britain without any favourable consciousness by exposing a large number returns back to India. This is called "the drain of people to the idea of nation, nationalism of wealth". Anti-Colonial Movements and the Birth of Nationalism 24 10th_History_Unit_7.indd 24 02-08-2019 16:03:53  www.tntextbooks.online Dadabhai Naoroji, Justice Ranade, and These show the vast gap between the Romesh Chandra Dutt, played a significant interests of the upper sections of Indian role in making this criticism about colonial society and the large mass of common people. economy. They clearly understood that the Question of Poverty prosperity of the British lay in the economic and According to the early Congress leaders political subjugation of India. They concluded the economic exploitation of India was the that colonialism was the main obstacle to the primary reason for the abysmal and the growing Indian’s economic development. poverty of India. Therefore, early Indian (c) Objectives and Methods nationalists advocated industrialisation. The formation of the Indian National Congress Militant Nationalism in 1885 was intended The methods of moderate leaders failed to establish an all India to yield any substantive change in the British organisation. It was the attitude towards the moderate demands of culmination of attempts by early Indian nationalists. They were criticised groups of educated Indians by a group of leaders known as “extremists”. politically active in three Instead of prayers and petitions, these presidencies: Bombay, A.O. Hume militants were more focused on self-help Madras, and Calcutta. A.O. Hume lent his and the use of religious symbols to bridge services to facilitate the formation of the the gap between the elite and the masses. Congress. Womash Chandra Banarjee was the The partition of Bengal gave a fillip to those first President (1885) Indian National Congress. who were advocating militant direct action The first session of the Indian National programmes to fight the exploitative British Congress was held on 28 December 1885. policies. The early objectives were to develop and consolidate sentiments of national unity; 7.5 Partition of Bengal but also professed loyalty to Britain. The In 1899, Lord Curzon techniques included appeals, petitions and was appointed the delegations to Britain, all done within a Viceroy of India. Instead constitutional framework. Some of the key of engaging with the demands were the following: nationalist intelligentsia ¾¾creation of legislative councils at for handling the problem provincial and central level of famine and plague, ¾¾increasing the number of elected members Curzon resorted to in the legislative council repressive measures Lord Curzon ¾¾separating judicial and executive to undermine the idea functions of local self-government, autonomy of ¾¾reducing military expenditure higher educational institutions and gag the ¾¾reduction of Home Charges press. Partition of Bengal in 1905 was the ¾¾extension of trial by jury most unpopular of all. The partition led to ¾¾holding civil services exams in India as widespread protests all across India, starting well as in England. a new phase of the Indian national movement. ¾¾police reforms The idea of partition was devised to ¾¾reconsideration of forest laws suppress the political activities against ¾¾promotion of Indian industries and an the British rule in Bengal by creating a end to unfair tariffs and excise duties. Hindu-Muslim divide. 25 Anti-Colonial Movements and the Birth of Nationalism 10th_History_Unit_7.indd 25 02-08-2019 16:03:53  www.tntextbooks.online (a) Hindu–Muslim Divide (c) Boycott and Swadeshi It was openly stated that the objective Movement in Bengal of partition was to curtail Bengali influence (1905–1911) and weaken the nationalist movement. By Boycott and placing Bengal under two administrative swadeshi were units Curzon reduced the Bengali - speaking always interlinked people to a linguistic minority in a divided to each other and Bengal. Curzon assured Muslims that in the part of the wider new province of East Bengal Muslims would plan to make India enjoy a unity, which they never enjoyed since Swadeshi Movement self-sufficient. Four the days of the Mughals. major trends can be discerned during the Instead of dividing the Bengali people Swadeshi Movement in Bengal. along the religious line partition united them. 1. The Moderate Trend – Faith in British rule The growth of regional language newspapers and their sense of justice and democratic played a role in building a sense of proud practice. The moderate leaders were not Bengali identity. ready to wrest power from British in one single movement and therefore Boycott (b) Anti- Partition Movement and Swadeshi Movement was of limited The leaders of both the groups - extremist significance to them. and moderate - were critical of partition. 2. Constructive Swadeshi – Rejected the self- Initially, the objective of the anti-partition defeating modest approach of moderates campaign was limited to changing the and focused on self-help through swadeshi public opinion in England. So they protested industries, national schools, arbitration through prayers, press campaigns, petitions, courts and constructive programmes in the and public meetings. However, despite villages. It remained non-political in nature. widespread protest, partition of Bengal was announced on 19 July 1905. 3. Militant Nationalism – A section of Indian nationalists who had little patience for the With the failure to annul the partition non-political constructive programmes. moderate leaders were forced to rethink They ridiculed the idea of self-help and their strategy and look for new techniques were more focused on a relentless boycott of protest. The boycott of British goods was of foreign goods. one such method. However, the agenda of Swadeshi Movement was still restricted to 4. Revolutionary terrorism – A far more secure an annulment of partition and the radical response to the British rule in India moderates were very much against utilising was to fight British with violent methods. the campaign to start a full-fledged passive British officials who were anti-swadeshi or resistance. The militant nationalists, on the repressive towards the native population were other hand, were in favour of extending the targeted. It also marked the shift from the movement beyond Bengal and to initiate a mass-based movement to individual action. full-scale mass struggle. Constructive Swadeshi The day Bengal was officially partitioned – 16 Oct 1905 – was declared as a day of The constructive programmes largely mourning. Thousands of people took bath stressed upon self-help. It focused on building in the Ganga and marched on the streets of alternative institutions of self-governance Calcutta singing Bande Mataram. that would operate free of British control. Anti-Colonial Movements and the Birth of Nationalism 26 10th_History_Unit_7.indd 26 02-08-2019 16:03:53  www.tntextbooks.online It also laid emphasis on the need of self- during the Swadeshi period and were referred strengthening of the people which would help to as Lal-Bal-Pal triumvirate. Punjab, Bengal, in creating a worthy citizen for the political and Maharashtra emerged as the hotbed of agitation. Swadeshi shops sprang all over militant nationalism during the Swadeshi the place selling textiles, handlooms, soaps, Movement. In South India Tuticorin became earthenware, match and leather goods. the most important location of Swadeshi Passive Resistance activity with the launch of a Swadeshi Steam Navigation company by V.O. Chidambaranar. From 1906 the Swadeshi Movement took a turn where the repeal of partition was no Swaraj or Political Independence longer on the agenda. For many leaders, the One of the common goals of the extremist movement was to be utilized for propagating leaders was to achieve Swaraj or Self Rule. the idea of the political independence or However, the leaders differed on the meaning Swaraj across India. Under this new direction, of Swaraj. For Tilak Swaraj was the attainment the swadeshi programme included four of complete autonomy and total freedom points: boycott of foreign goods, boycott of from foreign rule. Unlike the moderates who government schools and colleges, courts, were critical of the reckless revolutionaries, titles and government services, development militant nationalists were sympathetic of Swadeshi industries, national schools, towards the extremists. However, the political recourse to armed struggle if British repression murders and individual acts of terrorism were went beyond the limits of endurance. not approved by the militant leaders. The method of passive resistance had no The British brutally crushed the Swadeshi practical utility in a situation where there is Movement by jailing prominent leaders for a ruthless and mighty administration on the long spells of imprisonment. Revolutionaries side and on the other the militarily weaker were hanged to death. The press was crushed. people. Resistance in such a situation can be provided through relentless non-cooperation and disobedience.  Home Rule Movement 7.6 (1916–1918) (d) Militant Nationalism The Indian national movement was revived and also radicalised during the Home Rule Movement (1916-1918), led by Lokamanya Tilak and Annie Besant. World War I and Indian’s participation in it was the background for the Home Rule League. When Britain declared war against Germany in 1914, the moderate and liberal leadership extended their support to the British cause. It was hoped that, in return, the British government would give self-government after the war. Indian troops were sent to several theatres of World War. But the British administration Lal-Bal-Pal remained non-committal to such goals. What was seen as a British betrayal to the Indian Lala Lajpat Rai of Punjab, Bala Gangadhar cause of self-government led to a fresh call Tilak of Maharashtra and Bipin Chandra for a mass movement to pressurise the British Pal of Bengal were three prominent leaders government. 27 Anti-Colonial Movements and the Birth of Nationalism 10th_History_Unit_7.indd 27 02-08-2019 16:03:53  www.tntextbooks.online (a) Towards Charting a Common ¾¾To obtain the status of dominion, a political Path position accorded later to Australia, Canada, South Africa, and New Zealand. The 1916 Annual Session of Congress began with two significant developments. ¾¾To use non-violent constitutional One, moderate leaders Pherozeshah Mehta methods to achieve their goals. and Gokhale, two main voices of opposition (c) Lucknow Pact (1916) against the militant faction, had died in 1915. The rising popularity of Annie Besant was the The Home Rule Movement and the other factor which compelled the moderates subsequent reunion of moderate and the to put up a common front against the colonial militant nationalists opened the possibility government. In the Lucknow session of Indian of fresh talks with the Muslims. Under the National Congress (1916), it was decided to Lucknow Pact (1916), the Congress and the admit the militant faction into the party. Muslim League agreed that there should be self-government in India as soon as possible. Tilak set up the first Home Rule League in In return, the Congress leadership accepted April 1916. In September 1916, after repeated the concept of separate electorate for Muslims. demands of her impatient followers, Annie Besant decided to start the Home Rule League without the support of Congress. Both the leagues worked independently. The Home Rule Leagues were utilised to carry extensive propaganda through, press, speeches, public meetings, lectures, discussions and touring in favour of self-government. They succeeded in enrolling young people in large numbers and extending the movement to the rural areas. The Home Rule Movement in India borrowed much of its principles from the Irish Home Rule Movement. Signatories of Lucknow Pact (d) British Response (b) Objectives of the Home Rule Movement The response of the government of British India to the Home Rule Movement ¾¾To attain self-government within the was not consistent. Initially it stated that British Empire by using constitutional there should be reform to accommodate means. more Indians in local administrative bodies. As the demand for Swaraj was raised by Tilak I mean by self-government that and Annie Besant that gained popularity, the the country shall have a government by British used the same old ploy to isolate the councils, elected by the people, elected with leaders by repressing their activities. the power of the purse and the government is responsible to the house…. India should In 1919 the British government demand self-government not based on announced the Montagu-Chelmsford reforms loyalty to the British government or as a which promised gradual progress of India reward for her services in the war but as towards self-government. This caused deep a right based on the principle of national disappointment to Indian nationalists. In a self-determination. further blow the government enacted what was called the Rowlatt Act which provided — Annie Besant (in September 1915) for arbitrary arrest and strict punishment. Anti-Colonial Movements and the Birth of Nationalism 28 10th_History_Unit_7.indd 28 02-08-2019 16:03:53  www.tntextbooks.online SUMMARY The latter half of nineteenth century British India was replete with revolts of peasants and „„ tribals against colonial political and economic domination. The great rebellion of 1857 was the culmination of various anti-British tendencies led by the „„ depossessed feudal chieftains with an agenda to restore the Pre-colonial order. Even though the leaders of the Revolt lacked vision and were guided by local ambitions, it was „„ a progressive act in terms of their effort to resist and challenge a despotic alien government. The Indian National Movement, building public opinion against the exploitative and „„ oppressive British rule, inspired the younger generation to become part of the future militant anti-colonial struggles. The Swadeshi Movement helped to enhance the participation of masses in nationalist „„ politics. The Home Rule Movement helped to unite the Congress party after the Surat split. „„ „„The British mainly responded to the political activities of the nationalists in two ways. One was repression; other was reconciliation. The British utilised individual ambitions and personal rivalries to drive wedge between „„ different social and religious groups to weaken the anti-colonial front. GLOSSARY நினைத்ததை நிறைவேற்ற orchestrated organized to achieve a desired effect ப ோடப்பட்ட திட்டம் clandestine secret இரகசிய restorative re-establishing மீட்கின்ற கீழ்க்குத்தகைக்கு விடுதல், உள் subletting property leased by one lessee to another குத்தகைக்கு விடுதல் egalitarian equal rights for all people அனைத்து மக்களுக்கும் சமமான coercive forcible வலுக்கட்டாயமாக the practice of taking something from an தாக்குதல் மூலம் பணம், ப ொருள் extortion unwilling person by physical force பறித்தல் disgruntled dissatisfied, frustrated நிறைவில்லாத, திருப்தியற்ற abysmal extremely bad, deep and bottomless மிக ம ோசமான, படுபாதாளமான 29 Anti-Colonial Movements and the Birth of Nationalism 10th_History_Unit_7.indd 29 02-08-2019 16:03:53  www.tntextbooks.online EXERCISE I. C  hoose the 7. Who set up the first Home Rule League in correct answer April 1916? a) Annie Basant 1. Which one of the following was launched b) Bipin Chandra Pal by Haji Shariatullah in 1818 in East Bengal? c) Lala Lajpat Rai a) Wahhabi Rebellion d) Tilak b) Farazi Movement c) Tribal uprising 8. Who drew the attention of the British to d) Kol Revolt the suffering of Indigo cultivation through his play Nil darpan? 2. Who declared that “Land belongs to God” a) Dina Bandhu Mitra and collecting rent or tax on it was against b) Romesh Chandra Dutt divine law? c) Dadabhai Naoroji a) Titu Mir d) Birsa Munda b) Sidhu c) Dudu Mian II. Fill in the blanks d) Shariatullah 1. In 1757, Robert Clive was financially 3. Who were driven out of their homeland supported by ____________, the during the process of creation of Zamins moneylenders of Bengal. under Permanent Settlement? a) Santhals b) Titu Mir 2. ____________ was an anti–imperial and anti-landlord movement which originated c) Munda d) Kol in and around 1827. 4. Find out the militant nationalist from the following. 3. The major tribal revolt which took place a) Dadabhai Naoroji in Chotanagpur region was ____________. b) Justice Govind Ranade c) Bipin Chandra pal 4. The ____________ Act, restricted the entry d) Romesh Chandra of non-tribal people into the tribal land. 5. When did the Partition of Bengal come 5. Around 1854 activities of social banditry into effect? were led by ____________. a) 19 June 1905 b) 18 July 1906 6. The British Commander of Kanpur killed c) 19 August 1907 by the rebels during the 1857 Rebellion d) 16 October 1905 was ____________. 6. What was the context in which the 7. Chota Nagpur Act was passed in the year Chotanagpur Tenancy Act was passed? ____________. a) Kol Revolt b) Indigo Revolt 8. W.C. Bannerjee was elected the president c) Munda Rebellion of Indian National Congress in the year d) Deccan Riots ____________. Anti-Colonial Movements and the Birth of Nationalism 30 10th_History_Unit_7.indd 30 02-08-2019 16:03:54  www.tntextbooks.online III. Choose the correct statement (iii)  One of the goals of the moderate Congress leaders was to achieve Swaraj 1. (i) The Company received ₹ 22.5 million or self-rule. from Mir Jafar and invested it to propel the industrial revolution in Britain. (iv)  The objective of Partition of Bengal (ii)  Kols organized an insurrection in was to curtail the Bengali influence and 1831-1832, which was directed against weaken the nationalist movement. government officers and moneylenders. a) (i) and (iii) are correct b) (i), (iii), and (iv) are correct (iii) In 1855, two Santhal brothers, Sidhu c) (ii) and (iii) are correct and Kanu, led the Santhal Rebellion. d) (iii) and (iv) are correct (iv) In 1879, an Act was passed to regulate 4. Assersion (A): Under colonial rule, for the the territories occupied by the Santhals. first time in Indian history, government a) (i), (ii) and (iii) are correct claimed a direct proprietary right over b) (ii) and (iii) are correct forests. c) (iii) and (iv) are correct Reason (R): Planters used intimidation and d) (i) and (iv) are correct violence to compel farmers to grow indigo. 2. (i)  D udu Mian laid emphasis on the a) Both (A) and (R) are correct, but R is egalitarian nature of Islam and declared not the correct explanation of A that “Land belongs to God” b) Both (A) and (R) are wrong (ii)  According to the Doctrine of Lapse, c) Both (A) and (R) are correct and R is new territories under the corrupt Indian the correct explanation of A rulers were to be annexed. d) (A) is wrong and (R) is correct (iii) The British officials after the suppression of 1857 Revolt were given power to 5. Assersion (A): The Revolt of 1857 was judge and take the lives of Indians brutally suppressed by the British army. without due process of law. Reason (R): The failure of the rebellion was (iv) One of the causes of the failure of the due to the absence of Central authority. Revolt of 1857 was many of the Indian a) Both (A) and (R) are wrong princes and zamindars remained loyal b) (A) is wrong and (R) is correct to the British. a) (ii), (iii) and (iv) are correct c) Both (A) and (R) are correct and R is b) (i), (ii) and (iv) are correct the correct explanation of A c) (i), (iii) and (iv) are correct d) Both (A) and (R) are correct, but R is d) (i), (ii) and (iii) are correct not the correct explanation of A 3. (i)  O ne of the most significant IV. Match the following contributions of the early Indian Nationalists was the formulation of an 1. Wahhabi Rebellion - Lucknow economic critique of colonialism. 2. Munda Rebellion - Peshwa Baji (ii) The early Congress leaders stated that Rao II the religious exploitation in India was 3. Begum Hazarat Mahal - Titu Mir the primary reason for the growing 4. Kunwar Singh - Ranchi poverty. 5. Nana Sahib - Bihar 31 Anti-Colonial Movements and the Birth of Nationalism 10th_History_Unit_7.indd 31 02-08-2019 16:03:54  www.tntextbooks.online V. A  nswer the following c) Where was the first session of Indian questions briefly National Congress held? d) How did the British respond to the 1. How are the peasant uprisings in British Swadeshi Movement? India classified? 2. Write about the Kanpur Massacre of 1857. VII. Answer in detail 3. Name the territories annexed by the 1. Discuss the causes and consequences of British under the Doctrine of Lapse. the Revolt of 1857? 4. What do you mean by drain of wealth? 2. How did the people of Bengal respond to 5. Explain the concept of constructive the Partition of Bengal (1905)? swadeshi? 3. Attempt a narrative account of how Tilak 6. Highlight the objectives of Home Rule and Annie Besant by launching Home Movement. Rule Movement sustained the Indian 7. Summarise the essence of Lucknow Pact. freedom struggle after 1916? VI. A  nswer all the questions VIII. Activity under each caption 1. Identify the Acts passed in British India from 1858 to 1919, with a brief note on 1. Deccan Riots each. a) When and where did the first recorded incident of rioting against the 2. Mark the important centres of 1857 Revolt on an outline map. moneylenders in the Deccan appear? b) What was the right given to 3. Prepare an album with pictures of moneylenders under a new law of the frontline leaders of all the anti-colonial struggles launched against the British. British? c) What did it result in? d) Against whom was the violence directed in the Deccan riots. 2. The Revolt of 1857 a) Who assaulted his officer, an incident REFERENCE BOOKS that led to the outbreak of 1857 Revolt? b) Who was proclaimed the Sahhensha- 1. Bipan Chandra, India’s Struggle for e-Hindustan in Delhi? Independence (New Delhi: Penguin, 2000) c) Who was the correspondent of London 2. Sekhar Bandyopadhyay, From Plassey to Times who reported on the brutality of Partition and After (New Delhi: Orient the 1857 revolt? Longman, 2004) d) What did the Queen’s proclamation say 3. Sumit Sarkar, Modern India (1885-1947) on matters relating to religion? (New Delhi: Pearson, 2014). 3. Indian National Congress a) What were the techniques adopted by the Congress to get its grievances INTERNET RESOURCES redressed ? b) What do you know of Lal-Bal-Pal https//www.brittanica.com triumvirate? Anti-Colonial Movements and the Birth of Nationalism 32 10th_History_Unit_7.indd 32 02-08-2019 16:03:54  www.tntextbooks.online ICT CORNER Anti-Colonial Movements and the Birth of Nationalism Through this activity you will visualize the Great Rebellion of 1857 Step-1 Open the Browser and type the URL given below (or) Scan the QR Code. Step-2 Type ‘Rebellion of 1857’ into search box Step-3 Scroll down and click explore the picture collections Step-1 Step-2 Step-3 Website URL: https://artsandculture.google.com/ * Pictures are indicatives only. * If browser requires, allow Flash Player or Java Script to load the page 33 Anti-Colonial Movements and the Birth of Nationalism 10th_History_Unit_7.indd 33 02-08-2019 16:03:55