Nationalism in India

Notes

1.Withdrawl of Non Cooperation Movement:

In Feb 1922, Mahatma Gandhi decided to withdraw the Non Cooperation Movement as it had turned violent due to the Chauri – Chaura incident.( A police station was set on fire in Cahuri – Chaura village in the district Gorakhpur in eastern U.P.)

2. Reaction within the Congress:

Within the Congress, some leaders wanted to participate in elections to the Provincial Councils. They through this:

Oppose British Policies within the councils. Argued for reforms and Wanted to demonstrate these councils were not truly

democratic.

Young leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru & Subhash Chandra Bose pressed for more radical agitation & for full Independence.

3. Factors shaping Indian Politics in late 1920s

Worldwide economic depression led to turmoil as demand for agricultural goods fell, exports declined and peasants found it difficult to sell their harvests or pay their revenue.

Statutory Commission was set up under Sir John Simon. ( In Britain Tory government which came to power decided to set up this commission).

4. SIMON COMMISSION: was sent to India to look into functioning of Constitutional system in India & suggest changes. The problem was that the commission did not have a single Indian member. They all were British.

Simon Commission arrived in India in 1928 & Indians strongly opposed it with the slogan ‘Go back Simon’. Muslim League also participated in the demonstrations along with other parties.

5. In October 1929, Lord Irwin( Viceroy) offered Congress ‘dominion status’ in an unspecified future & a Round Table Conference to discuss a future constitution. Congress leaders were dissatisfied.

6. Purna Swaraj Resoultion:

In December 1929, at the Lahore Session of Congress demand for ‘Purna Sawarj’ or full Independence was formalized.

26th January 1930 would be celebrated as the Independence Day.

Mahatma Gandhi decided to launch Civil Disobedience Movement.

7. Salt March & CDM:

Mahatma Gandhi wanted to unite all the Indians & therefore he saw in salt a powerful symbol which could unite all. Salt was an essential commodity consumed both by rich & poor. Tax on salt was & government monopoly over its production, Mahatma Gandhi declared, revealed the most oppressive face of British rule.

On 31st January 1930, Mahatma Gandhi sent a letter to Viceroy Irwin stating eleven demands. If the demands were not fulfilled by

11th March, the letter stated, Congress would launch Civil Disobedience Movement. Viceroy Irwin was not ready. Mahatma Gandhi started the famous salt march accompanied by 78 followers. They walked for 24 days ( covering 24 miles) from Sabarmati ashram to the Gujarati coastal town of Dandi. On 6th April he reached Dandi, manufactured salt by boiling sea water & henceforth violated the law.

This marked the beginning of CDM.

8. CDM Course:

People broke salt law & manufactured salt. Peasants refused to pay revenue & chaukidari taxes & violated

forest laws. Foreign cloth was boycotted & liquor shops were picketed. Colonial government began arresting Congress leaders which led

to violent clashes.(Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan, Mahatma Gandhi- in Peshawar & Sholapur people demonstrated respectively)

Peaceful satyagrahis were attacked, women & children were beaten.

To control the growing discontentment of Indians, British decided to hold the Round Table Conference. On 5th March 1931, Gandhi – Irwin Pact was signed. Mahatma Gandhi decided to withdraw the CDM & attend the Second RTC in London. British government agreed to release the political prisoners.

In December 1931,Gandhiji went to London but the he returned disappointed as the talks failed. Back in India, he discovered :

Government began a new cycle of repression, Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan & Nehru were arrested.

Congress was declared illegal. A series of measures were imposed to prevent meetings,

demonstrations & boycotts.

9. Participants in CDM:

(a)Rich Peasants:

Regions: Patidars of Gujarat, Jats of U.P .

Reason of Participation in CDM: Hard hit by trade depression & falling incomes, it was becoming difficult for them to pay revenue. They enthusiastically supported the CDM as they saw it as a struggle against high revenue.

Reason for Withdrawl from the movement: In 1931, movement was called off suddenly without revising the revenue rates. So when the movement was restarted in 1932, many refused to participate.

(b) Poor Peasantry:

Reason for Participation: Many were small tenants cultivating land which they had rented from landlords. Due to falling incomes they were unable to pay their dues. They wanted unpaid rent to the landlord to be remitted.

Reason for Withdrawl: Relationship between poor peasantry & Congress remained uncertain as Congress did not support their ‘no rent campaign’

( c) Industrial Workers: They did not participate in large numbers in CDM, except in Nagpur region.

Reason for Participation: Their movement was against low wages & poor working conditions.

Reason for withdrawl: Congress was reluctant to include industrial workers demands as part of its programme as it felt it would alienate industrialists & divide the anti- imperial forces.

(d) Business Class:

Reason for Participation:Keen on expanding their business, they reacted against the colonial policies that restricted business activities. They wanted protection against imports of foreign goods, a rupee sterling foreign exchange ratio that would discourage imports. To organize business interests, they formed Indian Industrial & Commercial Congress in 1920 & FICCI in 1927. Led by G.D. Birla, Purshottamdas Thakurdas, the industrialists attacked the colonial control over the Indian economy. They gave financial assistance & refused to buy or sell imported goods. For them swaraj meant, no restriction on their trade so that trade & industry would flourish without constraints.

Reason for Withdrawl: Spread of militant activities as well growing influence of socialism amongst the younger members of Congress made the business class apprehensive of Congress & thus they decided to not to participate in CDM when it was relaunced in 1932.

LIMITS OF CDM to be done directly from the textbook.

10. Sense of Collective Belonging:

(a) Symbols & Figures:( Images of Bharat Mata) In 20th century, with the growth of nationalism,Identity of India came to be visually associated with the image of Bharat Mata. The image was first created by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay . In 1870s he wrote ‘ Vande Matram’ as a hymn to motherland. Moved by swadeshi movement, Abinndranath Tagore painted his famous image of Bharat Mata as an ascetic figure: clam. Composed, divine 7 spiritual. In due course of time, devotion to Bharat Mata came to be seen as evidence of one’s nationalism.

(b) Revival of Indian Folklore: In the late 19th century, nationalists began recording folktales sung by bards & they toured villages to gather folk songs & legends as they felt these gave a true picture of traditional culture which had been corrupted & damaged by outside forces. Therefore, it was essential to preserve this folk tradition in order to discover one’s national identity & restore a sense of pride in one’s past. In Bengal, Rabindranath Tagore himself began collecting ballads, & led the movement for folk revival. In Madras, Natesa Sastri published ‘The folklore of southern India’ a collection of Tamil folk tales.

( c) Reinterpretation of History: British saw Indians as backward & primitive, incapable of governing themselves. In response, Indians began looking into the past to discover India’s great achievements.. they wrote about glorious developments in ancient times when art & architecture, science & mathematics, religion , philosophy, culutre flourished. This was done to instill a sense of pride & urged Indians to

struggle to change the miserable conditions of life under the British rule.

(d) Symbols & Figures: ( Flags) During the swadeshi movement in Bengal, a tricolor flag( red, green & yellow) was designed. It had eight lotuses representing eight provinces of British India, & a crescent moon, representing Hindus & Muslims.. By 1921, Gandhiji designed the swaraj Flag. It was again a tricolor( red, green & white) & had a spinning wheel in the centre, representing the Gandhian ideal of self help. Carrying the flag, holding it aloft, during marchesbecame a symbol of defiance.