THE INDIAN
NATIONAL MOVEMENT (1917-1947)
1.
The third and final phase of
the Nationalist Movement [1917-1947] is known as the Gandhian
era.
2.
During this period Mahatma
Gandhi became the undisputed leader of the National Movement.
3.
His principles of nonviolence
and Satyagraha were employed against the British Government
4.
Gandhi made the nationalist
movement a mass movement
5.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born at Porbandar in Gujarat on 2 October 1869
6.
In April 1893 he went to South
Africa and involved himself in the struggle against apartheid (Racial
discrimination against the Blacks) for twenty years.
7.
Finally, he came to India in 1915. Thereafter, he fully
involved himself in the Indian National Movement.
8.
Mahatma Gandhi began his experiments with Satyagraha against the oppressive European indigo planters at Champaran in Bihar in
1917.
9.
In the next
year he launched another Satyagraha at Kheda in Gujarat in support of
the peasants who were not able to pay the land tax due to failure of crops.
10.
In 1918,
Gandhi undertook a fast unto death for the cause of Ahmedabad Mill Workers and finally the mill
owners conceded the just demands of the workers.
11.
On the whole, the local
movements at Champaran, Kheda and Ahmedabad brought Mahatma Gandhi closer to
the life of the people and their problems at the grass roots level.
Rowlatt Act (1919)
1.
In 1917, a committee was set up
under the president ship of Sir Sydney Rowlatt to look into the militant
Nationalist activities
2.
Rowlatt Act was passed in March
1919 by the Central Legislative Council
3.
As per this Act, any person
could be arrested on the basis of suspicion.
4.
No appeal or petition could be
filed against such arrests.
5.
This Act was called the Black
Act and it was widely opposed.
6.
An all-India hartal was
organized on 6 April 1919.
7.
Meetings were held all over the
country.
8.
Mahatma Gandhi was arrested
near Delhi.
9.
Two prominent leaders of
Punjab, Dr Satya Pal and Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew, were arrested in Amritsar.
Jallianwala
Bagh Massacre (13 April, 1919)
1.
The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre
took place on 13 April 1919 and it remained a turning point in the history of
India’s freedom movement
2.
In Punjab, there was an
unprecedented support to the Rowlatt Satyagraha
3.
Facing a violent situation, the
Government of Punjab handed over the administration to the military authorities
under General Dyer.
4.
He banned all public meetings
and detained the political leaders
5.
On 13 th April, the Baisakhi
day (harvest festival), a public meeting was organized at the Jallianwala Bagh
(garden)
6.
Dyer marched in and without any
warning opened fire on the crowd
7.
The firing continued for about
10 to 15 minutes and it stopped only after the ammunition exhausted
8.
According to official report
379 people were killed and 1137 wounded in the incident.
9.
Rabindranath Tagore renounced
his knighthood as a protest
10.
The Jallianwala Bagh massacre
gave a tremendous impetus to the freedom struggle.
Khilafat Movement
1.
The chief cause of the Khilafat
Movement was the defeat of Turkey in the First World War.
2.
The harsh terms of the Treaty
of Sevres (1920) was felt by the Muslims as a great insult to them.
3.
The whole movement was based on
the Muslim belief that the Caliph (the Sultan of Turkey) was the religious head
of the Muslims all over the world
4.
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, M.A.
Ansari, Saifuddin Kitchlew and the Ali brothers were the prominent leaders of
this movement.
5.
Mahatma Gandhi was particularly
interested in bringing the Hindus and the Muslims together to achieve the
country’s independence.
6.
The Khilafat Movement merged
with the Non-Cooperation Movement launched by Mahatma Gandhi in 1920.
Non-Cooperation Movement (1920-1922)
1.
It was approved by the Indian
National Congress at the Nagpur session in December, 1920.
2.
The programmes of the
Non-Cooperation Movement were:
3.
Surrender of titles and
honorary positions
4.
Resignation of membership from
the local bodies.
5.
Boycott of elections held under
the provisions of the 1919 Act
6.
Boycott of government
functions.
7.
Boycott of courts, government
schools and colleges.
8.
Boycott of foreign goods
9.
Establishment of national
schools, colleges and private panchayat courts.
10.
Popularizing Swadeshi goods and
khadi
11.
National schools such as the
Kashi Vidyapeeth, the Bihar Vidyapeeth and the Jamia Millia Islamia were set
up.
12.
No leader of the Congress came
forward to contest the elections for the Legislatures
13.
In 1921, mass demonstrations
were held against the Prince of Wales during his tour of India.
14.
Most of the households took to
weaving cloths with the help of charkhas.
15.
But the whole
movement was abruptly called off on 11th February 1922 by Gandhi following the
Churi Chaura incident
16.
In the Gorakhpur district of
U.P. Earlier on 5 th February an angry mob set fire to the police station at
Churi Chaura and twenty two police men were burnt to death
Significance of the Non-Cooperation Movement
1.
It was the real mass movement
with the participation of different sections of Indian society such as
peasants, workers, students, teachers and women.
2.
It witnessed the spread of
nationalism to the remote corners of India.
3.
It also marked the height of
Hindu-Muslim unity as a result of the merger of Khilafat movement.
4.
It demonstrated the willingness
and ability of the masses to endure hardships and make sacrifices.
Swaraj Party
1.
The suspension of the
Non-Cooperation Movement led to a split within Congress in the Gaya session of
the Congress in December 1922.
2.
Leaders like Motilal Nehru and
Chittranjan Das formed a separate group within the Congress known as the Swaraj
Party on 1 January 1923.
3.
The Swarajists wanted to
contest the council elections and wreck the government from within
4.
The Swaraj Party gained
impressive successes.
5.
In the Central Legislative
Council Motilal Nehru became the leader of the party whereas in Bengal the
party was headed by C.R. Das.
6.
It demanded the setting up of
responsible government in India
7.
With the necessary changes in
the Government of India Act of 1919.
8.
The party could pass important
resolutions against the repressive laws of the government.
9.
After the passing away of C.R.
Das in June 1925, the Swarj Party started weakening.
Simon Commission (1927)
1.
The Act of 1919 included a
provision for its review after a lapse of ten years.
2.
The review commission was
appointed
3.
By the British Government two
years earlier of its schedule in 1927. It came to be known as Simon Commission
after the name of its chairman, Sir John Simon.
4.
All its seven members were
Englishmen. As there was no Indian member in it
5.
Almost all the political
parties including the Congress decided to oppose the Commission.
6.
On the fateful day of 3
February 1928 when the Commission reached Bombay, a general hartal was observed
all over the country.
7.
Everywhere it was greeted with
black flags and the cries of ‘Simon go back’
8.
At Lahore, the students took
out a large anti-Simon Commission demonstration on 30 October 1928 under the
leadership of Lala Lajpat Rai
9.
In this demonstration, Lala
Lajpat Rai was seriously injured in the police lathi charge and he passed away
after one month.
10.
The report of the Simon
Commission was published in May 1930
11.
It was stated that the
constitutional experiment with Diarchy was unsuccessful
12.
In its place the report
recommended the establishment of autonomous government.
13.
Simon Commission’s Report
became the basis for enacting the Government of India Act of 1935.
Nehru Report (1928)
1.
In the meanwhile, the Secretary
of State, Lord Birkenhead, challenged the Indians to produce a Constitution
2.
In the meanwhile, the Secretary
of State, Lord Birkenhead, challenged the Indians to produce a Constitution
3.
The challenge was accepted by
the Congress, which convened an all-party meeting on 28 February 1928
4.
A committee consisting of eight
was constituted to draw up a blueprint for the future Constitution of India.
5.
It was headed by Motilal Nehru
6.
The Report published by this
Committee came to be known as the Nehru Report.
The Report favoured:
1.
Dominion Status as the next
immediate step
2.
Full responsible government at
the centre.
3.
Autonomy to the provinces
4.
Clear cut division of power
between the centre and the provinces.
5.
A bicameral legislature at the
centre.
6.
Mohammad Ali Jinnah regarded it
as detrimental to the interests of the Muslims
7.
Jinnah convened an All India
Conference of the Muslims where he drew up a list of Fourteen Points as Muslim
League demand.
Civil Disobedience Movement (1930-1934)
1.
In the prevailing atmosphere of
restlessness, the annual session of the Congress was held at Lahore in December
1929.
2.
During this session presided
over by Jawaharlal Nehru the Congress passed the Poorna Swaraj resolution
3.
Moreover, as the government failed
to accept the Nehru Report, the Congress gave a call to launch the Civil
Disobedience Movement.
4.
The Congress had also observed
January 26, 1930 as the Day of Independence.
5.
The same date later became the
Republic Day when the Indian Constitution was enforced in 1950.
The Dandi March
1.
On 12th March 1930, Gandhi
began his famous March to Dandi with his chosen 79 followers to break the salt
laws.
2.
He reached the coast of Dandi
on 5 April 1930 after marching a distance of 200 miles
3.
On 6 April formally launched
the Civil Disobedience Movement by breaking the salt laws.
4.
On 9 April, Mahatma Gandhi laid
out the programme of the movement which included making of salt in every
village in violation of the existing salt laws;
5.
Picketing by women before the
shops selling liquor, opium and foreign clothes;
6.
Spinning clothes by using
charkha fighting untouchability;
7.
Boycotting of schools and
colleges by students and resigning from government jobs by the people
8.
Soon, the movement spread to
all parts of the country. Students, workers, farmers and women, all
participated in this movement with great enthusiasm.
In upcoming part (1932-1947) Previous
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