Chapter 2 - Nationalism in India
Indian nationalism developed as a concept during the Indian independence movement against colonial British rule. In this chapter, students are introduced to the history of the 1920s and learn about noncooperation and civil disobedience movements. Students will also learn how Congress sought to develop national movements, how various social groups participated in movements, and how nationalism captured people's imaginations. Read Vidyakul Chapter 2 of the CBSE Class 10 Historical Notes to learn more about nationalism in India. These CBSE notes are comprehensive and detailed, yet concise enough to review while preparing for the exam.
World War I, non-cooperation with the caliphate
The rise of modern nationalism in India is associated with anti-colonial movements. Because of colonialism, many different groups shared together the bonds forged by Congress under Mahatma Gandhi.
The war created a new economic and political situation in the years after 1919. Between 1913 and 1918, an income tax was introduced and tariffs doubled, making life very difficult for the common people. In 1918-1919, India suffered from a bad harvest, which led to an influenza epidemic and food shortages. At this stage, a new leader appeared and proposed a new way of fighting.
Satyagraha Ideology
In January 1915, Mahatma Gandhi returned to India from South Africa and founded the Satyagraha movement. Satyagraha emphasized the power of truth and the need to seek the truth. According to Mahatma Gandhi, people can win a non-violent battle that will unite all Indians. In 1917 he went to Champaran in Bihar to inspire farmers to fight against the oppressive farming system. In the same year, he organized Satyagraha to support farmers in Gujarat's Kedah district. In 1918, Mahatma Gandhi went to Ahmedabad to organize the Satyagraha movement among cotton mill workers.
Rowlatt's Law
In 1919 Mahatma Gandhi started a nationwide Satyagraha against the proposed Rowlatt's Law. The law gives the government enormous powers to crack down on political activity and allows political prisoners to be detained without trial for up to two years. The British government saw the people's anger and decided to suppress the nationalists. On 13 April an incident occurred in Jallianwala Bagh. Large crowds gathered at Jallianwala Bagh where a handful of people came to protest the government's new crackdown and some came to the annual Baisakhi fair. General Dyer blocked all exits and opened fire on the crowd, killing hundreds of people. After the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, people rampaged, went on strike, clashed with police, and attacked government buildings. Mahatma Gandhi was forced to cancel the movement as it turned into a brutal war. Mahatma Gandhi then raised the issue of a caliphate uniting Hindus and Muslims. World War I ended with the defeat of the Ottoman Turks. In March 1919 the Killapat Council was formed in Bombay. In September 1920, Mahatma Gandhi convinced other leaders of the need to start a non-cooperation movement in support of the caliph and Swaraj.
Why non-cooperation?
According to Mahatma Gandhi, British rule in India was achieved with the help of Indians. Noncooperation is proposed step by step. It must begin with the abandonment of government-given titles and a boycott of public services, military, police, courts, legislatures, schools, and foreign goods. After many obstacles and campaigns between supporters and opponents of the movement, the Non-Cooperation Movement was finally adopted in December 1920.
Differences Within the Movement
In January 1921, the Non-Cooperation-Caliphate Movement began. Although various social groups participated in the movement, the term meant different things to different people.
Migration in the City
The middle class began to move, thousands of students, teachers, and principals left government-controlled schools and universities, and lawyers left the legal profession. On the economic front, the consequences of non-cooperation were more dramatic. The production of Indian textile mills and handlooms went up when people started boycotting foreign goods. However, this movement slowed down due to a variety of reasons such as Khadi clothes being expensive, and fewer Indian institutions for students and teachers to choose from, so they went back to government schools, and lawyers joined back government courts.
Rebellion in the Countryside
The Non-Cooperation Movement spread to the countryside where peasants and tribals were developing in different parts of India. The peasant movement started against talukdars and landlords who demanded high rents and a variety of other cesses. It demanded a reduction of revenue, abolition of begar, and social boycott of oppressive landlords.
In June 1920 Jawaharlal Nehru started touring Avad's village to understand their grievances. In October he founded Oudh Kisan Sabha with several others and opened 300 branches within a month. In 1921, a peasant movement developed, Talukdar and merchants' houses were destroyed, markets were looted, and breadboards were confiscated.
Early 1920's. An armed guerrilla movement began to spread in the Gudem Hills region of Andhra Pradesh. The government has started closing forest areas that are affecting livelihoods.
Plantation Swaraj
For farm workers in Assam, freedom meant the right to move in and out and stay in touch with their home village. Under the Domestic Emigration Act of 1859, plantation workers could not leave tea plantations without permission. Upon hearing the news of the non-cooperation, thousands of workers left the farms and headed home. Unfortunately, they did not reach their destination and were caught and severely beaten by the police.
The Road to Civil Disobedience
In February 1922 the Non-Cooperation movement was shut down because Mahatma Gandhi felt it was violent. Some leaders wanted to participate in local council elections. Swaraj Party was created by C. R. Das and Motilal Nehru. In the late 1920s, Indian politics was again shaped by two factors. The first effect was a global economic recession, and the second effect was declining agricultural prices. A statutory committee was formed to study the functioning of the Indian constitutional system and propose changes. In 1928, the Simon Commission arrived in India and was greeted with the slogan "Come back, Simon". In December 1929, the Lahore Parliament, led by President Jawaharlal Nehru, formulated the demand for "Purna Swaraj" or complete independence of India. It was announced that January 26, 1930, would be celebrated as Liberation Day.
Salt March and Civil Disobedience
On January 31, 1930, Mahatma Gandhi sent a letter to Governor Irwin with 11 demands. The most irritating of these was the demand to abolish the tax on salt consumed by the rich and the poor. If the demands are not met by March 11, Congress will launch a civil disobedience campaign. The famous Salt March was started by Mahatma Gandhi with 78 of his companions. The march lasted over 240 miles from the Gandhiji ashram in Sabarmati to the Gujarati coastal town of Dandi. On April 6 he arrived in Dundee and consciously broke the law by boiling seawater to make salt. This marked the beginning of the civil disobedience movement.
The movement spread all over the world, and salt laws were broken all over the country. The foreign cloth was boycotted, farmers refused to pay taxes, and forest laws were violated in many places. In April 1930, Abdul Ghaffar Khan, a devout disciple of Mahatma Gandhi, was arrested. The arrest of Mahatma Gandhi a month later led to attacks on all buildings symbolizing British rule. Seeing the horrific situation, Mahatma Gandhi decided to stop the movement and signed an agreement with Irwin on March 5, 1931. Gandhi-Irwin Pact, Gandhi agreed to attend a round table conference in London. When the meeting broke down, Mahatma Gandhi returned to India disillusioned and resumed his civil disobedience campaign. It lasted for almost a year, but by 1934 it had lost momentum.
How participants viewed exercise
Patidars from Gujarat and Jats from Uttar Pradesh were active in exercise.
They became active supporters of the civil disobedience movement. However, they were greatly disappointed when the movement ended in 1931. Therefore, when the movement resumed in 1932, many people refused to participate. The poorest peasants joined various radical movements, often led by socialists and communists.
The Indian Industrial and Commercial Congress in 1920 and the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in 1927 were formed to organize business interests. Industrialists opposed colonial rule over the Indian economy and supported the civil disobedience movement when it first emerged. Some industrial workers participated in civil disobedience movements. In 1930 and 1932 railroad workers and dock workers went on strike.
Another essential feature of the civil disobedience movement was the massive participation of women. But for a long time, Congress was reluctant to allow women to hold leadership positions within organizations.
Limitations of Civil Disobedience
The Dalits, who were called Untouchables, did not agree with the Swaraj concept. Mahatma Gandhi called them children of God without Harijans or Swaraj. He organized Satyagraha for the Untouchables, but they found other political notes to social problems. They demanded a place for reservations of voters separate from educational institutions.
A collective sense of belonging
Nationalism spreads when people begin to believe that they are all part of a nation. History and fiction, folklore and song, and popular prints and symbols all contributed to the rise of nationalism. Finally, in the 20th century, Indian identity was visually linked to the image of Bharat Mata. Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay created the image and wrote “Vande Mataram” as the national anthem in the 1870s.
Abanindranath Tagore as an ascetic painted the famous image of Bharat Mata. She is calm and collected, divine and spiritual. In India at the end of the 19th century, nationalists began recording folktales performed by minstrels and traveled from village to village collecting folk songs and legends. During the Swadeshi movement, a tricolor flag (red, green, yellow) with eight lotuses representing the eight states of British India and a crescent moon representing Hindus and Muslims was designed in Bengal. By 1921, Gandhi had designed the tricolor flag of Swaraj (red, green, white) with a spinning wheel in the center representing the Gandhian ideal of self-help.
Conclusion
During the first half of the 20th century, various Indian groups and classes fought for independence. Under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, Congress attempted to settle differences and ensure that the demands of one group did not alienate the other. In other words, a nation with many voices wishing for liberation from colonial rule was born.
Frequently Asked Questions on CBSE Class 10
What is nationalism?
The desire/wish of a group of people with similar races, cultures, and languages to form a country.
How to induce patriotism in a person?
Children and young adults must be taught at a young age about the importance of patriotism. Love for one’s own country must be instilled in every child’s mind and heart.
How to protect our Nation from criticism?
- 1. Do not speak ill of your country
- 2. Do not misuse your national flag
- 3. Be polite and convey your positive thoughts about your country to other nationals
