The Nationalist Movement of India – An Introduction
* Rise of nationalism in India was linked with opposition of colonialism.
* The First World War created a new political and economic situation in India.
* The Indian freedom movement geared up momentum once again with the coming of Mahatma Gandhi in 1915.
Satyagraha – Ideals and Implementation
* Satyagraha was a method of mass agitation founded on the sound belief of nonviolence as a tool of protest.
* Mahatma Gandhi knew that India could never match the British in military strength s he adopted the concept of Satyagraha.
* Mahatma Gandhi successfully organised Satyagraha Movements in Champaran in Bihar, and Kheda and Ahmadabad in Gujarat.
Rowlatt Act and Jallianwallah Bagh Massacre
* The Rowlatt Act aimed to curb the political activities in the country and it equipped the courts with the power to detain.
* In opposition to the Rowlatt Act Mahatma Gandhi initiated a civil disobedience movement.
* Several people were killed in Jallianwallah Bagh Massacre in Amritsar. This incident had happened under the command of General Dyer.
Launch of Non-Cooperation Movement
* Mahatma Gandhi believed in Swaraj. He suggested that if Indians resolved not to cooperate with the British rule would get abolished.
* Mahatma Gandhi proposed a stage by stage strategy for the successful implementation of the Non-cooperation Movement.
* After a lot of debates Congress confirmed the Non-cooperation programme during the Nagpur conference in December 1920.
Diverse regional groups parcipited in the Non-cooperation movement to attain Swaraj.
Simon Commision and The Civil Disobedience Movement
* In February 1922, Mahatma Gandhi decided to take back the Non-cooperation Movement due to widespread violence.
* The Simon Commission was a statutory Commission which aimed at looking into the constitutional system of India and suggest changes.
* Congress and other parties protested against the Simon Commision.
* Mahatma Gandhi viewed the tax on salt and the monopoly of the Government on its production as downright oppressive.
* Mahatma Gandhi launched a Civil movement a salt March from Sabarmati Ashram to the coastal town of Dandi.
* On reaching Dandi on 6th April, Mahatma Gandhi broke the salt law and the Indians began manufacturing their own salt.
Gandhi-Irwin Pact and Round Table Conference
* The British Government clamped down on the Congress Leaders and protesters in the Civil Disobedience Movement.
* In 1931, Mahatma Gandhi decided to call off the Civil Disobedience movement and entered into a pact with Lord Irwin.
* Mahatma Gandhi attended the Round Table Conference but the negotiations failed in the Conference.
* Mahatma Gandhi re-launched the Civil Disobedience Movement but by 1934 the movement died out.
Important National Events Between 1922 – 1939
* After the Chauri Chaura incident, Gandhi called off the Non-cooperation Movement.
* The Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) were formed during this period.
* Bhagat Singh formed the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) in 1928 to fight against the colonial rule.
* In 1929, Jawaharlal Nehru vowed to fight for Purna swaraj and observed 26th January, 1930, as Independence Day.
* On 12th March, 1930, Gandhiji led the Dandi March from Sabarmati Ashram to protest against the salt tax imposed by the colonial government.
* The government declared provincial autonomy in many provinces. After elections, the Congress formed governments in 7 out of the 11 provinces.
Indian Independence and Partition
* Mahatma Gandhi launched the Quit India Movement in 1942.
* The Muslims demanded a separate independent state owing to their minority status and the communal tensions of the 1920s.
* Talks between the Muslim League and Congress failed twice, even with the mediation of the British.
* The Muslim League called for Direct Action Day on the 15th of August, 1946, in Calcutta, which resulted in riots.
* Though India became independent on the 15th August, 1947, it was partitioned into two countries, namely India and Pakistan.
