Chapter 2 Nationalism in India Class 10th Notes History
Chapter 2 Nationalism in India Class 10th Notes History Social Science
Chapter 2, "Nationalism in India" from Class 10 History, explores the rise of nationalism in India during the early 20th century, focusing on how the struggle for independence took shape under Mahatma Gandhi's leadership. It covers key movements, the role of different social groups, and the methods adopted to challenge British rule.
Mahatma Gandhi was a part of Nationalism
Back to India (1915):
Gandhi returned to India from South Africa in January 1915, at the age of 45, already a famous figure for his contribution to the fight against racial discrimination against Indians in South Africa. He founded Satyagraha — a belief system of nonviolent resistance through truth (Satya) and nonviolence (Ahimsa).
South African Influence: Gandhi’s success in organizing protests, such as the 1913 march of Indian miners, and negotiating with the South African government gave him credibility as a leader.
Initial Steps in India: Upon arrival, he was advised by his mentor, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, to travel across India and understand its people. His simple attire and humility quickly earned him the title Mahatma (Great Soul).
Vision of Swaraj: Gandhi’s concept of Swaraj (self-rule) went beyond political independence to include economic self-reliance and social equality, setting the tone for his leadership in the nationalist movement.
Early Satyagraha Movements:
Champaran Satyagraha (1917):
Gandhi intervened in Bihar’s Champaran district, where indigo farmers (ryots) were forced by British landlords to grow indigo under the exploitative tinkathia system (3/20th of their land dedicated to indigo).
He conducted detailed inquiries, mobilizing local support despite British attempts to arrest him.
Outcome: The Champaran Agrarian Act of 1918 abolished the tinkathia system and compensated farmers, marking Gandhi’s first victory in India.
Kheda Satyagraha (1918):
In Gujarat’s Kheda district, peasants faced crop failure due to floods, yet the British demanded full land revenue.
Gandhi, alongside Vallabhbhai Patel, organized a no-tax campaign, urging villagers to withhold payments peacefully.
Outcome: The British relented, suspending revenue collection for the poorest farmers, reinforcing Gandhi’s strategy of nonviolent resistance.
Ahmedabad Mill Strike (1918):
Textile workers in Ahmedabad demanded a 50% wage increase after the plague increased living costs, while mill owners offered only 20%.
Gandhi mediated, fasting for three days to encourage compromise, a tactic that pressured both sides.
Outcome: Workers received a 35% raise, showcasing Gandhi’s ability to bridge labor and nationalist causes.
Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (1919)
Rowlatt Act (1919):
British, in March 1919, enacted the Rowlatt Act to prevent detention without trial to meet growing unrest after World War I. The Act was nicknamed the "Black Act" and generated resentment in India.
Gandhi had announced a hartal (strike) throughout the country on 6th April, 1919, asking for peaceful demonstrations, but in Punjab something went amiss.
Facts about Massacre:
13th April 1919, also being Baisakhi festival day, about 10,000 unarmed men, women, and children had assembled at Amritsar's walled garden Jallianwala Bagh, with very few gates, to protest against the arrest of the leaders, Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew and Dr. Satyapal.
General Reginald Dyer, enraged at revolt, commanded 50 men to fire 1,650 warningless bullets, for 10 minutes in spite of the crowd attempting to make a run.
British official accounts attributed 379 dead and 1,200 injured but Indian estimates of fatalities varied by over 1,000.
Colonial savagery was uncovered as Dyer subsequently justified even what he had done as a "lesson" to suppress rebellion.
National outrage led to anti-British feeling. Gandhi denounced it by declining his Kaiser-i-Hind award for the first time he turned down a British honor.
Hunter Commission (1919) condemned Dyer very harshly, but did not punish him in fact, again provoking such Indian suspicion.
The incident fanned freedom struggle, which caused more resistance.
Khilafat and Non-Cooperation Movements
Khilafat Movement (1919-1924):
Brotherly led by Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali led the movement after World War I when Ottoman Caliph authority was questioned by British and Allies, religious symbol among Muslims.
Hindu-Muslim cooperation prospects were planned for by Gandhi when organizing the 1919 All-India Khilafat Conference but materialized in the areas of boycott, hartals, and missions to London (abortive on account of the 1920 Treaty of Sèvres).
Downfall: It lost vigor subsequent to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's destruction of the Caliphate in 1924 but stabilized co-religious existence for a short while.
Non-Cooperation Movement (1920-1922):
Commenced on 1 August 1920 at the Nagpur Session of the Indian National Congress, Gandhi contended that British occupation was based on the support of Indians.
Boycott of British products (e.g., foreign cloth was burnt), schools (with institutions such as Jamia Millia Islamia being established), courts (lawyers such as Motilal Nehru resigned), and honors (e.g., Rabindranath Tagore refused his knighthood).
Popularisation of Khadi by operating charkhas (spinning wheels) as an economic freedom symbol.
Mass support: It galvanized millions, comprising women, students, and rural masses.
Influence: 50% decrease in British cloth imports, and jail was glory (more than 30,000 arrested up to 1922).
Chauri Chaura Incident (1922):
Humiliated agitators set fire to a police chowki, and 22 policemen were martyred on 5 February 1922, at Chauri Chaura (Uttar Pradesh).
Gandhi, trusting his ahimsa or non-violence creed, halted the movement on 12 February 1922 in spite of resistance from Nehru and other leaders.
He proceeded with five-day fasting as penance, hoping that the masses were not yet prepared to embrace disciplined Satyagraha.
Outcome: Abrupt withdrawal annoyed the majority but restored the moral momentum of Gandhi.
Marching Into Civil Disobedience
Simon Commission (1928):
The whole-British commission which was sent to examine into the government of India arrived in February 1928 with no Indian member, a national shame.
Black flag processions and even the cry "Simon Go Back."
A procession was led by Lala Lajpat Rai at Lahore but was attacked by ruthless police brutality on October 30, 1928, and passed away on November 17.
Bhagat Singh retaliated against Rai in the form of murdering a police inspector, making revolutionary and constitutional action equal.
Call for Purna Swaraj (Total Independence):
Lahore Session (December 1929), presided over by Jawaharlal Nehru, spurned Dominion Status and spread Purna Swaraj.
January 26, 1930, was announced Independence Day, flag hoisting, and swearing throughout the country—later legitimized as Republic Day post-1947.
This breakaway was a revolutionary departure from past calls for moderation.
Salt March and Civil Disobedience Movement (1930-1934)
Background of Salt Tax:
British monopoly in production and taxation of salt (since 1882) made it horrendously expensive, a classic case of colonial exploitation of a simple commodity.
Salt March:
March 12 to April 6, 1930: Gandhi walked 240 miles from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi, Gujarat, thousands following him on the way.
April 6, he violated the law by producing salt from sea water, and disobedience was witnessed across the country—e.g., C. Rajagopalachari led a similar procession in Tamil Nadu.
International Notice: Foreign journalists were taken along on the procession, highlighting British brutality.
Spread of the Movement
Millions disobeyed the salt laws, boycotted liquor shops, and demonstrated against foreign products. Women such as Sarojini Naidu contributed.
Bharatiya Swarajya Mandal or British violent oppression: More than 90,000 arrested, Gandhi on 5 May, 1930, and lathi charges (e.g., at Dharasana Salt Factory).
Gandhi-Irwin Pact (1931):
Implemented on 5 March, 1931, after talks with Viceroy Lord Irwin.
Terms: End of civil disobedience, release of the prisoners, and attendance by Gandhi of the Second Round Table Conference.
Result of Conference: In London (September-December, 1931), it broke down because the British did not accept granting immediate freedom with special stress on communal representation.
The Poona Pact (1932)
Background: The Dalit leader Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was given a separate electorate by the Communal Award (August 1932) since there was a perception on his part that Congress had given up Dalit rights.
Gandhi, who was then in Yerwada Jail, began a fast unto death on September 20, 1932, based on the argument that a separate electorate would divide Hindu society.
Agreement: Signed on September 24, 1932, after prolonged negotiations.
Terms: 148 seats of Dalits reserved in legislatures (from 71) under joint electorate.
Legacy: It provided representation to Dalits but strained Gandhi-Ambedkar relations, as Ambedkar was threatened.
Cultural Nationalism and National Identity
Vande Mataram:
Composed in 1870s Bengali by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, popularized in 1882 as Anandamath, which has long been the symbol of resistance against suppression.
embraced by Congress in 1905 and sung on marches in spite of Muslim opposition to Hindu symbolism (later abridged for communal tolerance)
Bharat Mata:
Painted in 1905 by Abanindranath Tagore who viewed India as saffron-clad goddess, blending art and nationalism.
Cultural Revival: Gandhi’s Khadi, Tagore’s songs, and folk tales (e.g., about Shivaji or Rani Lakshmibai) fostered a shared identity against British denigration of Indian culture.
Limits of the Civil Disobedience Movement
Dalit Exclusion: Ambedkar criticized the movement for prioritizing upper-caste Hindu issues, neglecting untouchability’s systemic roots.
Muslim Alienation: The Muslim League, under Jinnah, grew wary of Congress’s Hindu-majority leadership, reducing Muslim participation post-1930.
Worker-Peasant Disconnect: Industrial workers (e.g., Bombay textile strikes) and poor peasants, burdened by debt, found Gandhi’s focus on symbolic acts like salt less relevant to their economic struggles.
Momentum Loss: Repression, factionalism, and Gandhi’s 1934 withdrawal from Congress weakened the movement, shifting focus to constitutional reforms (e.g., 1935 Government of India Act).