Quick Revision Notes: Nationalism in India

Class 10 Social Science (History - MP Board)

Nationalism: A strong feeling of pride in and devotion to one's country, along with the formation of a collective identity.
Impact of WWI on India:
- Led to a massive increase in defense expenditure financed by war loans and increasing taxes (customs duties raised, income tax introduced).
- Forced recruitment in rural areas caused widespread anger.
- Crop failure in 1918–19 and 1920–21 led to acute food shortages, accompanied by an influenza epidemic (millions perished).
- People hoped hardships would end after the war, but they did not. This set the stage for Gandhi's mass movements.

Satyagraha: A novel method of mass agitation based on truth and non-violence, introduced by Mahatma Gandhi.
Core Philosophy: If the cause is true, if the struggle is against injustice, then physical force is not necessary to fight the oppressor.
Early Satyagraha Movements led by Gandhiji:
1. 1916 (Champaran, Bihar): Against the oppressive plantation system (Indigo planters).
2. 1917 (Kheda, Gujarat): To support peasants who could not pay revenue due to crop failure and plague epidemic.
3. 1918 (Ahmedabad, Gujarat): Organised among cotton mill workers for better wages.

Rowlatt Act (1919):
- Passed hastily by the Imperial Legislative Council despite united opposition of Indian members.
- Gave the government enormous powers to repress political activities and detain political prisoners without trial for two years.
- Reaction: Gandhiji organized a Rowlatt Satyagraha (hartals on 6 April 1919).
Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (13 April 1919):
- A peaceful crowd gathered at Jallianwala Bagh (Amritsar) for the Baisakhi fair and to protest the Rowlatt Act.
- General Dyer entered the area, blocked the exit points, and opened fire on the unarmed crowd, killing hundreds.
Khilafat Movement:
- Led by Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali (Ali Brothers).
- Formed to protest the harsh terms imposed on the Khalifa (Ottoman Emperor) after WWI by the British.
- Gandhiji saw this as an opportunity to bring Hindus and Muslims together under a unified national movement.

The Blueprint: Proposed in the Nagpur session of the Congress (December 1920). Gandhiji outlined it in his book Hind Swaraj (1909), stating that British rule survived in India only because of Indian cooperation.
Key Programmes / Boycotts:
- Surrender of government titles.
- Boycott of civil services, army, police, courts, legislative councils, schools, and foreign goods.
- Swadeshi: Promotion of Khadi and handmade goods.
Strands of the Movement:
1. In Towns: Middle-class participation, boycott of foreign cloth (import halved between 1921-22), students left government schools, lawyers gave up practices.
2. Rebellion in the Countryside (Awadh): Led by Baba Ramchandra against talukdars and landlords who demanded high rents.
3. Tribal Peasants (Gudem Hills, Andhra Pradesh): Led by Alluri Sitaram Raju. They fought against forest laws that restricted their entry into forests. Raju was captured and executed in 1924.
4. Swaraj in the Plantations (Assam): Under the Inland Emigration Act of 1859, plantation workers were not allowed to leave the tea gardens without permission. Thousands fled the plantations believing "Gandhi Raj" was coming.
Withdrawal (February 1922): Gandhiji called off the movement after the violent Chauri Chaura incident (Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh), where a peaceful protest turned violent, resulting in the burning of a police station and the death of several policemen.

Formation of Swaraj Party: C.R. Das and Motilal Nehru formed it to argue for return to council politics.
Simon Commission (1928):
- A statutory commission sent under Sir John Simon to look into the functioning of the constitutional system in India and suggest changes.
- Boycotted because it had no Indian members. Arrived to slogans of "Go Back Simon".
Purna Swaraj (1929):
- Under the presidency of Jawaharlal Nehru, the Lahore Congress formalized the demand for "Purna Swaraj" (Complete Independence).
- Declared 26 January 1930 to be celebrated as Independence Day.

Salt March (Dandi March):
- Gandhiji chose Salt as a weapon because it was consumed by rich and poor alike, and was a most essential item of food. Tax on salt revealed the oppressive face of British rule.
- On 12 March 1930, Gandhiji started his famous salt march accompanied by 78 trusted volunteers from Sabarmati Ashram to the coastal town of Dandi (240 miles).
- On 6 April 1930, he reached Dandi, violated the law, and manufactured salt by boiling seawater. This marked the beginning of the Civil Disobedience Movement.
Gandhi-Irwin Pact (5 March 1931):
- Gandhiji consented to participate in a Round Table Conference in London and the government agreed to release political prisoners.
- The conference in London failed, and the movement was re-launched in 1932, losing its momentum by 1934.
Limits of Civil Disobedience:
- Dalits (Untouchables): Initially ignored by Congress. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar demanded separate electorates and formed the Depressed Classes Association (1930). Led to the Poona Pact (September 1932) which gave depressed classes reserved seats in provincial and central legislative councils.
- Muslims: Alienated due to the visible association of Congress with Hindu religious nationalist groups (like Hindu Mahasabha) and communal clashes.

Nationalism spreads when people begin to believe that they are all part of the same nation.
Key Symbols and Icons:
- Bharat Mata: First created by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay (wrote Vande Mataram in 1870s). Later painted by Abanindranath Tagore as an ascetic, calm, and divine figure.
- National Flag: Designed during the Swadeshi movement (tricolour: red, green, yellow with a spinning wheel). Later, Gandhiji designed the Swaraj flag (red, green, white with a spinning wheel in the centre representing self-help).
- Reinterpretation of History: Indians began looking into the past to discover India's great achievements in art, science, mathematics, and crafts, urging people to take pride in their past.