Mahatma Gandhi and

the Indian National

Movement (1917-1947)

Pgs 134-145 of the textbook

Brief history of Mahatma Gandhi
 Satyāgraha

Satya - Truth Aagraha - Urge or push for something to happen

Emphasis on Truth - Weapon of conflict resolution

Non-violence in the face of injustice, exploitation
Self-suffering - tool of the strong, willingness to accept suffering
Tools of Satyāgraha
❖ Peaceful demonstrations

❖ Defiance of unjust British laws

❖ Boycott of British goods and services

❖ Non-payment of oppressive taxes

❖ Promotion of Swadeshi spirit through charkha and khadi

Experiments with Satyāgraha
First Satyāgraha - Champaran (1917) - Peasants’ uprising against indigo cultivation
- demonstrated the power of taking on oppression through non-violent means

- mass movement, received nationwide attention

- put Gandhi on the front seat of the nationalist movement

Kheda (1918) - Successful in suspending tax collection for a year

Ahmedabad (1918) - Fought for the rights of the textile mill workers, successful in
raising their wages
English translation:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1u_1b5DIMpyQXsLSQb-eenP3Z3V_QwgWZgropdAqKIZQ/edit?usp=sharing
Rowlatt Act

● Passed by Sir Sydney Rowlatt

● Arrest any person without warrant - imprisonment for upto 2 years
● Could conduct trials without jury
● Was also widely called the Black Act
Jallianwala Bagh Massacre
● 13th April 1919 - public meeting was called
in Amritsar to protest against the Rowlatt
Act
● Peaceful meeting, people were unarmed
● Gen. Dyer had issued an order banning
public meeting and hartals
● Dyer and his troops surrounded the Bagh,
blocked its only exit and asked his soldiers
to open fire on the gathering
● No warning was given and shooting
continued till the troops ran out of
ammunition
● Hundreds were killed, thousand wounded
Non-Cooperation Movement (1920-22)
● After the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, Gandhi launched the
Non-cooperation Movement in 1920
● Gandhi urged people not to believe or cooperate with the
Government
● Methods of resistance -
○ Boycott - foreign goods, govt schools, colleges, govt functions, elections etc
○ Surrender of titles awarded by the British
○ Promotion of Swadeshi goods, Hindu-Muslim unity
Significance of the Movement

❏ First large-scale mass movement organised by Gandhi

❏ From a microscopic minority, the INC became a mass-based party
❏ Muslims were included in the movement (through the support of the
Khilafat movement)

Shaukat Ali and Mohammad

Ali of the Khilafat Movement
The end of the movement
The Chauri Chaura incident
(1922)
Violence erupted when police fired at a
peaceful procession

The angry mob retaliated and burnt

down the police station, killing some
policemen

Gandhi disapproved this violence and

called off the movement
Govt of India Act, 1919
Brought in constitutional reforms

Goal - increase people's participation in the running of the govt

Public service commission was established in India for the first time

For the first time, elections were known to the people

Simon Commission
7-member Commission headed by Sir
John Simon was set up in 1927 to
review the Govt of India Act, 1919

Criticised by Indians because it was

an all-White group, with no Indian
members

INC and other parties boycotted the

Commission as the recommendations
were not acceptable
First Round
Table
Conference
Poorna Swaraj Resolution (1929)
Adopted at the Lahore session of the Congress -
Jawaharlal Nehru was the President

Boycotted the First Round Table Conference in

London and declared 26th January, 1930 as the
Independence Day for India

Indian tricolour flag was adopted and unfurled.

People all over the country took the pledge of
freedom
Tricolour flag adopted in 1930
Here, they decided to launch the Civil
Disobedience Movement under the leadership of
Gandhi
Poorna Swaraj Resolution (1929)
Civil Disobedience Movement (1930-34)
Dandi March
The Civil Disobedience Movement was launched through the Salt
Satyagraha. Gandhi undertook the Dandi March to protest
against the salt laws
Marched from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi to break the salt laws.
Thousands marched with him. On reaching Dandi, Gandhi
picked up a handful of salt as a symbol of breaking the law.
Civil Disobedience Movement (1930-34)
➢ Became an All-India mass movement

➢ Characterised by strikes, hartals, boycott of government offices, schools

and colleges

➢ People defied the British fearlessly - refused to pay taxes or buy foreign

goods

➢ Was truly a non-violent movement, with significant women’s How do you think the Civil
Disobedience Movement
participation was different from the
Non-cooperation
➢ Govt reaction - imposed severe repressive measures, leaders were arrested Movement?

and imprisoned. However, nationalist feelings and aspirations could not

be suppressed.
Gandhi-Irwin Pact (1931)
❏ British realise reforms were necessary to pacify the Indians, dialogue with Indian leaders
was essential
❏ Lord Irwin, the then Viceroy signed a pact with Gandhi
❏ Gandhi agreed to call off the Civil Disobedience Movement and attend the Second Round
Table Conference
❏ Lord Irwin would in return, release all prisoners and allow people to manufacture salt

Significance of the Pact:

● Marked a shift in British Policy - acknowledged the Indian leaders and the INC’s growing
influence
● Non-violent methods could bring in significant gains
● Laid the groundwork for future constitutional reforms and self-governance
 Relaunch of Civil Disobedience Movement

Gandhi (represented Congress) attended the Second Round Table Conference in

1931.

At the conference, there was no discussion of granting rights of self-governance to

Indians.

Gandhi returned to India and relaunched the Civil Disobedience Movement.

 Govt of India Act, 1935

➔ Gave provincial autonomy, first attempt to give provinces some

autonomous status
➔ Bicameral legislature in some provinces
➔ Separate electorates for Women (reservation of seats for women)

1939 - 1942
WWII broke out and the British realised they needed Indian support.

Japan posed a threat to the British. The Allied forces were pressurising Britain to seek
India’s cooperation.

Indian leaders were willing to help provided British granted India independence. But, the
British did not agree. This led to a deadlock.
Cripps Mission (1942)
The mission was sent to India to resolve the deadlock.

Proposal:
➔ India would be given ‘dominion status’ (autonomous
but within the British Empire) after the war
➔ The provinces could choose to join the Dominion or
remain outside of it
➔ Formation of a Constituent Assembly to draft a
constitution

Rejected by Gandhi - called it a post-dated cheque

Sir Stafford Cripps
INC - Not a concrete plan for transfer of power, worried
that it might lead to disunity.
Cripps on his mission (1942)
 Quit India Movement (1942)
‘Leave India to God. If that is too much leave her to anarchy’
The movement was a civil disobedience movement and Gandhi’s last attempt at
satyagraha.
July, 1942 - Congress party passed the ‘Quit India’ resolution calling for immediate
independence. If not, Gandhi was authorised to lead a non-violent protest movement.

“The mantra is ‘Do or Die.’ We shall either free India or die in the
attempt; we shall not live to see the perpetuation of our slavery.”

Even before the movement could begin, leaders were arrested and the Congress was
banned.
Quit India Movement (1942)
Protest marches, demonstrations and strikes were organised. Govt tried to control with
lathi-charge and firing.

People in reaction, attacked govt buildings, offices, railway stations and police stations,
telegraph lines were damaged.

Govt involved the army and thousands were killed and the movement was suppressed.

Significance
● Landmark in India’s struggle for freedom - united the country
● New confidence in masses to fight against the British
● Indians wanted nothing less than independence
● By the end of WWII, the British could not ignore the demand for India’s
independence.
Indian National Army - Subhas Chandra Bose
Was President of the INC for a year. After a fallout with
Gandhi, left the INC.

Formed the Forward Bloc in 1939 - main aim - to

achieve freedom from British rule and promote national
unity.

During WWII, his loyalties were with the Germans and

the Japanese. He was briefly imprisoned by the British.

Led the Indian National Army or the Azad Hind Fauj,

“Give me blood and I will give you freedom”
Indian National Army - Subhas Chandra Bose
In 1943, Bose announced the formation of the Provisional Government of Free India
while he was in Singapore and joined the Axis powers during WWII.

Japanese Army along with the INA crossed Burma to reach India. They reached Imphal and
planted the Indian flag, but the British soon launched a counter-offensive and regained
control over Burma.

The INA under Bose was able to generate patriotic feelings among fellow Indians which
inspired uprisings (in Calcutta and Bombay) against the British. The armed struggle posed a
threat to the British and helped in boost the freedom struggle.

Bose became an icon and is remembered for his patriotism and heroism.
Cabinet Mission Plan (1946)
Cabinet Mission Plan (1946)
A mission was sent to India in February 1946 to discuss the transfer of power from British
to Indian leadership.
Primary goal - Help in framing the Indian constitution as well as formulate a
constitution-making body

★ The mission failed:

The INC and the Muslim League could not reconcile their differences.

INC was unhappy with grouping provinces on the basis of religion.

Plan did not accommodate the proposal for a separate Muslim nation, so the Muslim
League under Jinnah launched the Direct Action Day (16 August 1946). This day marked
the beginning of widespread communal tension and violence.
Questions on Partition

Watch the videos in the next 2 slides and answer the following:

a) When did the demand for creation of Pakistan take concrete shape?
b) What is the significance of 16th August, 1946?
c) What is the 2-nation theory?
d) Why was the Partition of India unavoidable?
Direct Action Day - 16th August 1946
The day partition began
Partition of India
Two-nation theory

Hindus and Muslims are two distinct communities that cannot co-exist without
dominating and discriminating against each other.

Jinnah proposed for division of India into 2 nations and the creation of Pakistan.
Separate homelands for Muslims and Hindus.
Partition and Independence

Mountbatten Plan

With increasing violence, partition of India seemed

like the only solution.

India’s last Viceroy Lord Mountbatten put forward a

plan, according to which, India was to be divided
into 2 separate dominions - India and Pakistan

Transfer of power was to happen on 15th August,

1947.
 Indian Independence Act, 1947

➢ The Act created two new independent dominions; India and Pakistan. Pakistan was split into
Pakistan and East Pakistan, which is now Bangladesh. The Bengal and Punjab provinces were
partitioned between the two new countries.

➢ It granted Indian princely states the freedom to join the Dominion of India or the Dominion of
Pakistan or to remain independent.

➢ Lord Mountbatten continued as Governor-General and Jawaharlal Nehru was appointed India's
first Prime Minister. Muhammad Ali Jinnah became Pakistan's Governor-General and Liaquat Ali
Khan its Prime Minister.

➢ The Act repealed the use of ‘Emperor of India' as a title for the British Crown and ended all existing
treaties with the princely states. With effect from 15th August 1947, the British Govt would cease to
have any responsibility for the Govt of India. Office of the Secretary of State was to be abolished.

➢ The Act allowed the Constituent Assemblies of India and Pakistan to draft their own constitutions
and repeal British laws.
15th August, 1947