Indian national movement[1919

INDIAN NATIONAL MOVEMENT[1919-1947] GANDHIJI’S INITIAL TRIAL OF SATYAGRAHA IN INDIA IN THREE INSTANCES. THE CAUSES FOR THE NON-COOPERATION MOVEMENT WITHDRAWAL OF NON-COOPERATION MOVEMENT POORNA SWARAJ – LAHORE SESSION OF THE CONGRESS CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE MOVEMENT CRIPPS MISSION

QUIT INDIA MOVEMENT

THE FIRST 3 INSTANCES OF GANDHIJI’S SATYAGRAHA SUCCESS  1. CHAMPARAN DISTRICT IN BIHAR – GANDHIJI SUCCEEDED IN HIS FIGHT THROUGH SATYAGRAHA IN GETTING THE DEMANDS OF THE INDIGO CULTIVATORS ACCEPTED BY THE BRITISH.  2.AHMEDABAD MILL – WORKERS IN THE TEXTILE MILL WERE SUPPORTED BY GANDHIJI IN GETTING THEIR SALARY DUES PAID.  3.KHEDA DISTRICT IN GUJARAT – GANDHIJI FOUGHT FOR THE PEASANTS IN GETTING THEIR LAND REVENUE EXEMPTED AS THEY WERE UNDERGOING CHALLENGES OF CROP FAILURE DUE TO FAMINE.

 SUCCESS N THESE 3 ATTEMPTS ENSURED GANDHIJI THAT SATYAGRAHA WAS THE RIGHT WEAPON TO BE USED TO FIGHT THE BRITISH EMPIRE IN INDIA.

NON-COOPERATION MOVEMENT

 MAIN CAUSES –  ROWLATT ACT  JALLIANWALLA BAGH MASSACRE

ROWLATT ACT – CALLED AS THE BLACK ACT  AN ACT WAS PASSED BY THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT ACCORDING TO WHICH ANY INDIAN, AT ANY POINT OF TIME, DUE TO NO DEFINITE REASON, WITHOUT ANY WARRANT COULD BE ARRESTED.  THIS ACT BECAME HIGHLY UNPOPULAR AS THE BLACK ACT AD WAS ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS FOR GANDHIJI LAUNCHING THE NON-COOPERATION MOVEMENT.  THE MOVEMENT WENT ON A A TOTALLY PEACEFUL, NON- VIOLENT PROTEST AGAINST THE ATROCITIES OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT.  PEOPLE DID NOT REACT WTH ANY KIND OF VILOENCE TO THE ATTACKS AND ARRESTS BY THE BRITISH.

THE JALLIANWALLA BAGH TRAGEDY  INNOCENT MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN GATHERED FOR A PEACEFUL MEETING AT THE JALLIANWALLA BAGH IN AMRITSAR ON BAISAKHI DAY – THE SIKH HARVEST FESTIVAL.  GENERAL DYER BROUGHT IN HIS ARMED TROOPS INTO THE GROUND AND WITHOUT A WARNING ORDERED CONTINUOUS FIRING AT THE UNARMED AND INNOCENT CROWD. HUNDREDS DIED INCUDING SMALL CHILDREN, WOMEN AND AGED.  DYER SHOWED NO REGRETS ON THE INCIDENT AND WAS ONLY SENT BACK TO ENGLAND WITH NO SEVERE PUNISHMENT FOR HIS MERCILESS ACT.

 RABINDRANATH TAGORE CONDEMNED THIS INCIDENT AND RETURNED BACK HIS NOBEL PRIZE AND SURRENDERED HIS TITLE OF KNOGHTHOOD GIVEN BY THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND. GANDHIJI RETURNED BACK HIS KAISER-I-HIND AWARD GIVEN BY THE BRITSH FOR SUPPORTING BRITAIN IN THE BOER WARS.

THE JALLIANWALLA BAGH MASSACRE BECAME RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LAUNCH OF THE NONCOOPERATION MOVEMENT A PHOTOGRAPH OF THE JALLIANWALLAH BAGH.

CHAURI-CHAURA INCIDENT  THE NON-VIOLENT PROTEST IN THE NON-COOPERATION MOVEMENT TURNED HIGHLY VIOLENT IN A PLACE CALLED CHAURI-CHAURA – UTTAR PRADESH.  A FEW INDIAN POLICEMEN WORKING FOR THE BRITISH ATTACKED A GROUP PF PEACEFUL PROTESTORS AND IN RETALIATION THE PROTESTORS BURNT DOWN THE POLICE STATION AT CHAURI-CHAURA, KILLING THE POLICEMEN.  THIS INCIDENT MADE GANDHIJI CALL BACK THE NON-COOPERATION MOVEMENT AS HE THOUGHT THAT PERHAPS THE INDIANS WERE NOT STILL READY FO A MASS NON-VIOLENT MOVEMENT.  GANDHIJI AND SEVERAL OTHER INDIAN LEADERS WERE ARRESTED AND THE FIRST BIG MOVEMENT IN THE INDIAN FREEDOM CAME TO AN ABRUPT HALT.

POORNA SWARAJ – LAHORE SESSION OF THE CONGRESS  IN ITS SESSION AT LAHORE, IN THE YEAR 1929, THE INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS DECIDED TO CELEBRATE 26th JANUARY FRON THE NEXT YEAR, 1930, AS COMPLETE INDEPENDENCE DAY – POORNA SWARAJ DAY. IT WAS A REFLECTION THAT INDIA WAS NOT GOING TO WAIT TO BE GRANTED INDEPENDENCE FROM THE BRITISH EMPIRE, BUT SHALL CLAIM ITSELF TO BE ALREADY INDEPENDENT. ON THE CALL OF GANDHIJI, THE INDIAN MASSES CAME FORTH IN PROTEST AGAINST THE BRITISH EMPIRE IN THE CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE.  AS THE NAME SUGGESTS, THE IDEA WAS TO SHOW TOTAL DISOBEDIENCE TO THE BRITISH BY NOT ACCEPTING ANY OF THEIR LAWS AND POLICIES.

CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE MOVEMENT  THE CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE MOVEMENT WAS LAUNCHED BY GANDHIJI WITH THE SALT SATYAGRAHA. THIS WAS DONE WITH A SYMBOLIC MARCH LED BY GANDHIJI FROM SABARMATI ASHRAM TO DANDI ON THE COAST OF GUJARAT.

ON REACHING THE COAST, GANDHIJI PUCKED UP A HANDFUL OF SALT AND BROKE THE LAW IMPOSED ON RESTRICTION OF PRODUCTION AND SALE OF SALT BY INDIANS. A HEAVY TAX WAS LEVIED ON SALT. THIS ACT WAS VERY MUCH SIMILAR TO THE TAX LEVIED ON TEA IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION TIME BY THE BRITISH. SALT WAS THE LEAST LUXURY AFFORDABLE BY THE POOR AND THAT TOO WAS LEVIED WITH A HEAVY TAX. WITH THE SALT SATYAGRAHA GANDHIJI GAVE HIS COMMAND TO ALL INDIANS TO BOYCOTT EVERYTHING BRITISH. THE MOVEMENT THOUGH RAMPANT WAS PREDOMINANTLY NON-VIOLENT AS ACCORDING TO THE INSTRUCTIONS OF GANDHIJI.

CRIPPS MISSION THE BRITISH NEEDED INDIA’S SUPPORT IN THE WORLD WAR AND HENCE TO PACIFY THE INDIAN LEADERS TO DO SO, AGREED TO OFFER A DOMINION STATUS TO INDIA. THIS MEANT THAT INDIA COULD FORM ITS OWN GOVERNMENT AND RUN ITS ADMINISTRATION BUT STILL BE HOWEVER UNDER THE CONTROLOF THE BRITISH EMPIRE. THIS PROPOSAL WAS OFFERED BY A MISSION LED BY SIR STAFFORD CRIPPS. INDIA REJECTED IT CLAIMING THAT IT WANTED NOTHING LESS THAN COMPLETE INDEPENDENCE.

CRIPPS WITH GANDHI STAFFORD CRIPPS – HIS MISSION WITH THE OFFER OF DOMINION STATUS TO INDIA WAS REJECTED BY GANDHIJI AND THE OTHER INDIAN LEADERS.

QUIT INDIA MOVEMENT WITH THE FAILURE OF THE CRIPPS MISSION GANDHIJI GAVE A CALL FOR THE MOST EXTENSIVE AND EFFECTIVE INDIAN FREEDOM MOVEMENT – THE QUIT INDIA MOVEMENT. HIS SLOGAN ‘ DO OR DIE’ BECAME THE MANTRA OF ALL INDIANS AND THE BRITISH WERE FORCED TO DECIDE ON GIVING INDIA ITS INDEPENDENCE FINALLY ON THE 15th OF AUGUST, 1947, THOUGH ONLY AFTER THE MUSLIM LEAGUE GOT ITS MOST SOUGHT AFTER PAKISTAN AS A SEPARATE NATION FOR THE MUSLIMS.