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Chapter.13
Mahatma Gandhi and the Nationalist Movement
Civil Disobedience and Beyond

Indian Nationalism
1857-1947
Real Beginning -1885 (INC)
There are three phases [CW]
1. From 1885 -1905(Moderates)
2. From 1905-1919(Extreme Nationalism)
3. From 1919-1947(Gandhian Period or Ahimsa)

A Comparison[CW]
In the history of nationalism a single individual is often identified with the making of a
nation. Thus, for example, we associate Garibaldi with the making of Italy, George
Washington with the American War of Independence, and Ho Chi Minh with the struggle to
free Vietnam from colonial rule.
The ‘Father’ of the Indian nation. [CW]
In the same manner, Mahatma Gandhi has been regarded as the ‘Father’ of the Indian
nation. In so far as Gandhiji was the most influential and revered of all the leaders who
participated in the freedom struggle
Gandhiji’s activities in India(1915-1948) [CW]
This chapter analyses Gandhiji’s activities in India during the crucial period 1915-1948. It
explores his interactions with different sections of the Indian society and the popular
struggles that he inspired and led.
Q13. Explain the sources from which we can reconstruct the political career of Mahatma
Gandhi and the history of National Movement of India. [CW]
Ans:- - Auto-biographies and biographies.
Contemporary newspapers.
- Official and police records.,
- Public speeches
- private letters.

A Leader Announces Himself

Gandhiji’s Arrival[CW]
In January 1915, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi returned to his homeland after two
decades of residence abroad. As the historian Chandran Devanesan has remarked, South
Africa was “the making of the Mahatma. In South Africa that Mahatma Gandhi first forged
the techniques of satyagraha, first promoted harmony between religions.
The India that Mahatma Gandhi came back to in 1915 was rather different from the one
that he had left in 1893.
Who were the Extreme Nationalists? [HW]
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Bal Gangadhar Tilak of Maharashtra, Bipin Chandra Pal of Bengal, and Lala Lajpat Rai of
Punjab were popular leaders. These leaders advocated militant opposition to colonial rule.
Who were the Moderates ? [HW]
Gopal Krishna Gokhale(Gandhiji’s political mentor) and Mohammad Ali Jinnah were
moderates. The Moderates - preferred a more gradual and persuasive approach.

Where was Gandhiji’s first major public appearance? [HW]

His first major public appearance was at the opening of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU)
in February 1916.
What did he speak in the BHU? [HW]
Gandhiji was very critical about the middle class who were present. He was worried about
the contrast between the “richly bedecked noblemen” present and “millions of the poor”
Indians who were absent. He told the privileged invitees that “there is no salvation for India
unless you strip yourself of this jewellery and hold it in trust for your countrymen in India”.
“There can be no spirit of self-government about us,” he went on, “if we take away or allow
others to take away from the peasants almost the whole of the results of their labour. Our
salvation can only come through the farmer. Neither the lawyers, nor the doctors, nor the
rich landlords are going to secure it.”
What were the early movements organized by Mahatma Gandhi? [CW]
1. Champaran Satyagraha(1917)
Mahatma Gandhi was to spend much of 1917 in Champaran, seeking to obtain for the
peasants security of tenure as well as the freedom to cultivate the crops of their choice.It
was a peasant struggle against Indigo planters in the Champaran district of Bihar.Gandhiji’s
intervention gave a momentum to the satyagraha
2. Kheda Satyagraha-1918
A peasant Satyagraha in Gujarat.Gandhiji joined peasants in Kheda by asking the state
for the remission of taxes following the failure of their harvest.

3. Ahmedabad -1918
Gandhiji intervened in a labour dispute in Ahmedabad, demanding better working
conditions for the textile mill workers in Ahmedabad.
Q. How did Gandhiji transform National Movement into mass movement? [CW]
Ans:- 1. Simple lifestyle
2. Use of Hindi for communication
3. Role of Gandhiji in three mass movement.
4. Emphasis on Truth and non-violence
5. swadeshi, boycott and Swaraj.
6. Importance on Charkha and Khadi.
7. Upliftment of women, poor down trodden.
8. Hindu-Muslim unity
9. Abolition of untouchability.
10. Balancing each and every section of society.
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What were the reasons for the beginning of Non-Cooperation Movement 0f 1920? [CW]

1. Khilafat Movement (1916)

It was a movement organized by the Indian Muslims under Ali Brothers -Muhammad Ali
and Shaukat Ali against the British during the time of First World War for her ill-
treatment towards Turkish Sultan and empire in the war. Later Gandhiji and Congress
supported this movement. Gandhiji hoped that by coupling non-cooperation with
Khilafat, India’s two major religious communities, Hindus and Muslims could collectively
bring an end to colonial rule.
2.The Rowlat Act (1919)

Ans:- Anybody could be arrested on the basis of suspicion and put in prison without trial.
This Act was made by Rowlatt to suppress the freedom struggle. In response, Gandhiji called
for a countrywide campaign against the “Rowlatt Act”.In towns across North and West
India, life came to a standstill, as shops shut down and schools closed in response to the
bandh call.The protests were particularly intense in the Punjab. Gandhiji was detained while
proceeding to the Punjab, even as prominent local Congressmen were arrested.

3. Jalnliawala Bagh massacre (1919)

To protest against the provisions of Rowlat Act, a peaceful meeting was organized by the
Indians at Jallianwala Bagh in the Amrutsar district of Punjab.When a British brigadier
ordered his troops to open fire on a nationalist meeting more than four hundred people
were killed in what is known as the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
4.The Impact of First World War
Britain dragged India in to the war without consulting the Indian leadrs. India faced heavy
loss with men and materials. Though the Congress supported the war with a hope of getting
Swaraj after the end of the war, the British was unwilling to grand Swaraj rather than in
giving communal electorate.
Q. How was non-cooperation a form of protest? [CW]
Ans. Students stopped going to school and collages run by the government. Lawyers
refused to attend court. The working class went on strike in many town and cities: according
to official figures, there were 396 strikes in 1921, involving 600,000 workers and a loss of 7
million workdays. The countryside was seething with discontent too. Hill tribes in northern
Andhra violated the forest laws. Farmers in Awadh did not pay taxes. Peasants in Kumaun
refused to carry loads for colonial official. These protest movements were sometimes
carried out in defiance of the local nationalist leadership. Peasants, workers, and others
interpreted and acted upon the call to “non-cooperate” with colonial rule. It entailed denial,
renunciation, and self-discipline. It was training for self-rule.
Q. Why was Non-cooperation Movement withdrawn? [CW]
Or
What was Chauri-Chaura incident?
When the Non Cooperation movement was undergoing peacefully, a violent mob attacked
a police station at Chauri Chaura in UP and killed the policemen on duty. When it was heard
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by Gadhiji who was organizing a no tax campaign in Gujarat, quickly he withdrew the
movement as it was against his principles of non-violence and truth.

Q. Who founded the Swaraj Party? What was its purpose? [HW]
The Swaraj Party was formed by CR Das and Motilal Nehru.The purpose was to contest
election and to share power in government.

Q. When was the Simon Commission arrived in India? What was its Purpose? How did the
Congress and the Indian people respond to the commission? [HW]
The Simon Commission was arrived in India during 1928. Its purpose was to enquire into
conditions in the colony. The Congress and people of India opposed the Commission as it
was not having a single Indian member. When the Commission landed, it was greeted with
black flags and raised the slogan of Simon go back. The government quickly resorted
lathicharge and brutal measures. Many people were arrested and severely beaten. During
this time Lala Lajpatrai

Q.6 What was the significance of Lahore Session of Congress? [CW]

Ans: - 1. Poorna Swaraj was accepted as the main objective of Congress.
2. 26 January 1930 was to be celebrated as Independence Day.
3. It was decided to hoist a tricolor flag on the occasion.
3. Jawahar Lal Nehru became the president of INC
4. It was decided to launch Civil Disobedience Movement under Gandhiji.
The Salt Satyagraha- A Case Study [CW]

The Civil Disobedience Movement was started with the historic Dandi March or Salt March
Mahatma Gandhi announced that he would lead a march to break one of the most widely
disliked laws in British India, which gave the state a monopoly in the. Manufacture and sale
of salt. His picking on the salt monopoly was another illustration of Gandhiji’s tactical
wisdom.
Reason for Salt March[CW]
People were forbidden from making salt even for domestic use, British compelled them to
buy it from shops at a high price. The state monopoly over salt was deeply unpopular; by
making it his target, Gandhiji hoped to mobilize a wider discontent against British rule.
Salt March
Although Gandhiji had given advance notice of his “Salt March” to the Viceroy Lord Irwin,
Irwin failed to grasp the significance of the action.
On 12 March 1930, Gandhiji began walking from his ashram at Sabarmati towards the
ocean. He reached his destination after three weeks, making a fistful of salt as he did and
thereby making himself a criminal in the eyes of the law. Meanwhile, parallel salt marches
were being conducted in other parts of the country.
Methods[CW]
Forest laws- breached. There were numerous other streams of protest. Across large parts of
India, peasants breached the hated colonial forest laws. In some towns, factory workers
went on strike while lawyers boycotted British courts and students refused to attend
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government-run educational institutions. As in 1920-22, now too Gandhiji’s call had

encouraged Indians of all classes to make manifest their own discontent with colonial rule.
In the wake of the Salt March, nearly 60,000 Indians were arrested, among them, of course,
Gandhiji himself.
In one village, Wasna, Gandhiji told the upper castes that “if you are out for Swaraj you
must serve untouchables. You won’t get Swaraj merely by the repeal of the salt taxes or
other taxes but for swaraj you must make amends for the wrongs which you did to the
untouchables. Hindus, Muslims, Parsis and Sikhs will have to unite.
The police spies reported that Gandhiji’s meetings were very well attended, by villagers of all
castes, and by women as well as men. The massive popular following that the march had
garnered, had made the British rulers “desperately anxious”.
Significance of the Salt March [CW]
The Salt March was notable for at least three reasons.
First, it was this event that first (1) brought Mahatma Gandhi to world attention. The
march was widely covered by the European and American press.
Second, (2) it was the first nationalist activity in which women participated in large
numbers. The socialist activist Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay had persuaded Gandhiji not to
restrict the protests to men alone. Kamaladevi was herself one of numerous women who
courted arrest by breaking the salt or liquor laws.
Third, and perhaps most significant, (3) it was the Salt March which forced upon the British
the realization that their Raj would not last forever, and that they would have to devolve
(to transfer power) some power to the Indians.

Gandhi-Irwin Pact [CW]

Gandhiji and Irwin signed the “Gandhi-Irwin Pact’, by the terms of which civil disobedience
would be called off, all prisoners released, and salt manufacture allowed along the coast.
The pact was criticised by radical nationalists, for Gandhiji was unable to obtain from the
Viceroy a commitment to political independence for Indians; he could obtain merely an
assurance of talks towards that possible end. The Congress was invited to attend the Second
Round Table Conference.
Second Round Table Conference (1931) [CW]
A second Round Table Conference was held in 1931. Gandhiji represented the Congress.
Civil disobedience continued [CW]
The Conference in London was inconclusive, so Gandhiji returned to India and resumed civil
disobedience
Three challenging groups [CW]
However, his claims that his party represented all of India came under challenge from three
parties: From the Muslim League, which claimed to stand for the interests of the Muslim
minority;
From the Princes, who claimed that the Congress had no stake in their territories; and from
the brilliant lawyer and thinker B.R. Ambedkar, who argued that Gandhiji and the Congress
did not really represent the lowest castes.
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Government of India Act-1935 [HW]

In 1935 a new Government of India Act was passed. It promised some form of
representative governments in the provinces.
Two years later, in an election held on the basis of a restricted franchise, the Congress won
a comprehensive victory. Now eight out of 11 provinces had a Congress “Prime Minister”,
working under the supervision of a British Governor.
What was the attitude of the Congress towards Second World War? [CW]
In September 1939the Second World War broke out.
The Congress promised support to the war effort if the British promised to grant India
independence once hostilities ended. But the offer was refused. In protest, the Congress
ministries resigned in October 1939.

The Individual Satyagraha [CW]

Through 1940 and 1941, the Congress organised a series of individual satyagrahas to
pressure the rulers to promise freedom once the war had ended.The selected leaders were
taken to stage satyagraha in different localities.
Two Nation Theory and demand for state of Pakistan[CW]
In March 1940, the Muslim League passed a resolution of a separate nation called
“Pakistan”. The political landscape was now complicated: it was no longer Indians versus
the British; rather, it had become a three-way struggle between the Congress, the Muslim
League, and the British.
Cripps Mission-1942 [CW]
In the spring of 1942, Churchill was persuaded to send one of his ministers, Sir Stafford
Cripps, to India to try and forge a compromise with Gandhiji and the Congress. Though the
Congress demand was complete Independence, and the mission offered only a dominion
status in which the British reaffirmed their continuance in India. Hence the talks broke
down.

Quit India Movement-1942 [CW]

After the failure of the Cripps Mission, Mahatma Gandhi decided to launch his third major
movement against British rule. This was the “Quit India” campaign, which began in August
1942. Although Gandhiji was jailed at once, younger activists organised strikes and acts of
sabotage all over the country. Particularly active in the underground resistance were
socialist members of the Congress, such as Jayaprakash Narayan. In several districts, such as
Satara in the west and Medinipur in the east, “independent” governments were
proclaimed. The British responded with much force, yet it took more than a year to
suppress the rebellion.
Significance [CW]
“Quit India” was genuinely a mass movement, bringing into its ambit hundreds of
thousands of ordinary Indians. It especially energised the young who left their colleges to go
to jail. In June 1944 Gandhiji was released from prison. Later that year he held a series of
meetings with Jinnah, seeking to bridge the gap between the Congress and the League.
Labour government in Britain [CW]
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In 1945, a Labour government came to power in Britain and committed itself to granting
independence to India. Meanwhile, back in India, the Viceroy, Lord Wavell, brought the
Congress and the League together for a series of talks.
Early in 1946 fresh elections were held to the provincial legislatures.
The Congress swept the “General” category, but in the seats specifically reserved for
Muslims the League won an overwhelming majority. Thus the political polarization was
complete.
Cabinet Mission [CW]
A Cabinet Mission sent in the summer of 1946 with an aim of transfer of power to the
Indians failed to get the Congress and the League to agree on a federal system that would
keep India together while allowing the provinces a degree of autonomy.
Direct Action Day (16 August 1946) [CW]
After the talks broke down, Jinnah called for a “Direct Action Day” to press the League’s
demand for Pakistan. On the designated day, 16 August 1946, bloody riots broke out in
Calcutta. The violence spread to rural Bengal, then to Bihar, and then across the country to
the United Provinces and the Punjab. In some places, Muslims were the main sufferers, in
other places, Hindus.
Mountbatten Plan [CW]
In February 1947, Wavell was replaced as Viceroy by Lord Mountbatten. Mountbatten
called one last round of talks. But when these too proved inconclusive he announced that
British India would be freed, but also divided.
Transfer of power [CW]
The formal transfer of power was fixed for 15 August.When that day came, it was
celebrated with gusto (enjoyment) in different parts of India. In Delhi, there was “prolonged
applause” when the President of the Constituent Assembly began the meeting by invoking
the Father of the Nation – Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.
Outside the Assembly, the crowds shouted “Mahatma Gandhi ki jai”.

The Last Heroic Days [CW]

As it happened, Mahatma Gandhi was not present at the festivities in the capital on 15
August 1947. He was in Calcutta, but he did not attend any function or hoist a flag there
either. Gandhiji marked the day with a 24-hour fast.The freedom he had struggled so long
for had come at an unacceptable price, with a nation divided and Hindus and Muslims.
Through September and October, Gandhiji went round hospitals and refugee camps giving
consolation to distressed people. He appealed to the Sikhs, the Hindus and the Muslims to
forget the past and not to dwell on their sufferings but to extend the right hand of
fellowship to each other, and to determine to live in peace
He also permitted himself the hope that though geographically and politically India is
divided into two, at heart we shall ever be friends and brothers helping and respecting one
another and be one for the outside world.Gandhiji had fought a lifelong battle for a free and
united India; and yet, when the country was divided, he urged that the two parts respect
and befriend one another.
But at his daily prayer meeting on the evening of 30 January, Gandhiji was shot dead by a
young man. The assassin, who surrendered afterwards, was a Brahmin from Pune named
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Nathuram Godse, the editor of an extremist Hindu newspaper who had denounced Gandhiji
as “an appeaser of Muslims”.
Gandhiji’s death led to an extraordinary outpouring of grief, with rich tributes being paid to
him from across the political spectrum in India, and moving appreciations coming from such
international figures as George Orwell and Albert Einstein.

Timeline [HW]
1915 Mahatma Gandhi returns from South Africa
1917 Champaran movement
1918 Peasant movements in Kheda (Gujarat), and workers’ movement
in Ahmedabad
1919 Rowlatt Satyagraha (March-April)
1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre (April)
1921 Non-cooperation and Khilafat Movements
1928 Peasant movement in Bardoli
1929 “Purna Swaraj” accepted as Congress goal at the Lahore
Congress (December)
1930 Civil Disobedience Movement begins; Dandi March (March-April)
1931 Gandhi-Irwin Pact (March); Second Round Table Conference
(December)
1935 Government of India Act promises some form of representative
government
1939 Congress ministries resign
1942 Quit India Movement begins (August)
1946 Mahatma Gandhi visits Noakhali and other riot-torn areas to stop
communal violence