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NCERT Solutions Class 8th History Chapter – 8 The Making of the National Movement
Chapter – 8
The Making of the National Movement
Notes
The advent of Gandhiji – Gandhiji was 46 years old when he came to India after leading the Indians in South Africa in non-violent marches against racist restrictions.
Indian National Congress – The Indian National Congress was established in December 1885. Around 72 delegates attended the first meeting of the Indian National Congress held in Bombay. The early important leaders were Dadabhai Naoroji, Ferozshah Mehta, Romesh Chandra Dutt, and S. Subramania Iyer.
Radicals in the Congress – Since the 1890s, the Congress party witnessed the emergence of the trend of radicals. They began to question the nature of the political methods and approach of the moderates in Congress.
The Swadeshi Movement – The Swadeshi Movement emerged out as a result of many demonstrations and mass protest against the partition of Bengal in 1905. The movement was very strong in Bengal. It encouraged the ideas of self-help, swadeshi enterprise, national education and use of Indian languages.
The All India Muslim League – The All India Muslim League was formed at Dacca in 1906 by a group of Muslim landlords and Nawabs. It supported the partition of Bengal because of its desire for separate electorates for Muslims.
The Congress Split – The Congress split in 1907 because the moderates were opposed to the use of boycott by the Radicals. The Moderates dominated the Congress after its split. The Radicals and the Moderates of the Congress reunited in December 1915.
Demands of Moderates – The moderates demanded a greater voice for Indians at higher positions in government and administration. They also demanded the legislative councils to increase the number of representatives by including Indians. They demanded the introduction of legislative councils in the provinces.
The Lucknow Pact – The Lucknow Pact was a historic agreement signed in 1916 between the Congress and the All India Muslim League. Both parties decided to work together for the representative government in the country.
The Khilafat Agitation – The Indian Muslims Community launched the Khilafat Agitation. Its two important leaders were Mohammad Ali and Shaukat Ali. It was launched against the Britishers’ imposition of a harsh treaty (Treaty of Sevres) on the Turkish Sultan or Khalifa.
The Non-Cooperation Movement – The leaders of the Khilafat Agitation, Mohammad Ali and Shaukat Ali, persuaded Gandhiji to launch the Non-Cooperation Movement. Gandhiji accepted it and urged the Congress to protest and demonstrate against the Jallianwala massacre, the Khilafat wrongdoing and in favor of Swaraj.
The Chauri Chaura Incident – Gandhiji was against the use of violent methods and movements. He called off the Non-Cooperation Movement abruptly due to the Chauri Chaura incident in which 22 policemen were killed when a crowd of peasants set fire to the police station in February 1922.
The Rowlatt Satyagraha – In 1919, Gandhiji launched an anti-Rowlatt Satyagraha, which received a countrywide response. April 6, 1919 was observed as the day of “humiliation and prayers” and hartal (strike). Satyagraha Sabhas were held throughout the country.
The Rowlatt Act – The Britishers passed the Rowlatt Act in India, under which people could be imprisoned without trial. This act was called the ‘Black Act’. This strengthened the power of the police.
The Simon Commission – In 1927, the British government in England sent a commission headed by Lord Simon to decide India’s political future. The commission did not have any Indian representative, due to which it faced protest by Indians.
The Salt March – In 1930, Gandhiji decided to lead a march to break the Salt Law. The march began at Sabarmati Ashram and ended at the coastal village of Dandi and Gandhiji broke the Salt Law by gathering salt naturally found on the seashore.
Quit India Movement – In 1942, Gandhiji launched Quit India Movement against the Britishers. The movement urged the Britishers to quit India and followed a popular slogan “Do or Die”, calling upon the people’s full effort to fight against the Britishers in a non-violent manner.
League and the Independent States – The All India Muslim League moved a resolution demanding “Independent States” for Muslims in the 1940s. The league located its “Independent States” in the north-western and eastern areas of the country.
The Emergence of Nationalism – The above-mentioned developments led the people to ask a crucial question: what is this country of India and for whom is it meant?
The answer that gradually emerged was: India was the people of India – all the people irrespective of class, colour, caste, creed, language, or gender. And the country, its resources and systems, were meant for all of them. With this answer came the awareness that the British were exercising control over the resources of India and the lives of its people, and until this control was ended, India could not be for Indians.
A nation in the making – It has often been said that the Congress in the first twenty years was “moderate” in its objectives and methods. During this period, it demanded a greater voice for Indians in the government and in administration.
It wanted the Legislative Councils to be made more representative, given more power, and introduced in provinces where none existed. It demanded that Indians be placed in high positions in the government. For this purpose, it called for civil service examinations to be held in India as well, not just in London.
“Freedom is our birthright” – By the 1890s, many Indians began to raise questions about the political style of the Congress. In Bengal, Maharashtra and Punjab, leaders such as Bepin Chandra Pal, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Lala Lajpat Rai were beginning to explore more radical objectives and methods.
They criticised the Moderates for their “politics of prayers”, and emphasised the importance of self-reliance and constructive work. They argued that people must rely on their own strength, not on the “good” intentions of the government; people must fight for swaraj. Tilak raised the slogan, “Freedom is my birthright and I shall have it!”
The Growth of Mass Nationalism – After 1919, the struggle against British rule gradually became a mass movement, involving peasants, tribals, students and women in large numbers and occasionally factory workers as well. Certain business groups too began to actively support the Congress in the 1920s. Why was this so.
The First World War altered the economic and political situation in India. It led to a huge rise in the defence expenditure of the Government of India. The government in turn increased taxes on individual incomes and business profits.
Increased military expenditure and the demands for war supplies led to a sharp rise in prices which created great difficulties for the common people. On the other hand, business groups reaped fabulous profits from the war. As you have seen (Chapter 6), the war created a demand for industrial goods (jute bags, cloth, rails) and caused a decline of imports from other countries into India.
The advent of Mahatma Gandhi – It is in these circumstances that Mahatma Gandhi emerged as a mass leader. As you may know, Gandhiji, aged 46, arrived in India in 1915 from South Africa. Having led Indians in that country in non-violent marches against racist restrictions, he was already a respected leader, known internationally.
His South African campaigns had brought him in contact with various types of Indians: Hindus, Muslims, Parsis and Christians; Gujaratis, Tamils and north Indians; and upper-class merchants, lawyers and workers.
The Rowlatt Satyagraha – In 1919, Gandhiji gave a call for a satyagraha against the Rowlatt Act that the British had just passed. The Act curbed fundamental rights such as the freedom of expression and strengthened police powers. Mahatma Gandhi,Mohammad Ali Jinnah and others felt that the government had no right to restrict people’s basic freedoms.
They criticised the Act as “devilish” and tyrannical. Gandhiji asked the Indian people to observe 6 April 1919 as a day of non-violent opposition to this Act, as a day of “humiliation and prayer” and hartal (strike). Satyagraha Sabhas were set up to launch the movement.
Khilafat agitation and the Non-Cooperation Movement – The Khilafat issue was one such cause. In 1920, the British imposed a harsh treaty on the Turkish Sultan or Khalifa. People were furious about this as they had been about the Jallianwala massacre. Also, Indian Muslims were keen that the Khalifa be allowed to retain control over Muslim sacred places in the erstwhile Ottoman Empire.
The leaders of the Khilafat agitation, Mohammad Ali and Shaukat Ali, now wished to initiate a full-fledged Non-Cooperation Movement. Gandhiji supported their call and urged the Congress to campaign against “Punjab wrongs” (Jallianwala massacre), the Khilafat wrong and demand swaraj.
People’s initiatives – In many cases, people resisted British rule non-violently. In others, different classes and groups, interpreting Gandhiji’s call in their own manner, protested in ways that were not in accordance with his ideas. In either case, people linked their movements to local grievances. Let us look at a few examples.
The people’s Mahatma – We can see from the above that sometimes people thought of Gandhiji as a kind of messiah, as someone who could help them overcome their misery and poverty.
Gandhiji wished to build class unity, ot class conflict, yet peasants could imagine that he would help them in their fight against zamindars, and agricultural labourers believed he would provide them land.
At times, ordinary people credited Gandhiji with their own achievements. For instance, at the end of a powerful movement, peasants of Pratapgarh in the United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh) managed to stop illegal eviction of tenants; but they felt it was Gandhiji who had won this demand for them. At other times, using Gandhiji’s name, tribals and peasants undertook actions that did not onform to Gandhian deals.
The happenings of 1922 –1929 – Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, was against violent ovements. He abruptly called off the Non-Cooperation ovement when in February 1922, a crowd of peasants set fire to a police station in Chauri Chaura. Twenty- two olicemen were killed on that day. The peasants were rovoked because the police had fired on their peaceful emonstration.
The March to Dandi – Purna Swaraj would never come on its own. It had to be fought for. In 1930, Gandhiji declared that he would lead a march to break the salt law.
According to this law, the state had a monopoly on the manufacture and sale of salt. Mahatma Gandhi along with other nationalists reasoned that it was sinful to tax salt since it is such an essential item of our food. The Salt March related the general desire of freedom to a specific grievance shared by everybody, and thus did not divide the rich and the poor.
Quit India and Later – Mahatma Gandhi decided to initiate a new phase of movement against the British in the middle of the Second World War. The British must quit India immediately, he told them. To the people he said, “do or die” in your effort to fight the British – but you must fight non-violently.
Gandhiji and other leaders were jailed at once but the movement spread. It specially attracted peasants and the youth who gave up their studies to join it. Communications and symbols of state authority were attacked all over the country. In many areas the people set up their own governments.
Towards Independence and Partition – Meanwhile, in 1940 the Muslim League had moved a resolution demanding “Independent States” for Muslims in the north-western and eastern areas of the country. The resolution did not mention partition or Pakistan. Why did the League ask for an autonomous arrangement for the Muslims of the subcontinent.
Sarvajanik – All the people.
Sovereign – Being independent without outside interference.
Publicist – Someone who publicises an idea by circulating information, writing reports, speaking at public meetings.
Moderate – A person who is against taking extreme action.
Repeal – To undo the law.
Radical – A person who welcomes new ideas or opinions.
Revolutionary Violence – The use of violence to make a radical change within society.
Council – An appointed or elected body of people with an administrative advisory or representative function.
Knighthood – An honor granted by the British crown for exceptional personal achievement or public service.
Picket – A person or a group of people protesting outside a building or shop to prevent others from entering.
Mahants – Religious functionaries of Sikh gurudwaras.
Illegal eviction – Forcible and unlawful throwing out of tenants from the land they rent.
RSS – It stands for Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
Purna Swaraj – Complete independence.
Provincial Autonomy – Capacity of the provinces to make relatively independent decisions while remaining within a federation.
General Constituencies – Election districts with no reservations for any religious or other community.
Refugee – One who has been forced to leave his country or home due to some political, religious or social reasons.
1878 – The Arms Act was passed. 1885 – The Vernacular Press Act was passed. 1905 – The Indian National Congress came into existence. Bengal got partitioned. 1915 – Mahatma Gandhi came to India from South Africa. The Rowlatt Satyagraha started. 1919 – Rowlatt Satyagraha started. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre took place. 1920 – The Non-Cooperation Movement started. 1922 – Gandhiji called off the Non-Cooperation Movement. 1929 – The Congress resolved to fight for Puma Swaraj. 26 Jan 1930 – Independence Day was observed all over the country. 1930 – Mahatma Gandhi launched Dandi March. August 1942 – The Quit India Movement started. 1947 – India got independence. Pakistan emerged as a new country.
