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Home , Annie Besant, Home Rule League, Lala Lajpat Rai, Motilal Nehru, New India (newspaper), Shyamji Krishna Varma

HomeHome RuleRule LeagueLeague

MovementMovement 19161916

Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Indian League Movement was inspired with the Irish Home Rule Movement, a movement that campaigned for Self Government for within . Annie Besant and were the pioneers of Indian Home rule movement activist Indian Home Rule League Movement.

BACKGROUNDBACKGROUND

Growth of Revolutionary Activities (Before & During First World War) –

In Abroad

Revolutionary centers abroad to escape from government restrictions e.g.

ng Hardi Viceroy Russian Nihilists arrested

Attempt on life of unpopular offi- In rma dia Hous Va e Shyamji Krishna cials like Governor of Muzaffarpur, Magistrate Kingsford, Viceroy and India Harding etc on the line of Russian House in , a centre for radical Nihilists or Irish Nationalists. Indian students by , a Nationalist lawyer.

Gadar Party in North America by Lala Hardayal Lala Hardayal & others (peasants and ex-soldiers who migrated from India to USA for Sachin Sanyal employment). Bagha Jatin Rashbehari Bose

Berlin Committee for Revolutionary activities Indian Independence in Europe by Virendranath Organized by Bagha Chattopadhyay to mobilize Indian Settlers abroad. Jatin, Rashbehari Bose and Sachin Sanyal

Mutiny in Singapore by Punjabi Muslims & Sikh laè;k Propagated by News- armed forces. papers like Sandhya, Yugantar.

CAUSESCAUSES

Severe Government Repression like ban on public meet- ings, press etc and War time miseries like high taxation, price made them realize that self government was essential for the sake of economic, political and cultural progress of the country.

“Divide & Rule” Policy through Morley Minto Reforms 1909 that provided -

Limited Self Government to win Separate Electorate for Muslims over Moderate Nationalists and to divide Hindu - Muslim suppress Militant Nationalist

International Influences

Revolutionary Movements to challenge despotic government in Ireland, Russia, Egypt, etc

Victory of Turkey Russia Revolution Victory of Small Asian Country like Ethiopia, Japan over Europe exploded Myth of European Superiority.

Revolutionary Students Japan’s

Revival of Nationalist Movement –

Disappointed with Morley Minto Re- forms, Lokmanya Tilak, a prominent extremist leader and Annie Besant, an Irish Socialist & Theosophist formed Home Rule League on the line of Irish Home Rule Movements demanding Self-Government in India.

FOUNDATIONFOUNDATION OFOF THETHE LEAGUELEAGUE

Two Home Rule Leagues were established with the common objective of achieving Self -Government in India.

In 1915, Annie Besant started All India Home Rule League as an independent political organization at Madras. , B.W. Wadia, C.P.Ramaswamy Aiyar were her associates.

In 1916, Tilak launched his Indian Home Rule League at Belgaum, Poona, headquarters in Delhi.

Tilak had 6 branches covering (except Bombay), Karnataka, Berar and the Central Provinces. Besant’s league had 200 branches working in the rest of the country including Bombay.

Other Leaders – , J.L.Nehru, CR Das, , Jinnah, TB Sapru, , also joined later.

OBJECTIVESOBJECTIVES VOTE

To achieve Self-Government within To demand Formation of Linguistic the . Tilak gave the States and in Vernacular popular slogan “Home Rule is my Language. birthright, and I will have It”.

HowHow “Methods“Methods adoptedadopted toto spreadspread thethe Movement”Movement” werewere differentdifferent fromfrom previousprevious movements?movements?

Public Meetings, organizing Reading Rooms with books on ‘National Politics’. Unlike ‘s specific techniques like festivals, fairs or boycott, the league rather promoted Political Education to develop a sense of pride in the Motherland through all CONSTITUTIONAL Propaganda through Newspapers, MEANS like - Pamphlets, Postures, Plays etc.

OUTCOMESOUTCOMES

Tilak and Besant revived Swadeshi Spirit.

Strong Mass Base - A huge support from Educated Indians, organizational links be- tween town and countryside especially to the politically backward regions like Gujrat and Sindh.

New Dimension to movement i.e. focus from Educated Elite to Masses permanently.

Influenced National Politics VOTE

Lucknow Pact 1916 - Reunion of Moder- The Muslim League Congress accepted ates & Extremist. members like Jinnah, G S Kharpade, Muslim League’s position Subramanya Iyer also on Separate Electorate. joined the movement.

Pressurized Government

Montague, the Secretary of State announced administrative reforms under ‘The Act 1919’ providing the develop- ment of self-governing institutions ultimately realizing Responsible Governments; formation of Provincial and Central Government in India and the demand for home rule would no longer be considered seditious.

SevereSevere GovernmentGovernment RepressionRepression

Annie Besant and her colleagues were arrested in June 1917 but soon released on account of nation-wide protest.

A case was instituted against Tilak, barred him from entering and Delhi on the name of public security.

Students were prohibited from attending Political Meetings

NEW INDIA

Mrs. Besant forfeited security on her newspaper ‘New India’.

WhyWhy diddid thethe movementmovement fadefade outout byby 1919?1919?

Limited to Educated Growth of Communal Tension People and Students. as a result of Hindu-Muslim riot of 1917 -18.

Lack of Support from all classes as home rule was misunderstood as a rule of the Upper Caste Hindu Majority.

Announcement of Constitutional Reforms of 1919 distracted moderates; they started discussion over August Declaration.

INDIAN UNREST Leaderlessness as Tilak left for in 1918 to pursue a libel case for his book ‘Indian Unrest’ and Besant oscillated between talks of reforms and pushing the Home Rule Movement forward.

HistoricalHistorical SignificanceSignificance

A concrete proposal of Self-Government was placed before the Government by Indians including Muslim League, Extremist & Moderates.

Witnessed the emergence of Ardent Nationalists who became the back- bone of the Indian National Move- ment under Gandhiji’s leadership.

Annie Besant with Gandhiji