Hiuzn chscs hncos cn Chapter 15 Indian National Movement (1917-1947) the land tax due to failure of crops. Advent of Gandhi During this struggle, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel emerged as one The third and final phase of the of the trusted followers of Gandhi. Nationalist Movement [1917-1947] In 1918, Gandhi undertook a fast is known as the Gandhian era. unto death for the cause of During this period Mahatma Gandhi Ahmedabad Mill Workers and finally became the undisputed leader of the mill owners conceded the just the National Movement. His demands of the workers. principles of non- violence and Satyagraha were employed against the British Government. Gandhi On the whole, the local movements made the nationalist movement a at Champaran, Kheda and mass movement. Ahmedabad brought Mahatma Gandhi closer to the life of the people and their problems at the Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was grass roots level. Consequently, he born at Porbandar in Gujarat on 2 became the leader of the masses. October 1869. He studied law in England. He returned to India in 1891. In April 1893 he went to Rowlatt Act (1919) South Africa and involved himself in the struggle against apartheid In 1917, a committee was set up (Racial discrimination against the under the presidentship of Sir Blacks) for twenty years. Finally, he Sydney Rowlatt to look into the came to India in 1915. Thereafter, militant Nationalist activities. On he fully involved himself in the the basis of its report the Rowlatt Indian National Movement. Act was passed in March 1919 by the Central Legislative Council. As per this Act, any person could be Mahatma Gandhi began his arrested on the basis of suspicion. experiments with Satyagraha No appeal or petition could be filed against the oppressive European against such arrests. This Act was indigo planters at Champaran in called the Black Act and it was Bihar in 1917. In the next year he widely opposed. An all-India hartal launched another Satyagraha at was organized on 6 April 1919. Kheda in Gujarat in support of the Meetings were held all over the peasants who were not able to pay country. Mahatma Gandhi was arrested near Delhi. Two prominent tremendous impetus to the leaders of Punjab, Dr Satya Pal and freedom struggle. Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew, were arrested in Amritsar. Khilafat Movement The chief cause of the Khilafat Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (13 April, Movement was the defeat of Turkey 1919) in the First World War. The harsh The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre took terms of the Treaty of Sevres (1920) place on 13 April 1919 and it was felt by the Muslims as a great remained a turning point in the insult to them. The whole history of India’s freedom movement was based on the movement. In Punjab, there was an Muslim belief that the Caliph (the unprecedented support to the Sultan of Turkey) was the religious Rowlatt Satyagraha. Facing a violent head of the Muslims all over the situation, the Government of world. The Muslims in India were Punjab handed over the upset over the British attitude administration to the military against Turkey and launched the authorities under General Dyer. He Khilafat Movement. banned all public meetings and detained the political leaders. On 13th April, the Baisakhi day (harvest Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, M.A. festival), a public meeting was Ansari, Saifuddin Kitchlew and the organized at the Jallianwala Bagh Ali brothers were the prominent (garden). Dyer marched in and leaders of this movement. A Khilafat without any warning opened fire on Committee had been formed and on the crowd. The firing continued for 19th October 1919, the whole about 10 to 15 minutes and it country had observed the Khilafat stopped only after the ammunition day. On 23 November, a joint exhausted. According to official conference of the Hindus and the report 379 people were killed and Muslims had also been held under 1137 wounded in the incident. the chairmanship of Mahatma There was a nation- wide protest Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi was against this massacre and particularly interested in bringing Rabindranath Tagore renounced his the Hindus and the Muslims knighthood as a protest. The together to achieve the country’s Jallianwala Bagh massacre gave a independence. Subsequently, the Khilafat Movement merged with the Establishment of national schools, Non-Cooperation Movement colleges and private panchayat launched by Mahatma Gandhi in courts. 1920. Popularizing swadeshi goods and khadi. Non-Cooperation Movement (1920- The movement began with 1922) Mahatma Gandhi renouncing the titles, which were given by the Mahatma Gandhi announced his British. Other leaders and influential plan to begin Non-Cooperation with persons also followed him by the government as a sequel to the surrendering their honorary posts Rowlatt Act, Jallianwala Bagh and titles. Students came out of the massacre and the Khilafat government educational Movement. It was approved by the institutions. National schools such Indian National Congress at the as the Kashi Vidyapeeth, the Bihar Nagpur session in December, 1920. Vidyapeeth and the Jamia Millia Islamia were set up. All the Programmes prominent leaders of the country gave up their lucrative legal The programmes of the Non- practice. Legislatures were Cooperation Movement were: boycotted. No leader of the Congress came forward to contest the elections for the Legislatures. Surrender of titles and honorary positions. Resignation of membership from In 1921, mass demonstrations were the local bodies. held against the Prince of Wales during his tour of India. The Boycott of elections held under the government resorted to strong provisions of the 1919 Act. measures of repression. Many Boycott of government functions. leaders were arrested. The Congress and the Khilafat Committees were Boycott of courts, government proclaimed as illegal. At several schools and colleges. places, bonfires of foreign clothes Boycott of foreign goods. were organised. The message of Swadeshi spread everywhere. Most of the households took to weaving Swaraj Party cloths with the help of charkhas. The suspension of the Non- Cooperation Movement led to a split within Congress in the Gaya But the whole movement was session of the Congress in abruptly called off on 11th February December 1922. Leaders like Motilal 1922 by Gandhi following the Churi Nehru and Chittranjan Das formed a Chaura incident in the Gorakpur separate group within the Congress district of U.P. Earlier on 5th known as the Swaraj Party on 1 February an angry mob set fire to January 1923. The Swarajists the police station at Churi Chaura wanted to contest the council and twenty-two police men were elections and wreck the burnt to death. Many top leaders of government from within. Elections the country were stunned at this to Legislative Councils were held in sudden suspension of the Non- November 1923. In this, the Swaraj Cooperation Movement. Mahatma Party gained impressive successes. Gandhi was arrested on 10 March In the Central Legislative Council 1922. Motilal Nehru became the leader of the party whereas in Bengal the Significance of the Non-Cooperation party was headed by C.R. Das. Movement It was the real mass movement with The Swaraj Party did several the participation of different significant things in the Legislative sections of Indian society such as Council. It demanded the setting up peasants, workers, students, of responsible government in India teachers and women. with the necessary changes in the It witnessed the spread of Government of India Act of 1919. nationalism to the remote corners The party could pass important of India. resolutions against the repressive laws of the government. When a It also marked the height of Hindu- Committee chaired by the Home Muslim unity as a result of the Member, Alexander Muddiman merger of Khilafat movement. considered the system of Dyarchy as It demonstrated the willingness and proper, a resolution was passed ability of the masses to endure against it in the Central Legislative hardships and make sacrifices. Council. After the passing away of C.R. Das in June 1925, the Swarj charge and he passed away after Party started weakening. one month. Simon Commission (1927) The report of the Simon Commission was published in May The Act of 1919 included a provision 1930. It was stated that the for its review after a lapse of ten constitutional experiment with years. However, the review Dyarchy was unsuccessful and in its commission was appointed by the place the report recommended the British Government two years establishment of autonomous earlier of its schedule in 1927. It government. came to be known as Simon Commission after the name of its chairman, Sir John Simon. All its There is no doubt that the Simon seven members were Englishmen. Commission’s Report became the As there was no Indian member in basis for enacting the Government it, the Commission faced a lot of of India Act of 1935. criticism even before its landing in India. Almost all the political parties including the Congress decided to Nehru Report (1928) oppose the Commission. In the meanwhile, the Secretary of State, Lord Birkenhead, challenged On the fateful day of 3 February the Indians to produce a 1928 when the Commission reached Constitution that would be Bombay, a general hartal was acceptable to all. The challenge was observed all over the country. accepted by the Congress, which Everywhere it was greeted with convened an all-party meeting on black flags and the cries of ‘Simon 28 February 1928. A committee go back’. At Lahore, the students consisting of eight was constituted took out a large anti-Simon to draw up a blueprint for the Commission demonstration on 30 future Constitution of India. It was October 1928 under the leadership headed by Motilal Nehru. The of Lala Lajpat Rai.