National movement 1919 1939

1. National Movement 1919-39
• Gandhi’s Early Career in South Africa
– Trip to South Africa in relation with a case involving his client,
Dada Abdullah
– 3 Categories of Indians in South Africa
• Indentured Indians working in Sugar Plantations under
Contract
• Merchants mostly Muslims
• Ex-Indentured Indians who had settled in South Africa after
the Expiry of Contracts
– Problems with the Indians
• Racial Discrimination
• No Right to Vote
• Live only in Prescribed locations which were congested
 Moderate Phase of Struggle (1894-1906)
 Set up Natal Indian Congress and started a paper Indian
Opinion
 Mostly relied on Sending Petitions and Memoranda to the
Government highlighting the Problems of the People

2. Continued…
• Phase of Passive Resistance or Satyagraha (1906-1914)
– Satyagraha against Registration Certificate (1906)
– Campaign against Restrictions on Indian Migration
– Setting up of Tolstoy Farm and Phoenix Settlement
– Campaign against Poll Tax and Invalidation of Indian Marriages
• Gandhi in India
– Returned to India on Jan 9,1915
– Decided to tour the Country for one year
– Not in Favour of Home Rule league Movement
– Champaran Satyagraha (First Civil Disobedience) in 1917
• Requested by Raj Kumar Shukla to look into Problems of Indigo
Planters of Champaran in Bihar
• Tinkathia System
• Gandhi Joined by Rajendra Prasad, J.B. Kriplani
• Gandhi was made a member of the Committee to look into the
problems of the peasants
• 25% of illegal dues collected from the peasants paid back

3. Continued…
• Ahmedabad Mill Strike (First Hunger Strike) in 1918
– Dispute between Mill Owners and Workers over Issue of
discontinuation of Plague Bonus
– Gandhi demanded 35% increase in the wages
– Supported by Ambalal Sarabai and his wife Sarla Devi
– Anusuya ben- Pioneer of women’s labour Movement in India.
Founded the Ahmedabad Textile Labour Association along with
Gandhi
• Kheda Satyagraha(1918) – First Non- Cooperation Movement
– Failure of Crops due to Drought
– Sardar Patel and Indulal yagnik joined Gandhi

4. Satyagraha Against Rowlatt Act
• Rowlatt act allowed the Government to imprison any person without trial
and Conviction in a court of Law
• Satyagraha against Rowlatt Act is the First all India Revolt Staged by
Gandhi
• Launched on April 6,1919 and Involved:
– Nationwide Strike
– Fasting and Prayers
– Civil Disobedience against specific laws
– Courting arrest and Imprisonment
• Jalianwala Bagh Massacre - April 13, 1919
– Crowd gathered to protest against the arrest of their leaders, Satyapal
and Saifuddin Kitchlew
– Shooting orders given by Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer (Governor
of Punjab- Micheal O’ Dwyer)
– Around 1000 people killed in the Incident
– Rabindranath tagore gave up his Knighthood in Protest
• Rowlatt satyagraha withdrew on April 18, 1919

5. Khilafat and Non-Cooperation Movement
 Khilafat Issue
 Muslims across the world regarded Sultan of Turkey as their Spiritual Leader
and was called as Khalifa
 British Divided Turkey and removed the Khalifa at the end of First World War
 Khilafat Committee formed under Ali Brothers (Shaukat Ali and Mohammad Ali)
 Problems in India
 Post war Economic Scenario
 Rowlatt Act and Jalianwala Bagh Massacre
 Hunter Commission Report supported the Actions of Reginald Dyer
 Dissatisfation with Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms
 Common Political Action by Hindus and Muslims
 Lucknow Pact (1916)
 Rowlatt Act Agitation
 Radical Nationalist Muslims like Abul kalam Azad, Mohammad Ali, Hakim Ajmal
Khan etc

7. Continued…
• Development of Khilafat- Non-Coperation Programme
– All India Khilafat Committee headed by Gandhi called for Non-
Cooperation in November 1919
– Congress Stand on Khilafat
• Congress was not united on this issue
• Tilak opposed to having an alliance with the Muslims on a religious
Issue
• Opposition to Gandhi’s boycott of legislative Councils
– Khilafat – NCM formally launched on August 1, 1920 ( the day Tilak
Died)
– Sep 1920- Congress Special Session at Calcutta
• Boycott of Government Schools and Colleges
• Boycott of Government Courts
• Boycott of legislative Councils
• Boycott of Foreign Cloth
• Renunciation of Government Titles
• The second phase to include mass Civil disobedience which
included resignation from the Government Service and Non-
Payment of Taxes

8. Continued…
• December 1920- Congress Session at Nagpur headed by
Vijayaraghavachariar
– Attainment of Swaraj through Extra-Constitutional Means
– Congress Working Committee of 15 Members was set up to lead the
Congress
– Provincial Congress Committees were set up on the basis of language
– Swaraj to be attained within a year
• Spread of the Movement
– No- tax Movement in Midnapore (Birendranath Samsal) and
Guntur ( Duggirala GopalKrishnayya)
– J.M Sen Gupta – Organized Strikes in Tea Plantations, Steamer
Services and Railways
– Local Struggles
• Awadh Kissan Movement
• Eka Movement (UP)
• Mappila Revolt (Kerala)

9. End of NCM
• Government Response
– All Major leaders except Gandhi arrested
– CR Das was first to be arrested followed by his wife, Basanti Debi
• Feb 1, 1922 – Gandhi threatens to launch Civil Disobedience from
Bardoli
• Feb 5 1922- Chauri Chaura Incident
• Feb 12, 1922- NCM Withdrawn

10. Swarajists and No-Changers
• Swarajists
• Advocated Council Entry
• Not in Favour of Constructive Work
• Mainly Included CR Das, Motilal Nehru and Ajmal Khan
• CR Das and Motilal Nehru formed Congress Swarajya Party in December
1922 after resigning from the Presidentship and Secretaryship of the
Congress
• No Changers
• Included Rajendra Prasad, Vallabhai Patel, Rajagopalachari
• Opposed Council Entry
• Advocated Concentration on Constructive work such as Construction of
National Schools and Colleges, Promotion of Khadi, Removing
Untouchability, Promote Hindu- Muslim Unity
• Swarajists allowed to contest elections as a group within Congress
• Split among the Swarajists along the lines of Responsivists and Non-Responsivists
• Responsivists such as Lala Lajpat Rai, Madan Malaviya advocated
cooperation with the Government to protect Hindu Interests
• Non-Responsivists – Motilal Nehru and CR Das

11. Members of HSRA

12. Kakori Robbery Saunders Murder
Bombing of Assembly

14. Revolutionary Terrorism during 1920s
• Major Influences for Growth :
– Sudden Withdrawal of NCM
– Russian Revolution
– Spread of Socialist Ideas
– Important Books – Bandi Jivan (Sachin Sanyal) and Pather Dabi
(Sharatchandra Chatterjee), Philosophy of Bomb ( Bhagwati Charan Vohra)
 Punjab- UP- Bihar
 Hindustan Republic Association (HRA) founded by Ram Prasad Bismil, Jogesh
Chandra Chatterjee and Sachin Sanyal
 Kakori Robbery – Bismil, Ashfaqullah, Roshan Singh and Rajendra Lahiri
hanged
 Hindustan Socialist Republic Association(HSRA) adopted Socialism as its goal in
1928
 Bhagat Singh, Azad and Rajguru assassinated Saunders in Dec 1928
 Bomb in the Central Legislative Assembly (April 8, 1929)
 Bhagat singh and Batukeshwar Dutt threw a bomb in the Central legislative
Assembly against the Passage of Public Saftey Bill and Trade Disputes Bill
 Objective was to get arrested and to use Court as a forum to propagate
their ideology of Socialism
 Hunger Strike by the revolutionaries inside the Prison. Jatin Das died on his
64th day of Fast
 Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru hanged on March 23,1931

15. Pratilata Wadekar

16. Continued…
• Bengal
– Assassination attempt on Calcutta Police Commissioner, Charles
Tegart( another man Day got killed) by Gopinath Saha
– Chittagong Armory Raid (April 1930)
• Led by Surya Sen. Helped by Ananth Singh, Ganesh Ghosh
and Lokenath Baul
• Plan to occupy two armouries in Chittagong
• Women members of group
– Pratilata wadekar
– Kalpana Dutt
– Santi Ghosh and Suniti Chandheri (School Girls) shot dead
District magistrate Mr.Steven
– Bina Das fired at the Governor while receiving her Convocation

17. Anti- Simon Commission Upsurge
• Protest against the appointment of all-white, Seven member committee to
recommend the Government if India was ready for Further Constitutional reforms
and on what lines
• Dissatisfaction of the Indians
– Exclusion of Indians
– Seen as Insult to Self-Respect of the Indians
• Nehru Report ( First attempt by Indians to draft a Constitutional Framework)
– Dominion Status
– Rejection of Separate Electorates and demand for Joint Electorates Electorates
( Reservation for the Muslims at the Centre and in the provinces where they
were in Minority)
– Formation of Linguistic Provinces
– 19 Fundamental Rights
– Full Protection to Cultural and religious Interests of Muslims
• Differences between Hindu Mahasabha and Muslim League
• Jinnah’s 14 Demands

19. Events leading to CDM
• Calcutta Session of Congress (Dec 1928)
– Disagreement over Dominion Status in the Nehru Report
– It was decided to give one year time to government to accept the demand for
Dominion Status, Failing which the Demand for Complete Independence would
be raised and CDM launched
• Irwin’s Statement (October 31, 1929)
• Delhi Manifesto by INC
– Purpose of RTC should be to Formulate the Implementation of Dominion Status
– Congress to have majority representation
• Lahore Congress (1929) headed by Nehru
– RTC to be boycotted
– Complete Independence declared as aim of the Congress
– Jan 26,1930 fixed as first Independence Day
– Civil Disobedience Movement to be launched

20. Gandhi’s Eleven Demands
• General
– Reduce Expenditure on Army and Civil Services
– Ban Liquor
– Carry out reforms in CID
– Change Arms Act
– Release all Political Prisoners
– Accept Postal Reservation Bill
• Industrialists
– Introduce Textile Protection
Reserve Coastal Shipping for the Indians
– Introduce favorable exchange rate
• Peasants
– Reduce land revenue by 50%
– Abolish Salt Tax and Government’s Salt Monopoly

23. Rajagopalachari salt March in TN Kelappan’s March in Kerala
Dharsana Salt Agitation

24. Launch of CDM
• Dandi March (March 12- April 6, 1930)
– March from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi
– Lawyers to give up their practice
– People to refuse to pay taxes
– Boycott law Courts
– Government servants to resign from their Jobs
• Spread of the Movement
– TN – Rajagopalachari marched from Trichy to Vedaraniyyam
– Kerala- kelappan marched from Calicut to Poyannur
– Gandhi arrested when conducting a raid on Dharsana salt works
– Surya Sen’s Chittagong Armory Raid
– Peshawar- Abdul Gaffer khan (Frontier Gandhi) organised “Red Shirts” (started
the monthly magazine Pukhtoon)
– Sarojini naidu, Imam Sahib, Mani lal (Gandhi’s Son) led a raid on dharsana salt
Works
– Rani Gaidinlu carried out the revolt in Manipur and Nagaland

25. Abdul Gaffar Khan

27. Continued…
• First RTC (Nov 1930- Jan 1931)
– Not Attended by INC
– Attended by Muslim League, Hindu Mahasabha, Liberals and Princes
• Gandhi Irwin Pact ( March 5, 1931)
– Immediate release of all Political Prisoners not convicted of Violence
– Remission of all fines not yet collected
– Return of all lands not yet sold to third parties
– Lenient treatment to Government Servants who had resigned
– Right to make salt for personal consumption
– Withdrawal of Emergency Ordinances
– Right to peaceful and Non-aggressive Picketing
– Unaccepted Demands
• Public enquiry into Police Atrocities
• Commutation of Death Sentences of Bhagat Singh and his Comrades
– INC agreed to
• Withdrawal of Civil Disobedience Movement
• Participate in 2nd RTC

28. Continued…
• Karachi Session 1931 ( President- Vallabhai Patel)
– Endorsed Gandhi Irwin Pact
– Resolutions of FRs and National Economic Programme Adopted
– For First time Declared Swaraj as in addition to Political Freedom, Economic
Freedom has to be obtained
• Second RTC and Civil Disobedience Movement
– Communal Award ( Separate Electorates for the Depressed Classes)
• Gandhi Vs Ambedkar on Casteism
• Poona Pact ( September 1932)
– No Separate Electorates for the Depressed Classes
– Increased Reservation for the Depressed in the Provincial and Central
Legislature

30. Gandhi’s Harijan Campaign
• Gandhi’s Thoughts on Caste
– Root and Branch Eradication of Untouchability
– Campaign based on Humanism and Reason
– Not against the Caste System
– Preached for Co- Existence of Different Castes
• Set up All India Anti- Untouchability League
• Started the Weekly Harijan
• Shifted to Saygraha Ashram in Wardha as he had taken
pledge in 1930 not to return to Sabarmati Ashram
unless Swaraj was Won

31. Harijan Campaign

32. Strategic Debate
• First Stage Debate ( Course of National Movement During Non- Mass
Struggle)
– Constructive Work along Gandhian Lines
– Entry to the Councils
– Continuation of Mass Struggle ( Nehru and Subhash Bose)
• Opposition to Struggle- Truce- Struggle
– Gandhi’s resignation from Congress in 1934
• Second Stage Debate ( Acceptance of Office)
– Rejection of Office by Nehru and Subhash Bose
– Acceptance of Office
• Congress Performance in the Elections
– Majority in all Provinces Except Bengal, Assam, Punjab, Sindh and NWFP
– Single largest Party in Bengal, Assam and NWFP