Class 10 History - Chapter 2: National Anthem in India

Introduction

• Nationalism: Love for one’s own country. Development of patriotic feelings among people.
• Context: Emergence of nationalism in India.

Impact of First World War on India

• Allied Powers vs Central Powers: Britain, France, Russia, USA vs Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire.
• British Colony: India was under British rule during WWI.
• British Expenditure: Increased defense expenditure led to raised taxes and inflation.
• Socio-economic Impact: High prices, crop failure, and famines led to the death of many people.
• Epidemics: 1918-19 influenza epidemic killed millions in India.

Mahatma Gandhi’s Return and Initiatives

• Arrival: Gandhi’s return from South Africa in 1915 with a new method called Satyagraha (non-violent resistance).
• Successful Satyagrahas:
  • Champaran (1917): Against forced Indigo cultivation.
  • Kheda (1918): Against taxes despite crop failure.
  • Ahmedabad (1918): Mill workers' strike for better wages.

Rowlatt Act and Jallianwala Bagh Massacre

• Rowlatt Act (1919): Allowed detention without trial, known as the 'Black Act'.
• Protests: Nationwide hartal led by Gandhi against the Act.
• Jallianwala Bagh Massacre: General Dyer ordered troops to fire on peaceful protestors in Amritsar, killing hundreds.

Khilafat and Non-Cooperation Movement

• Khilafat Issue: Indian Muslims’ protest against the disbandment of Ottoman Caliphate by the British.
• Formation of Khilafat Committee: Leaders like Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali played a crucial role.
• Non-Cooperation Movement (1920): Combined Hindu-Muslim effort under Gandhi’s leadership; boycott of British goods, services, and institutions.
• Chauri-Chaura Incident (1922): Violence led Gandhi to call off the movement.

Civil Disobedience Movement

• 1930 Dandi March: Gandhi’s protest against the salt tax by making salt from seawater.
• Civil Disobedience: Refusal to obey certain laws, demands, and commands of the British government.
• Participation: Widespread, involving different sections of society including women.
• Outcome: Suppressed by British, Gandhi enters the Gandhi-Irwin Pact (1931).

Different Interpretations of Movements

• Varied Perceptions: Non-cooperation and Civil Disobedience interpreted differently by people (peasants, tribals, plantation workers, business class, etc.).

Decline of Movements

• Challenges: Expensive Khadi, lack of alternate institutions, rural struggles, communitarian tensions.
• Leadership Vacuum: Arrest of leaders led to weakening of movements.

Sense of Collective Belonging

• Factors Uniting People: A common goal for independence, cultural symbols and stories, figures and images (like Bharat Mata), and collective actions inspired by leaders.
• Impact: Led to a unified national movement and eventually independence for India.

Summary

• The rise of nationalist movements in India was a response to British colonial rule, galvanized by socio-economic challenges post-WWI, and led by figures like Mahatma Gandhi.
• Different sections of Indian society participated with varied motivations, leading to a widespread sense of collective belonging.