British Rule and India's Freedom Struggle

Expansion of British Rule

• By 1837, the British had direct or indirect control over most of India.
• The East India Company ruled in collaboration with local kings and nawabs.
• The company included Indian soldiers (sepoys), but the officer positions were reserved for the British.

Sepoy Rebellion (1857)

• The disrespect of Indian soldiers' religions by the British was a major reason.
• Mangal Pandey initiated the rebellion.
• Key centers of the rebellion: Meerut, Delhi, Lucknow, Jhansi, etc.
• Leaders like Rani Lakshmi Bai, Tatya Tope, Bahadur Shah Zafar retaliated.

Establishment of the Indian National Congress (1885)

• British officer A.O. Hume played a major role in the establishment of the Congress.
• Objective: To convey the voice of Indians to British rule.
• Early leaders were divided into moderates and extremists.

Partition of Bengal (1905) and Swadeshi Movement

• The partition of Bengal was a British strategy to create a divide between Hindus and Muslims.
• The Swadeshi movement involved boycotting British goods and using indigenous goods.

Ghadar Party and Jarnail Singh

• Indian revolutionaries tried to spread the wave of freedom abroad.
• Prepared for armed struggle with support from Germany and other countries.
• The British government severely punished the leaders of the Ghadar Party.

Rowlatt Act (1919) and Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (1919)

• The Rowlatt Act allowed for detention without trial.
• General Dyer opened fire on unarmed people in Jallianwala Bagh, killing hundreds.
• Gandhi launched the Non-Cooperation Movement.

Non-Cooperation Movement (1920) and Demand for Swaraj

• Gandhi called for the boycott of British schools, colleges, and institutions.
• The demand for self-rule (Swaraj) gained momentum.

Bhagat Singh and Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA)

• Revolutionary Bhagat Singh and his associates were involved in the Saunders assassination.
• Threw a bomb in the Central Assembly in 1929 and got arrested.

Execution of Bhagat Singh

• In 1931, Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev were executed.

Jawaharlal Nehru, Motilal Nehru, and the Simon Commission

• Protest against the Simon Commission: the slogan 'Simon Go Back'.
• Motilal Nehru's report in 1928 spoke of Dominion Status.
• Jinnah presented his 14 points.

Gandhi's Dandi March and Salt Satyagraha (1930)

• Opposed the salt laws imposed by the British.
• Undertook a 390 km journey from Sabarmati to Dandi to break the salt laws.
• Millions participated in the Satyagraha.

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and INA

• Formed the Indian National Army (INA) with the help of Japan and Germany.
• Famous slogans: ‘Delhi Chalo’ and 'Give me blood and I will give you freedom'.

World War II and Quit India Movement (1942)

• Gandhi's slogan 'Do or Die'.
• Nationwide demonstrations and movements against the British.
• The British imprisoned leaders, but the movement did not weaken.

Independence and Partition

• After World War II, pressure on Britain increased, and a plan for independence was laid out.
• Decided to grant India independence in 1947.