Rise of Indian Nationalism

The second half of the 19th century witnessed he full flowering of national
political consciousness and the growth of an organised national movement in
India.
The year 1885 marks the beginning of a new epoch in Indian History.
Indian National Congress was founded in December 1885 by seventy-two
political workers. It was the first organised expression of Indian Nationalism on
an all-India scale.
The rise and growth of Indian nationalism has been traditionally explained in
terms of Indian response to the stimulus generated by the British Raj through
creation of new institutions, new opportunities, etc.
In other words Indian Nationalism grew partly as a result of colonial policies
and partly as a reaction to colonial policies in fact, it would be more correct to
see Indian nationalism as a product of a mix of various factors.

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Factors Contributing to the emergence of Indian Nationalism

Many causes contributed to the emergence of the nationalist movement in India.

They were as follows:

1. British Imperialism:
The British imperialism was the most important factor, which contributed to the
rise of nationalism in India. It made the geographical unification of the country
possible. Before the advent of the British, the people of the south were usually
separate from the rest of India except for some short intervals. The British
imperialism made the people to think as one nation.

2. Influence of the Western Civilization:

The establishment of British rule in India made closer relations with the
Western world possible. Thus, the contacts with the European countries
influenced the Indians immensely. The nineteenth century in Europe was the
century of nationalism and liberalism. The Indians came to learn their lessons
from the Europeans on both these ideologies.
Indians imbibed the ideas of nationalism and liberalism from the Western
countries particularly from Germany, Italy, Greece, and Belgium. Besides this,
the ideas of Western thinkers namely, Macaulay, Burke, Bentham, Mill,
Spencer, Rousseau, and Voltaire also inspired and encouraged the ideas of
independence among the Indians. Thus, there was a growth of political
consciousness and awakening among the Indians.

3. Spread of English Language:

There was a rapid spread of English education in India especially after the
revolt of 1857. The second half of the nineteenth century was a golden age of
Liberalism in Europe, particularly England. The study of the political classics of
English literature from Milton to Mill planted in the minds of English-educated
Indians the seeds of liberalism in its two aspects—nationalism and democracy.
Thus with the spread of English education, the educated Indians gradually
became politically conscious. The British introduced the English language in

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India with their own selfish interest in mind. At the beginning, they mainly
needed Indian clerks educated in English in order to strengthen their rule in
India. English education also facilitated people of different provinces to come
close to one another. Thus, it helped in raising, national feelings, and political
consciousness among the Indians.

4. Development of Means of Communication:

The introduction of telegraphs and railways in 1852 and 1853 respectively gave
India swift means of transport and communication. The modern means of
communication shattered the age-old isolation of Indian villages and the people
of remote part had the opportunity of coming closer to each other. They also
promoted trade and commerce and helped people of different regions to develop
social and intellectual intercourse.
The new social and economic link removed their orthodox ways and made them
conscious of their social disabilities. The introduction of uniform system of
administration in India also brought a feeling of unity among Indians. Thus, the
improvements in the means of transport and communication also quickened the
pace of nationalist movement in the country.

5. The Contribution of the Scholars:

Several scholars and religious reformers played their role in furthering the cause
of progress of the nationalist movement in the country. They emphasized the
past glory and the rich heritage of India. The study and publication of the
ancient Indian literature by the Asiatic Society of Bengal and the scholars such
as Max Muller, Monier Williams, Colebrooke, Ranade, Hari Prasad Shastri,
R.G. Bhandarkar, Rajendra Lai Mittra, etc., revealed to the people of India the
splendour of the Sanskrit language and also inculcated among them a feeling of
pride in their past and their faith in the future.

6. The Contribution of the Social and Religious Reformers:

Religious and social reformers, namely, Raja Rammohan Roy, Keshab Chandra
Sen, Debendranath Tagore, Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar, Swami Dayanand
Saraswati, Ramakrishna Paramhamsa, Vivekananda, and others had left a
tremendous influence on the people of India; and they also were responsible for
inspiring the countrymen to treasure the ideals of freedom and liberty.

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7. Influence of the Western Civilization:
The establishment of British rule in India made closer relations with the
Western world possible. Thus, the contacts with the European countries
influenced the Indians immensely. The nineteenth century in Europe was the
century of nationalism and liberalism.
The Indians came to learn their lessons from the Europeans on both these
ideologies. Indians imbibed the ideas of nationalism and liberalism from the
Western countries, particularly from Germany, Italy, Greece, and Belgium.
Besides this, the ideas of Western thinkers, namely, Macaulay, Burke, Bentham,
Mill, Spencer, Rousseau, and Voltaire also inspired and encouraged the ideas of
independence among the Indians. Thus, there was a growth of political
consciousness and awakening among the Indians.

8. Spread of English Language:

There was a rapid spread of English education in India especially after the
revolt of 1857. The second half of the nineteenth century was a golden age of
Liberalism in Europe, particularly England. The study of the political classics of
English literature from Milton to Mill planted in the minds of English educated
Indians the seeds of liberalism in its two aspects—nationalism and democracy.
Their free trade policy proved ruinous for Indian trade and industries. Indian
industries failed to compete with those of the British because the British had all
the advantages and privileges on their side. Moreover, the British officials
working in India had become a drain on the Indian resources.
The economic system of India was molded to the needs of the people of
England. Thus, the interests of the Indian people’ were completely ignored. No
wonder the relations between the Indians and the Britishers became strained.
Thus with the spread of English education, the educated Indians gradually
became politically conscious. The British introduced the English language in
India with their own selfish interest in mind. At the beginning, they mainly
needed Indian clerks educated in English in order to strengthen their rule in
India.
English education also facilitated people of different provinces to come close to
one another. Thus, it helped in raising, national feelings and political con-
sciousness among the Indians. The social and religious reformers asked the

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people of India to look to their glorious past and try to bring back the same.
They taught people to have faith in themselves.

9. The Development of Indian Press and Literature:

The Indian Press and literature both English and vernacular also used national
conscious among the people of the country. Newspapers like the “Indian
Mirror”, “Bombay Samachar” “The Hindu Patriot”, “The Amrit Bazar Patrika”,
“The Hindu”, “The Kesari”, “The Bengalee”, etc., tremendously influenced the
people of India and thus, left an indelible mark on the political life of the
country. The writings of Din Bandhu Mitra, Hem Chandra Banerjee, Navin
Chandra Sen, Bankim Chandra Chaterjee, R.C. Dutta and Rabindra Nath Tagore
also affected the minds of the people. The “Anand Math” of Bankim Chandra
Chaterjee has rightly been regarded as the “Bible” of modern Bengalee
patriotism. Thus, the writings of the patriots and scholars brought about a
revolution in the minds of the Indians. It is these revolutionary minds that were
responsible for the growth of Indian nationalism.

10. Economic Exploitation:

The primary objective of the British rule in India was the economic
exploitation. They took away raw materials from India and brought here their
manufactured goods. The policy of economic exploitation ruined the Indian
industries; and the British were taking away the wealth of India to their country.
11. Discrimination against Indians in the Appointment to Government
Services:
From the beginning, there was much discrimination shown in respect of
appointment of Indians to the government services. No Indian was given high
positions. The British did not trust the Indians and their sincerity.
The Proclamation of Queen Victoria in 1858 declared that Indians,
henceforward, would be appointed to high posts on the basis of their merit
irrespective of their caste, religion, or race. But this policy was not properly
implemented.
The policy of discrimination, arbitrary, and unjust policy of the Government
created a great discontent and unrest among the educated people of India. They
started taking active part in the national movement with the aim of driving away
the British altogether from India.

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12. Racial Jealousies:
During the mutiny, the relations of the Europeans and the Indians were greatly
embittered. Many Britishers were killed in the Mutiny. So, the Britishers were
full of vengeance. The helpless and the innocent Indians became the victims of
their vengeance.
The English killed their prisoners without trial and in a manner held by all
Indians to be the height of barbarity. Some villages were marked out for
destruction and all the men inhabiting there were slaughtered and indiscriminate
burning of inhabitants occurred wherever the English armies moved.
Such of atrocities aroused discontent and unrest among the people of India.
Though the mutiny was suppressed for the time being, they were not able to
suppress the feelings of nationalism among the people of India.
Indians were prevented from travelling in the upper class railway compartment.
Even the ruling chiefs were bullied into unlacing the boots shampooing the
weary legs of the Sahibs just back from hunting expeditions. The administration
of criminal justice was also scandalous.

13. The Events of the Reign of Lord Lytton:

The period from 1870 to 1884 was extremely tumultuous and was seen as the
beginning time of Indian nationalism. The several acts of omission and
commission in the time of Lord Lytton accelerated the nationalist movement.
Lord Lytton held his famous Delhi Darbar in 1877 at a time when the people of
South India were suffering from the effects of terrible famine.
Most of the import duties on British textile imports were removed to please the
textile manufacturers of England. Indians interpreted the action as proof of the
British desire to ruin small but growing textile industry of India. In 1878, the
Arms Act was passed, which disarmed the Indians. It appeared that it was an
attempt by the government to weaken the whole nation.
The second Afghan War cost the Indian treasury a lot. Lytton passed the
Vernacular Press Act in 1878. The people belonging to all walks of life
condemned the discriminatory provisions of the Act. It has been pointed out that
the Act was a retrograde and ill-conceived measure injurious to the future
progress of India.

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At the same time in 1878, the government announced new regulations reducing
the maximum age limit for sitting in the Indian Civil Service Examination from
21 years to 19. All these measures created a widespread discontentment among
the Indians. Anti-Indian administration of Lord Lytton helped to intensify
discontent against foreign rule.
14. Ilbert Bill Controversy:
During the viceroyalty of Lord Rippon, a controversy arose concerning the
Ilbert Bill. Rippon tried to pass a law to enable the Indian district magistrates
and sessions judges to try the Europeans in criminal cases. The Europeans in
India organized a vehement agitation against the bill, which was drafted by
Ilbert, the law member of Rippons government.
They poured abuses on Indians. Lord Rippon became the target of agitation.
The Europeans declared that even the most highly educated among the Indians
were unfit to try the Europeans. In the end, the government bowed before the
Europeans. The Indians became conscious of the degradation to which foreign
rule had reduced them. It increased racial bitterness, and led to the growth of
national discontent.

Thus, the above factors were to a large extent responsible for the growth of
nationalism in India.

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The Khilafat and the Non-Cooperation Movement (1919-22):
The main object of the Khilafat movement was to force the British government
to change its attitude towards Turkey and restore the Turkish Sultan (Khalifa) to
his former position. A Khilafat committee was formed under the leadership of
Ali brothers, Maulana Azad, Hakim Ajmal Khan and Hasrat Mohani and a
country-wide agitation was organised. In February 1920, Gandhiji suggested to
the Khilafat committee to adopt a programme of non-violent non-cooperation to
protest the government behaviour.
On 9 June, 1920 the Khilafat committee at Allahabad unanimously accepted his
suggestion and asked Gandhiji to lead the movement. The Congress leaders,
incoluding Gandhiji viewed the Khilafat agitation as a golden opportunity for
cementing the Hindu-Muslim unity and bringing the Muslim masses into the
national movement.
The Congress at its special session in September 1920 at Calcutta supported
Gandhi’s plan for non-cooperation for three cause-redressal of the Punjab griev-
ances, rectification of the Khilafat wrongs and the establishment of Swaraj.
The people were asked to boycott government educational institutions, law
courts and legislatures, to give up foreign cloth, to surrender officially conferred
titles and honours. Through these negative programmes, the Indians sought to
refuse to cooperate with the British government.
The positive programmes of the non-cooperation movement included
establishment of national schools and colleges, setting up of panchayats,
popularisation of swadeshi and khadi, development of Hindu-Muslim unity,
removal of un-touch ability, etc. This decision of non-cooperation movement
was endorsed at the annual session of the Congress held at Nagpur in December
1920 The Nagpur session also made changes in the constitution of the Congress.
The adoption of the Non-cooperation movement (initiated earlier by the
Khilafat conference on 31 August 1920) by the Congress gave it a new energy
and from January 1921, it began to register considerable success all over the
country. The Tilak Swarajya Fund was started to finance the Non- cooperation
movement (Earlier, Lokmanya Tilak passed away on 1 August 1920).
The visit of the Prince of Wales in November 1921 also led to the observance of
hartal all over the country on the day the prince landed in Bombay. On February
1, 1922 Mahatma Gandhi announced that he would start mass civil disobedience
including non-payment of taxes unless within seven days the political prisoners
were released and the press freed from government control.

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The general mood of the people was also quite rebellious. On 5th February 1922
a Congress procession at Chauri-Chaura in Gorakhpur district of U.P. was fired
upon by the police. The angry crowd attacked and burnt the police station
causing death of 22 policemen.
Gandhiji was afraid that the movement might take a violent turn and at his
insistence the Congress Working Committee on 12 February abruptly called off
the movement. Gandhiji was arrested on 10 March 1922 but was released in
February 1924.

Significance of Non-cooperation movement:

1. The Indian Nationalist movement acquired real mass base for the first time
with the participation of peasants, workers, students lawyers, teachers, etc.
2. The Congress became the organiser and leader of the masses in their freedom
struggle.
3. It marked the height of Hindu-Muslim unity.
Very soon, the Khilafat movement also lost relevance due to the Kemalist
revolution in Turkey which made it a secul7ar state.

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Civil Disobedience Movement:
Civil Disobedience (1930-31) Phase I:
Civil disobedience of the laws of the unjust and tyrannical government is a
strong and extreme form of political agitation according to Gandhi, which
should be adopted only as a last resort. The Lahore Congress of 1929 had
authorised the Working Committee to launch a programme of civil disobedience
including non-payment of taxes. The committee also invested Gandhi with full
powers to launch the movement.
The 11 points ultimatum of Gandhiji to Lord Irwin after being ignored by the
British Government made Gandhiji to launch the civil disobedience moment on
12th March 1930 with his famous Dandi March. (From Sabarmati Ashram to
Dandi on Gujarat coast). On 6th April, Gandhiji reached Dandi, picked up a
handful of salt and broke the salt law as a symbol of the Indian people’s refusal
to live under British made laws and therefore under British rule.
The movement now spread rapidly. Violation of salt laws all over the country
was soon followed by defiance of forest laws in Maharashtra, Karnataka and the
Central Provinces and the refusal to pay the rural Chaukidari tax in Eastern
India.
The people joined hartals, demonstrations and the campaign to boycott foreign
goods and to refuse to pay-taxes. In many parts of the country, the peasants
refused to pay land revenue and rent and had their lands confiscated. A notable
feature of the movement was the wide participation of women.
In North-western provinces, under the leadership of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan,
popularly known as ‘Frontier Gandhi’ the Pathans organised the society of
Khudai Khidmatgars (or Servants of God) known popularly as Red Shirts.
They were pledged to non-violence and the freedom struggle. In North-East
Rani Gaidilieu raised the banner of rebellion against foreign rule. The
government resorted to ruthless repression, lathi changes and firing. Over
90,000 Satyagrahis, including Gandhiji and other congress leaders were
imprisoned and Congress declared illegal.
Gandhi-lrwin Pact was signed in March 1931 due to the efforts of Sir Tej
Bahadur Sapru, Dr. Jayakar and others to bring about a compromise between
the government and the Congress. The Government agreed to withdraw all
ordinances and end prosecutions, release all plitical prisoners, restore the
confiscated property of the Satyagrahis and permitted the free collection or
manufacture of salt. The Congress in turn agreed to suspend the civil

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disobedience movement and to participate in the Second Round-Table
conference.
Phase II of Civil disobediance Movement (1932-34):
On his return to India after the 2nd Round Table Conference Gandhiji resumed
the Civil Disobedience movement in January 1932. The Congress was declared
illegal by the government and it arrested most of the leading Congress leaders.
The movement was gaining strength when it was suddenly side tracked with the
announcement of Communal Award (1932) by the British Prime-minister
Ramsay Mac Donald. The movement gradually waned. The Congress officially
suspended the movement in May 1933 and withdrew it in May 1934.

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Significance of Civil disobedience movement:
1. It had the objective of achieving complete independence
2. It involved deliberate violation of law and was evidently more militant
3. There was wide participation of women.
4. It was not marked by the same Hindu-Muslim unity which was witnessed
during Non-cooperation movement.

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Quit India Movement (1942):
The failure of the Cripps Mission, rising prices and war time shortages and the
Japanese threat forced the Congress to take active steps to compel the British
for accepting the Indian demand for independence. The All-India Congress
Committee met at Bombay on 8 August 1942 and passed the famous ‘Quit
India’ Resolution. It proposed the starting of a non-violent mass struggle under
Gandhi’s leadership to achieve this aim.
But before the Congress could start a movement the government arrested
Gandhiji and other Congress leaders on 9th August 1942. Left leaderless and
without any organisation, the people reacted in any manner they could. All over
the country there were hartals, strikes in factories, schools and colleges and
demonstrations which were lathi-charged and fired upon.
The people took to violent action and attacked the symbols of British
authority—The police stations, post-offices, railway stations, etc. In some areas
such as Ballia in eastern U.R, Tumluk in Midnapore district of Bengal and
Satara district of Maharashtra the revolutionaries set up ‘parallel government’.
In general, the students, workers and peasants provided the backbone of the
‘revolt’ while the upper classes and the bureaucracy remained loyal to the
government. In the end, the govenment succeeded in crushing the movement.

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Conclusion
The Nationalist Movements in India were organized as mass movements
emphasizing and raising questions concerning the interests of the people of
India. In most of these movements, people were themselves encouraged to take
action. Due to several factors, these movements failed to win independence for
India. However, they did promote a sense of nationalism among the people of
the country. The failure of these movements affected many people as they
withdrew from Government offices, schools, factories and services. Though
they did manage to get a few concessions such as those won by the Salt
March in 1930, they did not help India much from the point of view of their
objective.

Bibliography

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 History of Modern India- Bipan Chandra
 http://www.insightsonindia.com
 http://www.historytuition.com/
 A brief history of modern India -Spectrum-books.

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