Indian History notes Indian national movement
The revolt of 1857 : Occurred during the reign of Governor General Lord Canning
Causes of the revolt
- Political
- Economic
- Socio-religious
- Military
Immediate cause: The introduction of Enfield rifles, whose cartridges were said to have a greased cover made of beef and pork, sparked off the revolt
The Beginning and Spread of the Revolt: On March 29, 1857 AD, an Indian sepoy of 34 Native Infantry, Mangal Pandey, killed two British officers–Hugeson and Baugh on parade at Barrackpore (near Calcutta). He was arrested and hanged
The mutiny actually started at Meerut on May 10, 1857 AD. The soldiers broke open jails, murdered Europeans, burnt their houses and marched to Delhi after sunset.
General Hewitt was the commanding officer at Meerut.
Centres of revolt And their Leaders
• Delhi: Bahadur Shah and General Bakht Khan.
• Kanpur: Nana Sahib/Dhondu Pant (adopted son of Baji Rao II), Tantya Tope and Azimullah Khan.
• Jhansi: Rani Lakshmi Bai.
• Lucknow: Begum Hazrat Mahal, her son Birjis Qadr.
• Faizabad: Maulvi Ahmadullah.
• Bareilley: Khan Bahadur Khan.
• Bihar: (Arrah) Kunwar Singh, Zamindar of Jagdishpur.
q Bahadur Shah II was deported to Rangoon, where he died in 1862 AD.
q Nana Sahib (original name, Dhundhu Pant), Begum Hazrat Mahal and Khan Bahadur Khan escaped to Nepal;
q Tantiya Tope (original name being Ramchandra Panduranga) was captured and executed.
q Rani Lakshmi Bai died in the battlefield.
q Kunwar Singh was wounded and died on April 26, 1858AD.
Indian National movement
The Indian National Union was formed in 1885 AD by A.O.
Hume. He called for a
conference in Pune in December 1885 AD.
• The conference venue was shifted to Bombay.
• The leaders decided to rename the Indian National Union as Indian National Congress.
• The first session of the Indian National Congress was held
at Gokuldas Tejpal
Sanskrit College in Bombay under the presidentship of W.C.
Bannerji.
• It was attended by 72 delegates from all over India.
• Lord Dufferin was the Viceroy of India during the foundation of INC.
Ist President of INC W. C. Bannerji
Ist Woman President Annie Besant
Ist Muslim President Badruddin Tyabji
Ist English President George Yuke
Gandhi became President 1924, Belgaum
Prominent extremist Leaders
- Bal Gangadhar Tilak: He launched two newspapers–the Kesari (in Marathi) and the Maratha (in English). He organised Ganpati Festival (1893 AD) and Shivaji Festival (1895 AD). He was deported to Mandalay Jail (Burma) for writing seditious articles. He started the Home Rule League in 1916 AD. He wrote Gita Rahasya.
Ø Tilak asserted: ‘Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it’
Ø He was awarded with the title of Lokmanya.
Ø He was called ‘Bal’, Lala Lajpat Rai was called ‘Lal’ and Bipin Chandra Pal was called ‘Pal’ƒ
Ø He was a part of the trio of ‘Lal-BalPal’ and the extremist group. ƒ
Ø He wrote the books The Arctic Home of Vedas and Gita Rahasya.
2. Lala Lajpat Rai: He founded the National School at Lahore. He boycotted the Simon Commission and demonstrated against it at Lahore, during which he was brutally assaulted by the police and he subsequently succumbed to his injuries.
Ø He
was called the Lion of Punjab. ƒ He was
inspired by Mahatma Hansraj. ƒ He was the
President of the special session of the Congress at Calcutta, 1920 AD.
ƒ
Ø He opposed the withdrawal of NCM in 1922 AD. He founded Swaraj Party with Motilal Nehru and C.R. Das.
Ø ƒ He was the editor of Bande Matram, The Punjab and The People.
3. Sri Aurobindo Ghosh: He started a Bengali Daily Jugantar. He wrote seditious articles in Bande Matram. He was put to trial for Maniktalla (Calcutta) Bomb Conspiracy Case.
q Moderate leaders: Dadabhai Naoroji, A.O. Hume, Badruddin Tyabji, M.G. Ranade, W.C. Bannerji, Ferozeshah Mehta, Surendra Nath Bannerji, Madan Mohan Malaviya, Tej Bahadur Sapru, Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Rash Behari Bose.
The Partition of bengal (1905)
boycott And Swadeshi movement (1905Ad-1908)
q The Partition of Bengal came into effect on 16th October, 1905 AD, reducing the old province of Bengal in size by creating a new province of East Bengal.
q The Boycott and Swadeshi Movement had its genesis in the antipartition movement.
q The INC took up the Swadeshi call in the Banares Session, 1905 AD presided by G.K. Gokhale and supported the Swadeshi and Boycott Movement of Bengal
q On 7th August, 1905 AD, a resolution to boycott British goods was adopted at a meeting of the INC held in Calcutta.
q Tilak took the movement to different parts of India, especially in Pune and Bombay.
q Ajit Singh and Lala Lajpat Rai spread the Swadeshi message in Punjab and other parts of Northern India.
q Syed Haider Raza set upto agenda in Delhi.
q Chidambaram Pillai took the movement to Madras Presidency.
Formation of the muslim League
q Set up in 1906 AD, under the leadership ofAga Khan, Nawab Salimullah of Dhaka andNawab Mohsin-ul-Mulk.
q Vakar-ul-Mulk was the first president of Muslim League.
q In December 1906 in Calcutta, the INC,under the leadership of Dadabhai Naoroji, adopted Swaraj as the goal in Indian people.
q The INC split into two groups, the extremists and the moderates at the Surat session in 1907 AD.
q The extremists were led by Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai and Bipin Chandra Pal and the moderates were led by Gopal Krishna Gokhale.
Indian council Act of 1909 or Morley-minto reforms
• Separate electorate introduced for Muslims.
• Lord Minto came to be known as the father of Communal Electorate.
• Non-officials to be elected indirectly. Thus,election introduced for the first time.
• For the first time, one Indian was to be on Viceroy’s executive council.
Ø Satyendra Prasad Sinha was the first Indian to join the council as the Law member.
• Annulment of Partition in 1911 AD, the government
announced annulment of the
partition of Bengal.
Ghadar Party (1913 )
Formed by Lala Har Dayal, Tarak Nath Das and Sohan Singh Bhakna.
• The war period witnessed the growth of revolutionary movement not only in India but also outside India by the Indians.
• Indian revolutionary in the United States of America and Canada had established the Ghadar (Rebellion) Party in 1913 AD.
• The party was built around the weekly paper The Ghadar, which carried the caption Angrezi Raj ka Dushman.
• Headquarters were at San Francisco.
• Some of the prominent Ghadar leaders were Baba Gurumukh Singh, Kartar Singh Saraba, Sohan Singh Bhakna and Rahmat Ali Shah.
Tilak’s Home rule movement
• It started in April 1916 AD at Poona.
Tilak’s league was to work in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Central Province and Berar, excluding Bombay.
• Josef Baptista became the President and N.C. Kelkar secretary.
• He gave the slogan ‘Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it’.
• Tilak’s newspapers Maratha and Kesari were the organs for home rule.
Annie beasant’s Home rule movement
• Started with Subramaniya Iyer in Adyar in September, worked in the rest of India.
• Annie Besant’s newspapers New India, Commonwealth and Young India became important for this movement. She coined the term ‘commonwealth’.
q The Congress Session at Allahabad in December 1921 decided to launch a Civil Disobedience Movement.
q But,
before it could be launched, the angry peasants (mob)
attacked a police station at Chauri Chaura in Gorakhpur district of Uttar
Pradesh on 5th February, 1922.
q This changed the whole situation and Mahatma Gandhi was compelled to withdraw the Non-Cooperation Movement.
Lucknow Pact (congres-League Pact) (1916 )
q The Anti-British feelings were generated among the Muslims following a war between Britain and Turkey, which opened the way for the Congress Muslim League unity.
q Both the Congress and the Muslim League sessions were held at Lucknow in 1916 AD and thus concluded the famous Lucknow Pact.
q The Congress accepted the separate electorate
and both the organisations jointly
demanded a dominion status for the country.
Montagu Declaration/August Declaration of 1917 AD: The
control over the Indian
government would be transferred gradually to the Indian people
The Gandhian era (1917 -1947)
In South Africa (1893 AD-1914AD)
q 1893 AD: Departure of Mahatma Gandhi to South Africa.
q 1906
AD: First Civil Disobedience Movement (Satyagraha) against Asiatic
Ordinance
in Transversal.
q 1907 AD: Satyagraha against compulsory registration and passes for Asians (The Black Act) in Transversal.
q 1908 AD: Trial and imprisonment–Johannesburg Jail (First Jail Term).
q 1914 AD: Quits South Africa forever and returns to India. Was awarded Kaisar-i-Hind title for raising an Indian Ambulance Core during Boer wars.
q 1915 AD: Arrived in Bombay (India) on 9th January 1915 AD; Foundation of Satyagraha. Ashram at Kocharab near Ahmedabad (20th May).
q In 1917 AD, Ashram was shifted at the banks of Sabarmati.
q 1916
AD: He attended the Lucknow Session of INC held from 26th to 30th
December, 1916 AD.
q 1917 AD: Gandhi entered active politics with Champaran campaign redress grievances of the cultivators oppressed by Indigo plantation of Bihar (April 1917).
q Champaran Satyagraha was his first Civil Disobedience Movement in India.
q 1918 AD: In February 1918, Mahatma Gandhi launched the struggle in Ahmedabad, which involved industrial workers. Hunger strike as a weapon was used for the first time by Gandhi during Ahmedabad struggle.
q In March 1918, Mahatma Gandhi worked for the peasants of Kheda in Gujarat, who were facing difficulties in paying the rent owing to failure of crops.
Rowlatt Act (1919)
q In 1919 a Sedition Committee headed by justice Rowlatt led to the Rowlatt Act.
q This act authorised the government to imprison any person without trial and conviction by the Court of Law for 2 years.
q The law also enabled the government to suspend the right of Habeas Corpus which had been the foundation of civil liberties in Britain.
q 1919 AD: Mahatma Gandhi gave a call for satyagraha against the Rowlatt Act on April 6, 1919 AD and took the command of the nationalist movement for the first time (first all-India Political Movement).
q Mahatma
Gandhi returned the Kaisar-i-Hind title as a protest against the Jallianwala
Bagh massacre–13th April, 1919 AD,
q The All India Khilafat Conference elected Mahatma Gandhi as its president (November 1919, Delhi).
q 1920 AD-1922 AD: Mahatma Gandhi led the
Non-cooperation and Khilafat
Movements.
q Mahatma
Gandhi calls off the Movement after the violent incident at
Chauri-Chaura on February 5, 1922.
q Non Cooperation Movement was the first massbased politics under Mahatma Gandhi.
q 1924 AD: Belgaum (Karnataka) session of
INC–for the first and the last time,
Mahatma Gandhi was elected the president of the Congress.
q 1930 AD-1934 AD: Mahatma Gandhi
launched the Civil Disobedience Movement
with his Dandi March-Salt Satyagraha.
1941 AD: Mahatma Gandhi launched the Individual Satyagraha Movement.
1942 AD: Mahatma Gandhi raised the slogan ‘Quit India Movement’.
1943 AD: Mahatma Gandhi kept in detention at the Aga Khan Palace near Pune.
1947 AD: Mahatma Gandhi was deeply distressed by the Mountbatten
Plan/
Partition Plan (3rd June, 1947 AD). While staying in Calcutta to restore
communal violence, he observed complete silence on the dawn of India’s
Independence.
1948 AD: Mahatma Gandhi was shot dead by Nathu Ram Godse while on his way to the evening prayer meeting at Birla House, New Delhi (30th January, 1948 AD).
Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (13th April, 1919 AD) The arrest of Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlu and Dr. Satyapal on 10th April, 1919 AD, under the Rowlatt Act in connection with Satyagraha caused serious unrest in Punjab.
q A public meeting was held on 13th April, 1919 AD in a park called Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar. As soon as the meeting started, General Reginald Dyer ordered indiscriminate heavy firing.
q The crowd of people had no way out to escape. As a result, hundreds of men, women and children were killed and more than 1,200 people wounded.
q Due to this massacre, R.N. Tagore returned ‘Knighthood’ and Shankaran Nair resigned from the Executive Council of Viceroy.
Note: Sardar Udham Singh, an Indian patriot from Punjab, shot down General Reginald Dyer in London on March 13, 1940
q Khilafat Movement (1920 AD-1922 AD): The Ali Brothers–Mohammad Ali and Shaukat Ali–launched an anti-British movement in 1920 AD–the movement for the restoration of the Khilafat Movement.
q It was supported by Mahatma Gandhi and INC.
q On October 17, 1919, ‘Khilafat Day’ was celebrated.
Non-cooperation Movement (1920 AD-1922 AD): At the Calcutta
session in September
1920 AD, the Congress resolved in favour of the Non-cooperation Movement and
defined Swaraj as its ultimate aim (according to Gandhiji). The movement
envisaged:
(i) Surrender of titles and honorary offices and resignation nominated offices;
(ii) Refusal to attend government darbars and official functions and boycott of British courts by the lawyers;
(iii) Refusal of general public to offer themselves for military and other government jobs and boycott of foreign goods, etc. Apart from educational boycott, there was boycott of law courts, which saw major lawyers like Motilal Nehru, C.R. Das, C. Rajagopalachari, Saifuddin Kitchlu, Vallabhbhai Patel, Aruna Asaf Ali, etc. giving up their lucrative practices in their fields.
q There was an attack on a local police station by angry peasants at Chauri Chaura in Gorakhpur district on 5th February, 1922 burning 22 policemen.
q Mahatma Gandhi, shocked by Chauri Chaura incident, withdrew the Non-Cooperation Movement on 12th February, 1922 AD.
Spread of non-cooperation movement
• The United Province became a strong base for the Non-Cooperation
Movement.
• Agrarian riots under the leadership of Baba Ramchandra and Eka
Movement under Madari Pasi.
• In Punjab, Akali Movement was constituted for reform and control of
Gurudwaras.
• Alluri Sitarama Raju organised the tribals in Andhra and combined
their demands with those of non-cooperation.
q Differences arose among the leaders after the withdrawal of the Non Cooperation Movement.
q One school of thought headed by C.R. Das and Motilal Nehru advocated that the nationalists should end the boycott of the legislative council, enter them, obstruct their working according to official plans, expose their weaknesses, transform them into arenas of political struggle and, thus use them to arouse public enthusiasm.
q They were ‘pro-changers’. The pro-changers formed the Swaraj Party on January 1, 1923.
Ø Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Dr. Ansari, Babu
Rajendra Prasad and others opposed council
entry. They were known as no changers.
q In December 1922 AD, C.R. Das and Motilal Nehru formed Congress Khilafat Swarajya Party with C.R. Das as the President and Motilal Nehru as the Secretary.
q Madan
Mohan Malaviya and Lala Lajpat Rai founded the Independent Congress Party
later in 1933 AD. It was recognised as the Congress Nationalist Party
Simon commission (1927 Ad)
q In 1927 AD, the British Government appointed the Indian Statutory Commission known popularly by its chairman Simon.
q Lord Irwin was the Viceroy of India at that time.
q The committee had to review the working of the dyarchy system introduced by Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms of 1919 AD and to report to what extent a representative government can be introduced in India.
q All the members of the commission were White.
q The National Congress decided to boycott the commission in its Madras Session in 1927 AD, presided over by Dr. Ansari.
q The Muslim League and Hindu Mahasabha decided to support the Congress.
q On 3rd February 1928 AD, the commission was greeted with Hartals and black flag demonstration under the slogan ‘Simon Go Back’.
q At Lahore, Lala Lajpat Rai was severely beaten in a lathi charge and he succumbed to his injuries on October 30, 1929
Nehru Report (1928 Ad)
q Nehru report was tabled in 1928 AD by Motilal Nehru.
q It remains memorable as the first major Indian effort to draft a constitutional framework for India.
q The recommendations evoked a debate concerning the goal of India-Dominion status of complete independence.
q Other members of the committee were Tej Bahadur Sapru, Ali Imam, M.S. Aney, Mangal Singh, Sohaib Qureshi, G.R. Pradhan and Subhash Chandra Bose
Jinnah’s 14 Points (9th march, 1929 Ad)
q Jinnah, the leader of the Muslim League did not accept the Nehru Report and drew up a list of fourteen demands, which became famous as 14 points of Jinnah.
Lahore session (1929 Ad)
q This session was presided over by Jawaharlal Nehru.
q This session passed a resolution of Poorna Swaraj (complete independence) as its ultimate goal.
q All members of legislature were asked to resign their seats.
q On 31st December, 1929, the newly adopted tricolour was hoisted and 26th January, 1930 was fixed as the first Independence Day.
q The
Congress Session also announced a Civil Disobedience Movement under the
leadership of Mahatma Gandhi.
q Congress decided to boycott the first Round Table Conference.
Dandi march (1930 Ad)
q Along with 78 followers, Mahatma Gandhi started his famous march from Sabarmati Ashram on 12th March, 1930 AD for the small village Dandi to break the Salt Law.
q On reaching the seashore on 6th April, he broke the law by picking up salt from the seashore.
q By picking up a handful of salt, Mahatma Gandhi inaugurated the Civil Disobedience Movement.
q It took the shape of a nationwide Civil Disobedience Movement in which ladies also participated.
Regional Spread on civil disobedience movement
• Under the leadership of Abdul Gaffar Khan,popularly known
as The Frontier Gandhi, the Pathans organised the society of Khudai
Khidmatgars (servants of God) known popularly as Red Shirts.
• From North-East India, Manipur took a brave part in it and Nagaland produced a brave heroine named Rani Gaidinliu.
• Chittagong: Armory raised by Surya Sen in 1930 AD.
• Darshana: It was led by Sarojini Naidu, Imam Saheb and Maneka Gandhi
q In Madras, Rajagopalachari led a march from Trichinopoly to Vedaranyam along the Coromandel Coast.
q In
Kerala, K. Kelappan marched from Calicut to Payyanur.
First round table conference (12th November, 1930
Congress boycotted the conference.
• Muslim League was represented by Mohammad Ali, Agha Khan, Fazlul Haq, M.A. Jinnah and Hindu Mahasabha by Moonje and Jayakar.
• No result came out of the conference.
• Dalits were represented by B.R. Ambedkar.
• Moderate statesmen Jaikar, Sapru and Srinivas Shastri initiated efforts to break the ice between Mahatma Gandhi and the government. The negotiation between Irwin and Mahatma Gandhi on 5th March, 1931 AD came to be known as Gandhi-Irwin Pact or Delhi Pact.
Gandhi-Irwin Pact/Delhi Pact (5th March, 1931 AD):
q Moderate statesmen Sapru and Jayakar initiated efforts to bring about rapprochement between Mahatma Gandhi and the government.
q Six meetings with Viceroy Lord Irwin finally led to the signing of a pact between the two to join the Second Round Table Conference.
q Regarding GandhiIrwin Pact, Jawahar Lal Nehru remarked, ‘This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but a whimper’.
karachi Session (1931 Ad)
q It endorsed the Gandhi-Irwin Pact.
q This Session is also memorable for its resolution of Fundamental Right and National Economic Programme with the efforts of Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhash Chandra Bose.
Second round table conference
q Gandhiji went to England in September 1931 AD to attend the Second Round Table Conference presided by Ramsay Macdonald Prime Minister of Britain.
q The British Government refused to concede the basic nationalist demand for freedom on the basis of the immediate grant of dominion status with complete control over defence, external affairs and finance.
The communal Award/mcdonald Award (16th August, 1932 )
q Announced by British Prime Minister Ramsay McDonald on communal representation on 16th August, 1932 AD.
q Besides containing millions for representation of Muslims, Sikhs and Europeans, it envisaged communal representation of oppressed classes also.
q Mahatma Gandhi underwent a fast in protest against this Award.
Poona Pact (communal Award)
q McDonald announced the proposal on minority representation, known as the Communal Award in 1932 AD. Under this, the depressed classes (Muslims, Sikhs, Indian Christians, Anglo Indians, Women and Backward Classes) were to be considered as minority and it would make them entitled to the right of separate electorate.
q Gandhiji restored to fast unto death in Yerwada Jail against this separate electorate for depressed class, which Ambedkar was insisting upon. This resulted into the Poona Pact between Gandhi and Ambedkar on 25th September, 1932 AD.
q Gandhiji coined the word Harijan for the depressed classes and their upliftment became his prime concern. All India Anti Untouchability League was started in September 1932 AD and a weekly Harijan in January 1933 AD.
q He started the Individual Civil Disobedience on 1st August, 1933 AD.
Third round table conference
Held in London in November, 1932 AD.
• Congress did not participate.
• The discussion led to the Government of India Act, 1935 AD
The government of india Act, 1935
The Simon Commission report submitted in 1930 AD formed the basis for the
Government of India Act, 1935. The Act:
(i) introduced provincial autonomy;
(ii) abolished dyarchy in the provinces;
(iii) made ministers responsible to the legislative and federation at the centre.
The Act of 1935 was unanimously rejected by the Congress. Regarding the Government of India Act, 1935, Jawahar Lal Nehru remarks: It was a new charter of slavery. Although the Congress opposed the Act, yet it contested the elections when the constitution was introduced on 1st April, 1937 AD, and formed ministries first in six provinces and then in another
Congress ministries resign (22nd december, 1939 Ad)
q The Second World War broke out in Europe on 3rd September, 1939 AD that brought Britain also within its fold.
q Without consulting the Indian leaders, the Viceroy declared India also as a belligerent country. Congress demanded that India should be declared an independent nation. Then only would the country help Britain in the war.
q The Viceroy in his reply dated 17th October, 1939 AD rejected the Congress demand as impracticable.
q The Congress condemned the Viceroy’s reply and the Congress ministries everywhere resigned on 22nd December, 1939 AD, Jinnah designating the day of Congress ministries as ‘the day of deliverance’.
Pakistan resolution/Lahore resolution (24th march, 1940)
q It
was in 1930 that Iqbal suggested the union of the Frontier Province–Baluchistan,
Sindh
and Kashmir–as a Muslim state within the federation.
q Chaudhry Rehmat Ali invented the term ‘Pakstan’ (later ‘Pakistan’) in 1935 AD.
q The Lahore Session of the Muslim League was held on 24th March, 1940 AD.
q Pakistan Resolution was passed and the Federal scheme was rejected as envisaged in the Government of India Act, 1935 AD
August offer/Linlithgow offer (8th August, 1940)
q On this day, Viceroy Linlithgow came out with certain proposals known as August Offer declaring that the goal of the British Government was to establish Dominion Status in India.
q It accepted that the framing of a new constitution would be given to the views of minorities in the constitution.
q Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, President of the Congress, rejected the August Offer.
q The Muslim League welcomed the offer.
q In brief, the August Offer failed in gaining Indian’s co-operation for war and, in fact, further widened the gulf between the Congress and the Britishers as well as between the Congress and the Muslim League.
Individual Civil disobedience/ Individual Satyagraha (october 1940 -december 1941)
q The Congress Working Committee decided to individually fight disobedience on 17th October, 1940 AD.
q Vinoba Bhave was the first Satyagrahi, followed soon by many more, including Nehru and Patel.
q But the movement created little enthusiasm and Mahatma Gandhi suspended it
Cripps mission (march, 1942)
The British Government’s refusal of accepting immediately the Congress demand was the cause of failure of the mission.
Constitutional Proposal of the mission
(a) Dominion status to be granted after the war.
(b) Constitution-making body to be elected from the provincial assemblies and
nominated by the rulers in case of princely states.
(c) Individual princes could sign a separate agreement with the British.
(d) British would, however, control the defence for war period.
(e) The British Government undertook to accept and implement the Constitution
in two conditions:
Gandhiji termed this proposal as a post dated cheque in a
crashing bank.
• Cripps proposal failed.
Quit india movement (1942 )
• The All India Congress Committee met at Bombay on 8th August, 1942 AD.
It passed the famous Quit India resolution and
proposed to the starting of a non-violent mass struggle under Gandhiji’s
leadership.
• It is also called Vardha Proposal and Leaderless Revolt.
• His message was ‘Do or Die’.
• Repressive policy of the government and indiscriminate arrest of the leaders
provoked people to violence.
• Nehru was lodged in Almora Jail, Maulana Azad in Bankura and
Mahatma Gandhi was kept in Agha Khan’s Palace in Poona.
• Parallel governments were established.
Demand for Pakistan
• In 1930 AD, Mohammad Iqbal, for the first time, suggested that the frontier province, Sind, Baluchistan and Kashmir be made the Muslim state within the federation.
• Chaudhry Rehmat Ali coined the term ‘Pakstan’ (later ‘Pakistan’) in 1933.
• Pakistan Resolution: The Muslim League first passed the proposal of separate Pakistan in its Lahore Session in 1940 AD (called Jinnah’s two-nation theory).
It was drafted by Sikandar Hayat Khan, moved by Fazlul Haq and seconded by Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman
.• In December 1943, the Karachi Session of the Muslim League adopted the slogan– ‘Divide and Quit’.
• Gandhiji’s Fast (10th February-7th March, 1943 AD): Mahatma Gandhi took to21–day fasting in jail.
This was his answer to the government, which had been constantly exhorting him to condemn the violence of the people in the Quit India Movement. Mahatma Gandhi not only refused to condemn people resorting to violence but also unequivocally held the government responsible for it.
C.R. formula (1944 Ad)
q He
proposed to appoint a commission to demarcate the districts in North-West and
East, where the Muslims were in majority.
q In such areas, a plebiscite was proposed to be held on to decide the issue of separation.
q They would be given freedom if they favoured a sovereign state. In case of acceptanceo f partition, agreement was to be made jointly for safeguarding defence, commerce, communications, etc.
q Muslim League was to endorse Congress’ demand for independence and cooperate in the formation of provisional government.
q Jinnah objected. The Hindu leaders led by V.D. Savarkar condemned the plan
Wavell Plan and Shimla Conference (14th June-14th July, 1945 AD): After consultation with the British Government on the Indian problem, Lord Wavell, the Viceroy of India, issued a statement known as Wavell Plan.
q The plan which chiefly concerned Viceroy’s Executive Council, proposed certain changes in the structure of the council.
q One of the main proposals was that the Executive Council would be constituted giving a balanced representation to the main communities in it including equal representation to the Muslims and Hindus.
q A conference of 22 prominent Indian leaders, called in Shimla to consider the Wavell Plan, reached no decision.
The indian National Army And Subhash chandra bose
• The idea of Indian National Army (INA) was first conceived in Malaya by Mohan Singh, an Indian officer of the British Indian Army.
• In March 1942, a conference of India was held in Tokyo and Indian Independence League was formed. At Bangkok Conference, Rash Behari Bose was elected as President of the League.
• Subhash Chandra Bose escaped to Berlin in 1941 AD and set up Indian League there.
• In 1943 AD, he arrived at Singapore. Earlier, he had left the Congress after having differences with Mahatma Gandhi and formed Forward Bloc in 1939AD.
• In Singapore, he was assisted by Rash Behari Bose. In October 1943, he set up a provisional Indian Government with headquarters at Rangoon and Singapore.
• INA annexed Andaman and Nicobar with the Japanese help and named them Shaheed and Swaraj. Subhash Chandra Bose gave the call Dilli Chalo.
INA trials
• The INA commanders P.K. Sehgal, ShahNawaz and Gurbaksh Dhillon were put on trial at the Red Fort.
Defence of INA prisoners in the court was organised by Bhulabhai Desai, Tej Bahadur Sapru, Kailash Nath Katju, Nehru and Asaf Ali.
• Wavell used veto power and set them free.
• The Muslim League also joined the countrywide protest. 12th November, 1945 was celebrated as the INA Day.
Royal indian navy (18th february, 1946)
On this day, Bombay Ratings of HMS Talwar struck work.
On 19th February, HMS Hindustan in Karachi also mutinied. Vallabh Bhai Patel and Jinnah jointly persuaded the Ratings to surrender on 23rd February, 1946 AD
Cabinet mission (march-June, 1946 Ad)
q The British Prime Minister Lord Attlee made a declaration on 15th March, 1946 AD that the British Cabinet Mission would visit India.
q The Cabinet Mission, which included Lord Pathick Lawrence Stafford Cripps and AV. Alexander visited India and met the representatives of different political parties.
q The Mission envisaged the establishment of a Constituent Assembly to frame the constitution as well as an interim government. The Muslim League accepted the plan.
q Direct Action Campaign (16th August, 1946 AD): The Muslim League launched a direct action campaign on 16th August, 1946 AD, which resulted in widespread communal riots in the country.
Interim Government
• Interim Government was headed by Jawahar Lal Nehru.
• The Constituent Assembly begins its session on 9th December, 1946 AD and Dr. Rajendra Prasad was elected its President, but the League did not attend.
Liaqat Ali Khan of
the Muslim League was made the
Finance Minister.
Attlee’s Statement (20th february, 1947Ad)
• A deadline of 30th June, 1948 AD was fixed for transfer of power Mountbatten would replace Wavell as the Viceroy.
• Partition of the country was implicit in the provision that if the Constituent Assembly was not fully representative, then the power would be transferred to more than one central government
Mountbatten Plan (3rd June, 1947 Ad)
• 3rd June Plan: In case of partition, two dominions and two Constituent Assemblies would be created. The plan declared that power would be handed over by 15th August, 1947 AD.
• The Legislative Assemblies of Punjab and Bengal decided in favour of partition of these two provinces. Thus, East Bengal and West Punjab joined Pakistan. West Bengal and East Punjab remained with India.
• Referendum in Sylhet resulted in the incorporation of that district in East Bengal.
• The referendum in NWFP decided in favour of Pakistan.
• Princely states were given the option to join either of
the two dominions or remain
independent.
• Mountbatten’s formula was to divide India but retain maximum unity.
India independence Act, 1947Ad
• On 18th July, 1947 AD, the British Parliament ratified the Mountbatten Plan as the Independence of India Act, 1947.
• The Act provided creation of two independent dominions of India and Pakistan.
• On 15th August, 1947, India got independence.
Jinnah became the first Governor-General of Pakistan.
India requested Mountbatten to continue as the Governor-General of India.
• Assembly and councils of the states were to be automatically dissolved.
• For the transitional period, i.e., till a new Constitution
was adopted by each dominion,
the governments of the two dominions were to be carried on in accordance with
the
Government of India Act, 1935
Integration of States:
By 15th August, 1947 AD, all the states except Kashmir, Junagadh and Hyderabad had signed the Instrument of Accession with India.
The Nawab of Junagadh was a Muslim, whereas most of its people were Hindus. In February 1948 AD, through a referendum, the people of this state decided to join India.
The Nizam of Hyderabad was forced to accede to the Indian Union in September 1948 AD.
French Colonies, by the end of 1954 AD, the French colonies in Pondicherry– Chandranagar, Mahe, Karaikal and Yanam– came to an end.
Portuguese Colonies: In 1954 AD, Dadra and Nagar
Haveli and Diu constituted the
Portuguese colonies in 1961 AD.
Growth of modern education in india early Phase (1758 Ad-1812 Ad)
• Calcutta (Kolkata) and Madras (Chennai) Universities were established by Warren Hastings in 1781 AD for the study of the Muslim law.
• Sanskrit College was established by Jonathan Duncan at Benares in 1791 AD for the study of Hindu law and philosophy.
• Fort William College was established by Wellesley in 1800 AD
Second Phase
• The greatest importance of the 1813 Act was that for the first time, the company acknowledged the state responsibility for the promotion of education in India.
• Establishment of Calcutta College in 1817 AD with the efforts of Raja Ram Mohan Roy for imparting Western education.
• Bethune School was founded by J.E.D. Bethune at Kolkata (1849 AD)
Downward fellatio theory (third Phase)
• In 1854 AD, Charles Wood prepared a dispatch on an Educational System for India, which came to be called the Magna Carta of education in the country.
• In 1882 AD, Lord Ripon appointed the Hunter Commission under Sir W.W. Hunter.
The Commission’s views were restricted to primary and secondary education.
The Punjab (1882) and Allahabad (1887) universities were established.
Fourth Phase (1901 Ad-1920 Ad)
• Lord Curzon appointed University Commission under Sir Thomas Rayleigh. Based on his report, Indian Universities Act was passed in 1904 AD.
Sergeant Plan, 1944 Ad
• The Sergeant Plan, worked out by the Central Advisory Board of Education in 1944 AD, called for elementary and higher secondary schools, universal, free and compulsory education for children in the 6–11 age-group and a six-year school course for the 11–17 age-group.
Important Sayings
‘Back to Vedas’–Dayanand Saraswati.
‘Dharma Chakra Pravartana’–Mahatma Buddha.
‘Dilli Chalo’–Subhash Chandra Bose.
‘Do or Die.’–Mahatma Gandhi (while launching Quit India movement in 1942 AD).
‘Give me blood and I will give you freedom.’– Subhash Chandra Bose (in his address to soldiers of Azad Hind Fauj).
‘My ultimate aim is to wipe every tear from every eye’–Jawaharlal Nehru.
‘Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it’–Bal Gangadhar Tilak.
‘Every blow that is hurled on my back will be a nail in the coffin of the British Empire’– Lala Lajpat Rai.
‘The Congress is tottering to its fall and one of my greatest ambitions while in India is to assist it to a peaceful demise’–Lord Curzon.