Indian Nationalism- World History Flashcards
World War I
broke up the
Ottoman Empire
which controlled India, began
to show signs of cracking.
British Empire
The weakening of these empires stirred nationalist
activity i
India, Turkey, and some Southwest Asian countries.
Indian nationalism had been growing since the
1800’s
Many upper-class Indians who attended British schools learned European views of nationalism and democracy. They began to apply these political ideas to their own country.
Formed in 1885 for the liberation of Hindus
Indian National Congress
Formed in 1906 for the liberation of Muslims
Muslim League
They shared the heritage of British rule and an understanding of
democratic ideals. These two groups both worked toward the goal of independence from the British
Why nationalism spread in India?
British promised self rule but after 1918, they were once again treated as second-class citizens that gave birth to radical
When was the Rowlett Acts Passed?
1919
Why are the Rowlett Acts Passed?
These laws
allowed the government to jail protesters without trial
for as long as two years. To Western-educated Indians,
denial of a trial by jury violated their individual rights.
Amritsar Massacre
Protestors marched to the city of Amritsar, Punjab in 1919. At a huge festival in an enclosed square, they
intended to fast and pray and to listen to political
Nationalism in India and
Southwest Asia
▼ Ali Jinnah,
leader of the
Muslim League
of India, fought
for Indian
independence
from Great
Britain.
speeches. The demonstration, viewed as a nationalist outburst, alarmed the British.
They were especially concerned about the alliance of Hindus and Muslims. The people don’t know that public meetings are banned, However, the British commander at Amritsar believed
they were openly defying the ban. He ordered his troops to fire on the crowd without warning
Casualty Report on massacre
400 dead and 1200 injured
News of the slaughter, called the Amritsar Massacre, sparked an explosion of
anger across India. Almost overnight, millions of Indians changed from loyal
British subjects into nationalists. These Indians demanded independence
Butcher of Amritsar
Reginald Dyer, who ordered shooting on Civilians
Mohandas K. Gandhi
leader of the independence movement
Gandhi’s strategy for independence
His teachings
blended ideas from all of the major world religions, including Hinduism,
Jainism, Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity. Gandhi attracted millions of followers.
Soon they began calling him the Mahatma (muh•HAHT•muh), meaning “great soul.”
Mahatma
great soul
Mahatma
great soul
Noncooperation
Noncooperation When the British failed to punish the officers responsible for the
Amritsar massacre, Gandhi urged the Indian National Congress to follow a policy
of noncooperation with the British government
1920
In 1920, the Congress Party
endorsed civil disobedience
civil disobedience
the deliberate and public refusal to obey an unjust law, and nonviolence as the means to
achieve independence. Gandhi then
launched his campaign of civil disobedience to weaken the British government’s authority and economic
power over India.
Satygahara
A central element of Gandhi’s philosophy of nonviolence
was called satyagraha, often translated as “soul-force” or
“truth-force.”
Passive resistance is a method of securing rights by
personal suffering; it is the reverse of resistance by
arms. When I refuse to do a thing that is repugnant to
my conscience, I use soul-force. For instance, the
government of the day has passed a law which is
applicable to me: I do not like it, if, by using violence, I
force the government to repeal the law, I am employing
what may be termed body-force. If I do not obey the
law and accept the penalty for its breach, I use soulforce. It involves sacrifice of self
Nonviolence
In The Origin of Nonviolence, Gandhi offered a warning to
those who were contemplating joining the struggle for
independence.
[I]t is not at all impossible that we might have to
endure every hardship that we can imagine, and
wisdom lies in pledging ourselves on the understanding
that we shall have to suffer all that and worse. If some
one asks me when and how the struggle may end, I
may say that if the entire community manfully stands
the test, the end will be near. If many of us fall back
under storm and stress, the struggle will be prolonged.
But I can boldly declare, and with certainty, that so long
as there is even a handful of men true to their pledge,
there can only be one end to the struggle, and that is
victory
Boycotts
Gandhi called on Indians to refuse to buy British goods, attend government schools, pay British taxes, or vote in elections. Gandhi staged a successful boycott of British cloth, a source of wealth for the British.
Strikes and Demonstrations
s Gandhi’s weapon of civil disobedience took an economic toll on the British. They struggled to keep trains running, factories operating, and overcrowded jails from bursting. Throughout 1920, the British arrested
thousands of Indians who had participated in strikes and demonstrations. But
despite Gandhi’s pleas for nonviolence, protests often led to riots.
Strikes and Demonstrations
s Gandhi’s weapon of civil disobedience took an economic toll on the British. They struggled to keep trains running, factories operating, and overcrowded jails from bursting. Throughout 1920, the British arrested
thousands of Indians who had participated in strikes and demonstrations. But
despite Gandhi’s pleas for nonviolence, protests often led to riots.
The Salt March
Gandhi organized a demonstration to defy the hated Salt
Acts. According to these British laws, Indians could buy salt from no other source
but the government. They also had to pay sales tax on salt. To show their opposition, Gandhi and his followers walked about 240 miles to the seacoast.
Soon afterward, some demonstrators planned a march to a site where the British
government processed salt. They intended to shut this saltworks down. Police officers with steel-tipped clubs attacked the demonstrators. An American journalist
was an eyewitness to the event. He described the “sickening whacks of clubs on
unprotected skulls” and people “writhing in pain with fractured skulls or broken
shoulders.”
Soon afterward, some demonstrators planned a march to a site where the British
government processed salt. They intended to shut this saltworks down. Police officers with steel-tipped clubs attacked the demonstrators. An American journalist
was an eyewitness to the event. He described the “sickening whacks of clubs on
unprotected skulls” and people “writhing in pain with fractured skulls or broken
shoulders.”
Newspapers across the globe carried the journalist’s story, which won worldwide support for Gandhi’s independence movement
More demonstrations against the salt tax took place throughout India.
Eventually, about 60,000 people, including Gandhi, were arrested.
Britain Grants Limited Self-Rule
In 1935, the
British Parliament passed the Government of India Act. It provided local self-government and limited democratic elections, but not total independence.
However, the Government of India Act also fueled mounting tensions between
Muslims and Hindus. These two groups had conflicting visions of India’s future as
an independent nation.
Congress Party
India’s National Party
Muslim League
Party founded to protect Muslim’s Interests
Leader of Muslim League
Muhammad Ali Jinnah
