Interwar Years Flashcards
(43 cards)
WWI aftermath on India
British rule challenged in India; Increased Indian nationalist movements
Nationalist movements in India
Inspired anti-colonial movements
Cause of anti-colonial movements in India
Exclusion of participation in liberal democracy that the British authorities had praised; Not enough changes (allowed local self-government)
Mohandas Karamchand (Mahatma) Gandhi
Leader of the Indian nationalists; Laid the foundation for an alternate anti-colonial movement - preached + practiced non-violence against the British colonial power to get freedom for India; Called for all-India satyagraha
Nonviolent resistance
Gandhi’s anti-colonial movement; Focused on moral + political philosophy
Satyagraha
Nonviolent resistance
Gandhi’s message to India
Develop own resources + inner strength + resist the temptation to participate in colonial economy and government under British control → Self-rule
Swaraj
Self-rule
Gandhi’s belief
Indian achieving self-reliance + self-control in a non-violent way would eventually make the British leave
Actions of Indian nationalists
Oppose cooperation with government officials + boycott British goods + refuse to send children to British schools + withhold taxes
Gandhi’s efforts to unite India
Alliance with Muslim leaders; Transformed Indian National Congress from elite organization of lawyers + merchants → Mass organization open to anyone who contributes (ex: illiterate + poor)
Great Depression in India
British colonial government monopoly on salt
Salt in India
All Indians used salt but British government controlled its production + imposed heavy taxes on it; Symbolize how Indians were dominated and controlled by a foreign ruling power
Salt march / Salt Satyagraha / Dandi March / Dandi Satyagraha
March from western India to coast to gather sea salt for free; Goal: Break colonial government’s monopoly; Led by Gandhi; Indians from different regions + religions participated;
Effect of the Salt Satyagraha
People were inspired by Gandhi who told them to embrace independence from colonial rule; Reported by news wire services + mass-circulation newspaper worldwide;
Gandhi’s effect on Indian nationalism
March instilled a sense of pride + resourcefulness + Indian national awareness in people
How did Gandhi inspire people?
Insisted that Indians follow their conscience (always through nonviolent protest) + Excited the masses by his defiance of colonial power + Used symbols (homespun cloth vs foreign + machine-spun textiles)
Oppositions to Gandhi
Some in National Congress Party didn’t share Gandhi’s vision of community as the source of public life; Radicals; Religion
Jawaharlal Nehru
Believed India could only develop as a modern nation by embracing science + technology
Radical activists in India
Wanted revolution (not protest); Organized peasants in the countryside to overthrow colonial domination; Organized trade unions for growing industrial workers; Worried about class conflict - against Gandhi’s ideals of national uinty
Religion in India
Hindu-Muslim alliance split over who represented them + how to ensure their political rights
Muhammad Ali Jinnah
Leader of Muslims in India; Made Muslim League the only organization representing the Muslim community
Muslim League
Demanded independent Muslim states in locations with large Muslim population; Claimed themselves to be a nation and not religious minority in India
Government of India Acts
British response to Indian anti-colonial movements - attempts to give Indians more say in governance by giving them a limited form of self-government but still maintained control
