Nationalism in India

Summary

This chapter traces how a sense of Indian nationalism grew during the anti-colonial movement, when people from many groups and classes began to see themselves as part of one nation in the shared struggle against British rule. The hardships of the First World War, high taxes and rising prices deepened popular discontent.

It centres on Mahatma Gandhi's methods — satyagraha and non-violence — and the major mass movements: the Non-Cooperation Movement (1921-22), the Civil Disobedience Movement launched with the Salt March (1930), and the role of the Rowlatt Act and the Jallianwala Bagh tragedy in turning Indians against the Raj.

It also studies how different social groups — peasants, workers, tribals, businessmen and women — joined the movement with their own hopes and expectations, and how a sense of collective belonging was built through symbols, folklore, songs, icons like 'Bharat Mata', and a reinterpretation of history.

Key points to remember

• Satyagraha: Gandhi's method of non-violent resistance based on the power of truth.
• The Rowlatt Act (1919) allowed detention without trial and sparked nationwide protest.
• The Jallianwala Bagh massacre (April 1919) intensified anger against the British.
• The Non-Cooperation Movement (1920-22) involved boycotts of schools, offices, councils and foreign goods; it was called off after Chauri Chaura.
• The Civil Disobedience Movement began with the Dandi Salt March (1930) and broke colonial laws.
• Different groups joined for different reasons — peasants, tribals, plantation workers and the business class.
• The Gandhi-Irwin Pact (1931) and Gandhi's attendance at the Second Round Table Conference were part of this phase.
• Nationalism was spread through symbols, folklore, icons like 'Bharat Mata' and the tricolour flag.

Important questions (board pattern)

• 3 marksWhy was the Non-Cooperation Movement called off in February 1922?

  How to answer: Explain the Chauri Chaura incident and Gandhi's belief that people were not ready for non-violent struggle and the movement was turning violent.

• 5 marksExplain the importance of the Salt March (1930) for the national movement.

  How to answer: Cover why salt was chosen as a symbol, how it spread mass participation across classes, and how it launched the Civil Disobedience Movement.

• 5 marksHow did different social groups conceive of the idea of Swaraj?

  How to answer: Discuss peasants, tribals, plantation workers and the business class, each with their own distinct expectations from the movement.

• 1 markWhat was the Rowlatt Act?

  How to answer: A 1919 law that allowed the detention of political prisoners without trial.

• 3 marksHow was the sense of collective belonging developed in India?

  How to answer: Discuss the image of Bharat Mata, folklore and songs, icons and symbols, and the reinterpretation of national history.