The Struggle for Sawaraj: 1927 – 1947

Emergence of New forces
1. 1920's Communism
  1. Marxist & Social ideas spread
  2. Why, New trend of socialism -
    1. Inspiration from Marxists
    2. Success of Russian revolution
    3. Dissatisfied with Gandhian political ideas and programmes
  3. Youth
    1. Active
    2. Student conference & Youth leagues
      1. Youths becoming active like Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhas Chandra Bose
      2. 1st All-Bengal Conference of Students - 1928 presided by JN
    3. Their ideals in general
      1. Socialism
      2. Radical solutions for PES ills
      3. Complete independence
  4. Communist party - 1925
  5. M.N.Roy became the 1st Indian to be elected to the leadership of the communist International
  6. 1924 - Govt arrested Muzaffar Ahmed and S.A.Dange for spreading communism and tried in kanpur conspiracy case
  7. Merut conspiracy case - 1929/ to supress communist and trade unionist for organising Indian railway strike
  8. Left wing against
    1. Imperialism
    2. Internal class oppression by capitalist and landlords
1. Peasant and workers agitation
  1. UP
  2. Gujarat - Bardoli Satyagraha by Sardar Vallabhbhai patel organised no tax campaign in 1928
  3. WB- kharagpur - South Indian railway workers went on strike
  4. Jharkhand - Jamshedpur/Tata Iron and steel works workers strike/Subhas chandra bose settled it
  5. MH- Bombay textile Mills /1.5 lakh workers on strike/Biggest of all
1. Hindustan republican association - 1924 to organise armed rebellion
  1. Kakori conspiracy case on them 1925 - train robbery near lucknow
  2. 4 hanged - Ram prasad Bismil and Ashfaqulla
  3. In 1928 under leadership of Chandra Shekhar Azad name changed into Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA)
  4. Gradually moved away from violence
  5. But anti-simon commision lathi charge killed Lala lajpat Rai in 1928
  6. So Bhagat Singh, Azad and Rajguru assassinated Saunders,police officer incharge of lathi charge
  7. Later Bhagat Singh and B.K.Dutt threw a harmless bomb in central legislative Assembly "to make deaf hear"
  8. Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were executed in 1931
  9. Jatin das, Bhagat Singh fasted in prison against horrible condition of prison and Jatin Das died after 63 days fast
  10. Chandra Shekhar Azad
  11. killed in encounter in public park in Allahabad, now Azad Park
  12. Chittagong armoury raid - 1930 in Bengal
    1. Surya sen organised it
    2. Well planned and large scale
    3. 1933- surya sen arrested and hanged

BOYCOTT OF THE SIMON COMMISION
1. "Simon go back" - Boycotted bcos all members of commision were British
2. 1927- Madras session presided by Dr.Ansari decided to boycott "every stage and in every form"
3. Muslim league and hindu mahasabha supported
4. Muslim as a gesture of solidarity accepted the principle of joint electorate, provided seats were reserved for the Muslims
5. End result is nehru Report(motilal Nehru) but was not passed in All party convention calcutta -1929 bcos of communalsit (Muslim league, hindu mahasabha, Sikh league)
6. Gandhi felt time not right for struggle so anti-simon commission movement didn't become wider political struggle.
POORNA SWARAJ
1. Lahore session - 1929
2. Nehru succeeded Motilal Nehru as president of congress(foundation stone for hereditary politics--pun intended)
3. 31, Dec, 1929 newly adopted flag hoisted
4. 26, Jan, 1930 was fixed as 1st Independence day
The civil disobedience movement
1. 1930 - Dandi march kick started civil disobedience movement (By Gandhi)
2. 78 chosen followers,375km (Sabarmati to Dandi)
3. Many government officials resigned
4. Followed by violation of forest laws in MH,KR and the central provinces
5. Refusal to pay rural chaukidari tax in eastern India
6. In NW pathans under leadership of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (frontier gandhi) organised the society of Khudai Khidmatgars( servants of God) a.k.a red shirts pledged to non-violence and the freedom struggle
7. 2 platoons of Garhwali soldiers refused to open fire on non-violent mass demonstrators even though they were to face court martial --- showed the penetration of nationalism into Indian army
8. NE
  1. Manipur
  2. Nagaland
    1. Rani Gaidilieu
      1. 13 yrs
      2. Responded to gandhi
      3. Imprisoned in 1932, Released in 1947
9. Govts Reply
  1. Arrested 90,000 Sathyagrahis (Including Gandhi & Congress leaders)
  2. Congress declared illegal
  3. Censorship of News
  4. Violence & Killing
  5. South India most severe repression
10. Meanwhile
  1. 1st RTC
    1. London 1930
    2. To discuss Simon Commission report
    3. INC Boycotted
    4. Abortive
  2. Gandhi-Irwin pact
    1. Irwin + Gandhi Settlement - Mar 1931
    2. Govt
      1. Release Pol Prisoners who were Non-Violent
      2. Commute Bhagat Singh and 2 others death sentence
      3. Rt to make salt
      4. Rt to peaceful picketing of Liquor & Foreign cloth
    3. Cong
      1. Suspend CDM
      2. To take part in 2nd RTC
    4. Result
      1. INC and Gandhi attended 2nd RTC
      2. INC's younger and left wing not happy as many demands not met even though congress met, esp Bhagat Singh death sentence
      3. British and Congress negotiated on equal terms --- so INC coming of age
      4. Struggle(extra legal mass struggle)-truce(political struggle within 4 walls of the law)
  3. 2nd RTC- sep,1931
    1. INC demanded immediate dominion status, which was denied
    2. Meanwhile farmers agitation against govt land revenue policy
    3. On return gandhi resumed CDM
    4. Viceroy Lord Willingdon ordered heavy force and gandhi was arrested, nationalist literature banned and newspaper censored
    5. CDM officially suspended in 1933 and withdrawn in 1934 followed by br realising political prisoners
    6. Result - CDM failed but people won independence in their heart
  4. 3rd RTC - nov,1932
    1. Without congress
    2. GOI 1935 passed - all india federation, provincial autonomy but governor can veto leg, bicameralism(but rulers appointed state reps) , --- federal provision not implemented but provincial implemented
    3. Election in 1937 - Despite opposing congress contested and won 7/11 provinces and coalition in 2 more, only bengal(ML and krishak Parja party) and punjab(Unionist party) had non-congress
11. The congress ministries
  1. Reduced their salaries to Rs.500
  2. Promoted civil liberties
  3. Repealed restrictions on the press
  4. Permitted trade union
  5. Release political prisoners including revolutionary terrorists
  6. Greater attention to Education and public health
  7. Nationalist politics - 1935-1939
12. GROWTH OF SOCIALIST IDEAS
  1. 1920's-1930's
  2. 1929 -US great economic slump
  3. Soviet union was growing
  4. 1st time Nehru in Lucknow congress 1936 urged congress to accept socialism as its goal
  5. The resolution on Fundamental Rights and Economic policy passed in Karachi Session
  6. 1945- Congress working committee recommended abolition of landlordism
  7. 1938- Subhas chandra Bose as president setup national planning committe under the chairmanship of Jawaharlal Nehru
  8. 1934- Congress socialist party under Acharya Narendra dev and Jai prakash Narayan
  9. 1935- P.C.Joshi - Communist party
  10. 1939- Bose re-elected but Gandhi opposed it so Bose resigned and started Forward Bloc
13. THE PEASANTS AND WORKERS MOVEMENTS
  1. 1928 depression dropped agri price by 50% by 1932
  2. Peasant demanded reduction on land revenue
  3. All India Kisan Sabha was formed by Swami Sahajanand Saraswati in1936
14. CONGRESS AND WORLD AFFAIRS
  1. Foreign policy based on anti-imperialism and anti-fascism
  2. JN attended congress of oppressed nationalities on behalf of the national congress in Brussels capital of Belgium
  3. Nehru was elected to the executive council of the league against Imperialism that was born at this congress
  4. Condemned fascism Italy, Germany, Japan
  5. Supported china when japan attacked them by refraining to use japanese goods
  6. 1938- medical mission to china headed by Dr.M.Atal to work with chinese armed forces
  7. Against using Indian army to serve British interest
15. PEOPLE'S STRUGGLE IN THE PRINCLEY STATES
  1. Corrupt and decadent princes - earlier external and internal threat over throw such rulers but now British provided security for internal and external
  2. Gross mismanagement of state affairs- everything was wrong - health, education, slavery, land revenue
  3. British used princes as check for national unity and counter national movement
  4. Princes suppressed CDM in their states and used communalism - Nizam of Hyderabad(anti-Muslims), Maharaja of Kashmir (anti-Hindus),Maharaja of travancore(Christian behind CDM)
  5. All India states people's conference - 1929 to coordinate political activities in states
16. GROWTH OF COMMUINALISM
  1. Restricted franchise and separate electorate made it possible
  2. Muslim league and hindu mahasabha supported communal elements to defeat congress in election
  3. Zamindars and money lenders supported communal parties as congress started many electoral reforms
  4. Two nation theory of ML was also supported by Hindu Mahasabha
  5. Congress doesn't want to appease any communal group as doing so would aggravate other communalist
  6. Finally muslim communalist succeeded in partition
17. National Movement during the second world war
  1. Hitler occupied Austria in 1938, Czechoslovakia in 1939, and invaded Poland in 1939
  2. Br and Fr went for poland's aid and dragged indian into it without consulting congress or elected reps of leg
  3. India already under foreign rule fighting for freedom or another country sounds absurd and congress demanded immediate freedom, which Br refused
  4. Gandhi started limited satyagraha, Vinoba bhave being 1st in 1940 as gandhi supported war against fascism and at the same time he was against imperialism
  5. Japan attacked USA and ran over SEA and reached Burma - - so India want to support Br efforts in turn for substantial power transfer and complete independence after war
  6. Br being desperate for cooperation sent Cripps(cab min & radical left so pro Indian independence) Mission in 1942 but failed so Gandhi through All India Congress Committee launched "QUIT INDIA MOVEMENT" and gave the slogan "DO OR DIE"
  7. Br arrested gandhi and others and made congress illegal once again
  8. Left leaderless movement became violent and bengal and madras became most affected
  9. Parallel Govts
    1. Ballia - UP
    2. Tamluk - midnapore district of Bengal
    3. Satara - Bombay
  10. Govt rxn
    1. Press banned
    2. Machine gunned + Air bombed
    3. Military rule
    4. Punitive fines, torture
    5. Br crushed it like 1857 revolt
  11. Analysis of revolt of 1942
    1. Short lived
    2. Depth of Nationalist feeling - intense
    3. After suppression -No political activity
    4. Leaders In Jail, No new leaders
    5. Peasant, workers, students supported and B'y and upper class loyal to govt
  12. 1943 Bengal Famine
    1. 3 Mn died of starvation
    2. People angry but no expression in political struggleBr could have prevented
  13. Expression outside India
    1. SC Bose (SCB)
      1. USSR
        Escaped from India (1941 Mar) to USSR
        USSR joined Allies
      2. Ger
        So went to Ger
      3. JP
        Japan in 1943 feb
      4. Singapore
        Formed AZAD HIND FAUJ (INA)
        Rash Behari Bose assisted
        General Mohan Singh b4 SCB had taken steps for INA
      5. INA
        Joined by
        Indian residents in SE Asia
        Ind Soldiers & Officers captured by Jp forces in Malaya, Singapore & Burma
        Called SCB Netaji
        Jai Hind - slogan
        Joined Jp Army
        Marched upto Burma
        JP collapse in WW2
        So INA was defeated
        SCB - Airplane crash - way to tokyo
18. Post War struggle
  1. New Phase
    1. Against INA trial
      1. Shah Nawaz Khan + Gurdial Singh Dhillon + Prem Sehgal (INA Officers)
      2. Earlier - Br Ind Army officers
      3. Accusation - Traitors - Broken oath of Loyalty of Br Crown
      4. People called them National heroes
      5. Mass popular demonstrations
      6. Court Martial held them guilty
      7. But Govt set them free
        Why - Read below
    2. Changed attitude of Br Govt Coz
      1. BOP world changed
        (US & USSR ) as Powers
        They supported indian freedom
      2. WW2 Shattered UK s Eco & Mil Pow
        Change in Govt in Br (Labour party replaced Conservatives)
        Br soldiers tired
      3. Patriotism into Indian personnel (Army + Civil) - Coudnt rely - to suppress Nat Mvmt
        Indian Naval rating revolt Bombay 1946
        Royal Indian Air force strike
        Police + Bureaucracy - Nationalist leniency
        Naval Mutiny to release INA prisoners - Abdur rashid notable officer
      4. People Mood
        Need freedom
        Release INA prisioners
        Army shot people in this hartal
      5. Labour unrest
        Postal and telegraph workers
        Railway workers of south India
        Tebhaga struggle Bengal - farmer pay 1/3rd instead of 1/2nd
    3. 1946 - Election - congress won most seats and Ml in reserved seats
      1. 1946- cabinet mission to transfer power with federal autonomy - Both Congress and ML accepted but both interpreted differently
      2. Followed by communal killings - aug,1946
      3. Interim cabinet formed with Nehru as head
      4. 1947- Attlee said 1948 independence
      5. Lord Mount batten worked out compromise and partitioned India and advanced independence
      6. Partition not the way ML wanted(1/3rd India) but those where ML is influential
      7. Partition was bloody so congress accepted it and even Jinnah toned down his communal politics and revised his 2 nation theory by saying muslims in India should be loyal to India. Br also didn't do enough to curb bloody nature of partition
      8. Princely states were allowed to join any dominion but patel ensured most joined India. But nawab of Junagadh(plebiscite),nizam of Hyderabad (police action) and Maharaja of J&K (instrument of accession) held back but later joined
      9. Gandhi was killed in WB on 30 jan 1948 by an arsehole
    4. Br left behind India of
      1. Prejudice
      2. Inequality
      3. Ignorance
      4. Backwardness
    5. Freedom struggle gave
      1. Over throwing of Colonial rule
      2. Vision for free India
      3. Political awakening
      4. Cautious foreign policy
    6. Constitution & egalitarian India
      1. Secular
      2. Democratic
      3. Parliamentary
      4. Federation
      5. Adult franchise
      6. Fr
      7. Dpsp