The first national movement began with the sepoy mutiny in 1857. The Indian nobility attempted to regain power. They tried to resurrect a dead past and failed. It occurred only in the north India and affected the Bengal army. They were supported by the upper class unlike the Madras army mutiny in 1834, which received no support. One of the irritants, which led to the middle class being estranged from the British government, was an excise tax of 5% on Indian cotton goods in 1895. The government wanted to promote Lancashire goods. This was seen as discriminatory the government favoring foreign goods while injuring the nascent Indian industry. The expense of constructing railways was also seen as draining the country without adequate recompense to India. In December 1885, a group of Indians came together in Bombay and established the Indian national congress. By 1900, it had spread all over India. Support came mainly from new professionals with a sprinkling of businessmen in Bombay and landlords in Bengal. This political consciousness went through three phases:
1. Moderate phase: Petitions were sent to the British to increase the number of Indians in the legislative assembly. This ignited the debates. Because the British were not willing to give concessions, the extremist group grew. By 1900, the congress had grown into a position of constitutional opposition. The major leaders were Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Bal Gangadhar Tilak. They were alike in ability and devotion to the country. They demanded and opposed. They were supported by the people. The two men in fact stood for different tendencies. Tilak made it a mass movement. He organized the public Ganesh festival and Shivaji mela. These were the times when leaders used to address the people.
2. The second phase: In 1905, Lord Curzon partitioned Bengal. Bengal was so large for administration that Lord Curzon portioned it in 1905 making it into two religious community areas. In the east, Bengal Muslims were in majority whereas in the west Bengal Hindus conglomerated. The people took to the streets to reverse the partition. They said that anything the British provided should be burnt. Thus were attacked British goods-shops. The Swadeshi (local) movement began and with it was revived the Indian industries. First, the people reacted and then the leaders took up the cause. In 1907 there was faction in the Congress. However, in 1916 both the splinter groups reunited.
3. The Third Phase: Bhagat Singh demanded freedom and in 1920 he attacked British institutions. Hartals, boycotts and gheraos became tactics in political warfare. The rule of thumb-violence must be met by violence became common. Some secret societies were established to send the British away from India. The Chafekar brothers attacked British convoys. In 1911 the Hindu Mahasabha RSS (Rashtriya Swayam Sevak) was established in Nagpur. After World War 1 in 1919, British took control over the industries. People did not accept this. After the Jallianwala bagh atrocity on 13 April 1919 Gandhi came at the helm of the affair with Styagraha. He chose non-violence. Non-violence would give India moral superiority. The resistance to non-violence would put the pressure on these who were practicing violence. The Ali brothers started a Khilafat movement in support of Turkey and linked with Gandhi in noncooperation.
Gandhi’s three major movements:
- Non-cooperation movement: Is the first stage of non-violence. Gandhi launched a non-cooperation movement with the British government. This included resignation of the Indian baboos from the government offices, withdrawal from government schools and colleges and boycott of the forth-coming elections to the councils.
- In 1930 Civil Disobedience movement. Deliberate breaking of laws, laws that were anti Indian like breaking of salt act-dandi march.
- Quit India movement in 1940. Gandhi started quit India movement. Because of these movements in 1947, India got independence.
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