Summary

● Why Nationalist Upsurge at End of First World War?

Post-War economic hardship.

Nationalist disillusionment with imperialism worldwide. Impact of Russian Revolution.

● Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms

Dyarchy in provinces.

Two lists—reserved and transferred—for administration. Reserved subjects to be administered by governor through executive council and transferred subjects to be administered by ministers from legislative council.

Extensive powers to governor, governor-general and secretary of state for interference.

Franchise expanded, powers also extended.

Governor-general to administer with an executive council of 8— three to be Indians.

Two lists for administration—central and provincial. Bicameral central legislature—Central Legislative Assembly as the lower house and Council of States as the upper house.

Drawbacks

Dyarchy arrangement too complex and irrational to be functional. Central executive not responsible to legislature.

Limited franchise.

● Sense of Betrayal by the British specially after Rowlatt Act British promises of reward after war failed to materialise. Nationalists disappointed.

● Gandhi’s Activism in South Africa (1893-1914)

Set up Natal Indian Congress and started Indian Opinion.

Satyagraha against registration certificates. Campaign against restrictions on Indian migration.

Campaign against poll tax and invalidation of Indian marriages. Gandhi’s faith in capacity of masses to fight established; he was able to evolve his own style of leadership and politics and techniques of struggle.

● Gandhi’s Early Activism in India

Champaran Satyagraha (1917)—First Civil Disobedience. Ahmedabad Mill Strike (1918)—First Hunger Strike.

Kheda Satyagraha (1918)—First Non-Cooperation. Rowlatt Satyagraha (1918)—First mass-strike.

Jallianwalla Bagh Massacre and the Inquiry Committee

Chapter 16

Non-Cooperation Movement and Khilafat Aandolan

During 1919-22, the British were opposed through two mass movements—the Khilafat and Non-Cooperation. Though the two movements emerged from separate issues, they adopted a common programme of action—that of non-violent non- cooperation. The Khilafat issue was not directly linked to Indian politics but it provided the immediate background to the movement and gave an added advantage of cementing Hindu-Muslim unity against the British.