Mahatma Gandhi and the Nationalist Movement 2 marks How did Mahatma Gandhi announce his arrival after

his return from Africa? Mahatma Gandhi returned to India in 1915, after 20 years from South Africa. After returning from South Africa, he gave a speech in BHU in February 1916 and announced his arrival by voicing his opinion for the peasants and the workers. Henceforth, he led many movements in India. What was the first campaign Mahatma Gandhi was involved in? At the annual Congress, held in Lucknow in December 1916,Mahatma Gandhi was approached by a peasant who was from Champaran and he told Mahatma Gandhi about the harsh treatment the peasants received by the British. In 1917, Mahatma Gandhi organized a Satyagraha in Champaran (Bihar) seeking the security of tenure as well as the freedom to grow crops as per their wish. What was Gandhi-Irwin Pact? In January 1931, Mahatma Gandhi was released from jail. After that he had long meetings with the viceroy, so called as Gandhi-Irwin pact. It was decided to call off Civil Disobedience Movement, all prisoners who were put in jail without trial to be released and to allow salt manufacturing along the coasts. Describe the campaigns launched by Gandhiji in his home state. Gandhiji was involved in two campaigns in his home state of Gujarat. Firstly, he participated in the Ahmedabad textile mill strike of Feb-March 1918, demanding better working conditions for the textile mill workers. Secondly, he joined the peasants in Kheda Satyagraha who demanded the remission of taxes from the state following the failure of their harvest. It was in Kheda that Mahatma Gandhi initiated the first Satyagraha revolution. What was the intensity of the protests against Rowlatt Act in Punjab? The protests against the Rowlatt Act were vast and strong in Punjab. The protest grew progressively intense reaching a climax in Amritsar in April 1919 when a British brigadier ordered his troops to open fire on a nationalist meeting. This meeting was absolutely peaceful and was also attended by women and children. The firing lasted for 10 minutes and hundreds of people were killed in what is known as the Jallianwalla Bagh Massacre. Why did Mahatma Gandhi oppose separate electorates for the depressed classes? Mahatma Gandhi was of the view that separate electorates for the depressed classes will ensure them bondage in perpetuity. It would continue the stigma attached with the untouchables. He feared that it would divide Hindu society further perpetuating their inferiority and free the Hindus of its moral responsibility to fight against the practice of untouchability. What was Mahatma Gandhis view regarding modern machines? Mahatma Gandhi was profoundly critical of the modern age in which machines enslaved humans and displaced labour. He objected to these labour saving machines which would throw thousands of men on the open streets to die of starvation. He saw charkha as a symbol of a human society that would not glorify machines and technology and would provide the poor with supplementary income, making them selfreliant.

What was the aim of the Cabinet Mission? The Cabinet Mission arrived in Delhi in 1946. The Mission's task was to try to bring the leaders of the major Indian political parties to agree on two matters: The method of framing a constitution for a self-governing, independent India. The setting up of an interim government that would hold office while the constitution was being framed. What was Direct Action Day? Direct Action Day on 16 August 1946 was a day to protest and voice the Muslim demand for Pakistan. This was planned as a peaceful day of civil disobedience. However, bloody riots broke out in Calcutta. Violence spread to rural Bengal, then to Bihar and then across the country to the United Provinces and Punjab. Both Hindus and Muslims suffered in these riots. 5 marks Write a note on the Round Table conferences and their outcomes. The Round Table conferences were held to pacify the ever-increasing discontent amongst the Indian people and to discuss certain major matter of concerns. The first Round Table conference was held in London in November 1930 but it ended without any fruitful decision due to the absence of major Indian nationalist leaders. A Second Round Table Conference was held in London in the latter part of 1931. Gandhiji represented the Congress and claimed that his party represented all of India. Three parties, the Muslim League, the Princes, and the lawyer thinker B.R. Ambedkar opposed that claim. The Conference in London was inconclusive, so Gandhi returned to India and resumed civil disobedience. What were the major developments in the year 1945 - 1947? In 1945, the Labour government came to power in Britain. It was committed for Indian independence. In India the Viceroy Lord Wavell, negotiated with the Congress and the Muslim League. Early in 1946, the provincial legislature elections were held in which the Congress won the General and League won reserved constituencies. A Cabinet Mission sent in the summer of 1946, failed to make consensus between Congress and League. Jinnah called for a Direct Action Day to force the Leagues demand for Pakistan on 16 August 1946 leading to bloody riots in many parts of India. In February 1947, Lord Mountbatten appointed as Viceroy; he too held inconclusive talks and the day of independence was decided with partition that was 15 August. Write a short note on the early political activities in which Gandhi was involved? After his return to India, Gandhiji was involved in numerous local struggles such as at Champaran in Bihar, where workers on indigo plantations complained of oppressive working conditions, and at Ahmedabad, where a dispute had broken out between management and workers at textile mills. He also joined peasants in Kheda in asking the state for the remission of taxes following the failure of harvest. His initiatives in Champaran, Ahmedabad and Kheda earned Gandhi a considerable reputation .His campaign against Rowlatt Act, his concepts of Satyagraha and non-violence paved the way for him to become a national leader. Which incident led Gandhiji to come to the forefront of the political movement against the British?

During the Great War of 1914-18 the British had instituted censorship of the press and permitted detention without trial. In response, Gandhiji designed a campaign which came to be known as the Rowlatt Satyagraha. It was the first experiment with the non-violent resistance on a national scale. The Satyagraha spread throughout India, gaining millions of followers. In towns across North and West India, life came to a standstill, as shops shut down and schools closed in response to the bandh call. The leadership of Mahatma Gandhi helped introduce to India and the world a completely new set of weapons to fight foreign rule, namely mass participation in peaceful political action against colonialism. Thus, it was the Rowlatt Satyagraha that made Gandhiji a truly national leader. Encouraged by its success, Gandhiji called for a campaign of noncooperation with the British rule. Mention the ways in which nationalism spread in various parts of India after 1921? Nationalism spread in the form of Non-cooperation movement, Civil Disobedience movement, Quit India movement and other regional movements and rose to popularity amongst the Indians. New branches of the Congress were set up in various parts of India. Gandhiji encouraged the communication of the nationalist message in the mother tongue, rather than in the language of the rulers that was English. A series of Praja Mandals were established to promote the nationalist belief in the princely states. In these different ways nationalism spread to the farthest corners of the country and was embraced by social groups previously untouched by it. Prosperous businessmen and industrialist were quick to recognize that in free India the favours enjoyed by their British competitors would come to an end. So they wasted no time and joined the Congress as the Indian entrepreneurs. Apart from his political contribution did Gandhi contribute in any ways in social evolution of the society? Gandhiji was as much a social reformer as much he was a politician. He not only fought the authorities for the rights of the weak but also worked very hard to educate the weak regarding their own responsibilities. He led nationwide campaigns to ease poverty, expand women's rights, build religious and ethnic amity and end untouchability. He aimed to achieve Swaraj or the independence of India from foreign domination. Meanwhile, on the economic front Indians had to learn to become selfreliant, hence he stressed on the significance of wearing Khadi rather than mill-made cloth imported from overseas. Write a short note on the Quit India Movement. After the failure of the Cripps Mission, Quit India movement was launched in August 1942, by Mahatma Gandhi as his third major movement against the British rule. Do or Die was the mantra which Gandhiji gave to the people of India. The main purpose behind this movement was to initiate series of non-violent methodology leading up to the much awaited independence. Before Congress could pass the movement the government declared it illegal and Gandhiji along with other important leaders were jailed at once. The younger activists took the onus and organized strikes and acts of sabotage all over the country. Particularly active in the underground resistance were socialist members of the Congress, such as Jayaprakash Narayana. Independent governments were proclaimed in several districts, such as Satara in the West and Midnapur in the east. Quit India was genuinely a mass movement, bringing into its

ambit hundreds of thousands of ordinary Indians. It especially energized the youth who, in very large numbers, left their colleges to go to jail. Write a short note on the activities of the Muslim league in the 1940s. Under the leadership of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Muslim League had gained so much of power that, for the first time, in March 1940, the Muslim League demanded the creation of a Muslim state called Pakistan. The political scenario was now complicated as it had become a three-way struggle between the Congress, the Muslim League, and the British. During World War II the Congress was banned, most of its leaders were in jail, but the League, which supported the British war effort, was allowed to function and gained strength. It won nearly entire Muslim vote in the elections of 1946. Gandhiji did meetings with Jinnah, seeking to bridge the gap between the Congress and the League but failed. The year 1947 saw the division of the Indian subcontinent and Muslim League became the major political party of newly formed Pakistan. Write a short note on the activities that Gandhi participated in on the 15th August 1947. Mahatma Gandhi refused to take part in the Independence Day celebrations in Delhi on 15 August 1947. He was in Calcutta giving the healing touch to the society that was torn by Hindu-Muslim riots. He did not attend any function or hoist a flag in Calcutta either. The freedom he had struggled so long for had come at an unacceptable price, with a nation divided. Gandhiji marked the day with a 24-hour fast. His fast to establish communal peace and its influence on local population was termed as a miracle by many. Gandhiji went round hospitals and refugee camps giving consolation to distressed people. He appealed to the Sikhs and the Hindus to guard the Muslims in Calcutta and to extend the true hand of fellowship to each other. What are our major source of information on events of Gandhijis life and his association with Indian politics? One important source is the writings and speeches of Mahatma Gandhi and his contemporaries, including both his associates and his political adversaries. Speeches, allow us to hear the public voice of an individual, while private letters give us a glimpse of his or her private thoughts. Mahatma Gandhi regularly published his views in his journal, Harijan; the letters that others wrote to him. His biography My Experiments with Truth gives us information about the life of Gandhiji. Nehru edited a collection of letters written to Gandhi during the national movement and published A Bunch of Old Letters. What was the difference in the India that Gandhi left in 1893 and the India Gandhi returned to? The India that Mahatma Gandhi came back to in 1915 was different from the one that he had left in 1893. Although still a colony of the British, it was far more active in the political sense. The Indian National Congress now had branches in most major cities and towns. Through the Swadeshi movement of 1905-07 it had greatly broadened its appeal among the middle classes. That movement had thrown up some towering leaders among them Bal Gangadhar Tilak of Maharashtra, Bipin Chandra Pal of Bengal, and Lala Lajpat Rai of Punjab, known as Lal, Bal, Pal. While these leaders advocated militant apposition to colonial rule. There was a group of Moderates who preferred a more gradual and persuasive approach. Among these Moderates was Gopal Krishna Gokhale, as well as Mohammad Ali Jinnah. Write a short note on Rowlatt Act.

The Rowlatt Act was a law passed by the British Raj in India in March 1919, in order to control public unrest and root out conspiracy. This act authorized the government to imprison, without trial, any person suspected of terrorism. The Act led to resentment from Indian leaders and the public. On April 6th, a "hartal" was organized by Gandhi where Indians would go on fast. The tension in Delhi resulted in rioting in Punjab and other provinces. Gandhi saw that Indians were not yet ready and suspended the hartal. The Rowlatt Act came into effect in March 1919. Write a short note on Quit India Movement. In August 1942, Gandhiji started the Quit India Movement and decided to launch a mass Civil disobedience movement. The movement was followed, by large-scale violence directed at railway stations, telegraph offices, government buildings and there were widespread acts of sabotage. However, all the prominent leaders were arrested, the Congress was banned and the police and army were brought out to suppress the movement. The historian Chandran Devanesan has remarked that South Africa was the making of the Mahatma. Explain. Historian Chandran Devanesan has rightly remarked that South Africa was the making of the Mahatma for three reasons. It was in South Africa that: Mahatma Gandhi adopted his methodology of Satyagraha (devotion to the truth) or non-violent protest for the first time. He encouraged harmony between religions. Gandhiji alerted upper caste Indians for their discriminatory treatment towards low castes and women. Non Cooperation was a form of Protest. Evaluate this statement. Gandhiji was one of the greatest personalities of the world. His main principles were Truth and Non Violence. Gandhiji decided to start non-cooperation as a unique form of protest freedom struggle against the British rule. He hoped that by coupling noncooperation with Khilafat, Hindu and Muslims could collectively end colonial rule. During NCM (Non Cooperation Movement) Students stopped going to school and colleges run by the British Government. Lawyers refused to attend the court. The working class went on strike in many towns and cities. The countryside was seething with discontent. Hill tribe in Northern Andhra violated by the forest laws. Farmers in Awadh did not pay taxes. These protest movements were sometime carried out in defence of the local nationalist leadership. By the Analysis of the above-mentioned facts, it can be said that undoubtedly this was the first freedom struggle movement, in which most of Indian castes and communities participated to protest British rule. 8 marks When and where did the Salt March take place? What was the main objective and outcome of the Salt March? The salt march took place from Sabarmati in Gujarat to the seashore. It started on 12 March 1930 and ended in three weeks time. The state monopoly on the manufacture and sale of salt caused immense hardship to the common people. They had to pay high prices to buy an indispensable commodity of an Indian household. So, Salt March was started by Gandhiji with the objective to end

the state monopoly. However, basic motto of Gandhiji was to join common masses with national struggle by raising a common issue. The Salt March was notable for at least three reasons. This event brought Mahatma Gandhi to world attention first. The march was widely covered by the European and American press. It was the first nationalist activity in which women participated in large numbers. The socialist activist Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay had persuaded Gandhiji not to restrict the protests to men alone. Kamaladevi was herself one of numerous women who courted arrests by breaking the salt or liquor laws. It was Salt March which forced upon the British the realization that their Raj would not last forever, and that they would have to assign some power to the Indians. To discus the same the British tried to hold the round table conference in London to get to some kind of resolution. How was Gandhi a more mass oriented nationalist leader than any other nationalist leader before him? Gandhi was a more mass oriented nationalist leader from the beginning of his political career. It was evident in his speech at the opening of the Benaras Hindu University, where he reminded the people that the peasants and workers were a majority of the Indian population who remained unrepresented in the national movement. It was thus Gandhijis desire to make Indian nationalism representative of the Indian people. Through the non-cooperation movement, Gandhiji started to work for his aim, which is evident by the huge involvement of peasants and working class in the movement. The people appreciated the fact that he dressed like them, lived like them, and spoke their language. Unlike other leaders, he did not stand apart from the common folk, but empathized and even identified with them. This was strikingly reflected in his dress: while other nationalist leaders dressed formally, wearing a Western suit or an Indian bandgala, Gandhiji went among the people in a simple dhoti or loincloth. Meanwhile, he spent part of each day working on the Charkha (spinning wheel), and encouraged other nationalists to do likewise. The act of spinning allowed Gandhiji to break the boundaries that prevailed within the traditional caste system, between mental labour and manual labour. Gandhijis appeal among the poor, and peasants in particular, was enhanced by his ascetic lifestyle, and by his shrewd use of symbols such as the dhoti and the charkha. Gandhiji appeared not just to look like them, but also to understand them and relate to their lives and work for them and the nation together. Critically analyse whether breaking the salt law was one of most effective ways in which Gandhi could mobilize the masses again after the Non-cooperation movement. Mahatma Gandhi announced that he would launch a protest to break one of the most widely disliked laws the salt law in the colonial India. Since salt was an indispensable item in every Indians house, the people did not like the law that had forbidden them from making salt even for domestic use, compelling them to buy it from shops at a high price. The monopoly of the British over salt was deeply unpopular among the people. As such by taking up the protest; he wanted to mobilize the majority of the people against the British. As with Non-cooperation, numerous other streams of protest were initiated. Across large parts of India, peasants breached the hated colonial forest laws that kept them and

their cattle out of the woods in which they had once roamed freely. In some towns, factory workers went on strike while lawyers boycotted British courts and students refused to attend government run educational institutions. As in 1920-22, now too Gandhiji call had encouraged Indians of all classes to manifest their own discontent with colonial rule. The police spies reported that all men and women and all castes attended the meetings of Gandhiji. They observed that thousands of volunteers were flocking to the national cause. The massive public following that, the march had gathered made the British rulers desperately anxious. The rulers responded by detaining the dissenters. In the wake of the Salt March in 1930, nearly 60,000 Indians were arrested among them, of course, Gandhiji himself. Gandhiji reinitiated the fervour of opposition against the British which had come to a standstill due to the call off of the non cooperation movement in 1922. What were the major events between 1935 and 1945? The Civil disobedience movement mobilized the Indian masses and led to a chain of events. With this movement the British realised the need to pacify the Indians. Major events between 1935 and 1945 were: The year 1935, saw the coming of the Government of India Act 1935, which promised some form of representative government. This act introduced regional autonomy, which gave additional momentum to the growth of local institution. In 1937, for the first time, elections were held on restricted franchise and Congress party held a majority in the legislature. It won the election in eight out of 11 provinces. In 1939, World War-II broke out and the Indian leaders agreed to support the British as long as they promised to grant Indian independence after the war. The offer was refused and in October 1939, Congress ministries resigned. In protest a series of Satyagraha were organised by the Congress to pressurize the British to promise the freedom once the war ended. In March 1940, Muslim League passed a resolution demanding and planning to create a separate nation for Muslims. It led to Muslim-Hindu rift. In 1942 worried on the continuous spread of nationalist movement Prime Minister of England, Winston Churchill sent Sir Stafford Cripps to Indian to try to reach to a compromise with Gandhi and the congress. The Cripps Mission failed as no agreement to grant independence to India could be made. In August 1942, Quit India Movement was launched and all the major leaders were arrested at once. Acts of sabotage and strikes were organised by young activists. Younger activists all over the country. In 1944, Gandhi was released and he tried to bring the Muslim league and Congress together but was not successful. In 1945, the British government committed itself to grant independence to India. What were major political events from 1928-1930 in India? In 1927 the Simon commission was introduced in India. It denied any representation to the Indians and made them unhappy. In 1928, there was an all-India campaign in opposition to the all-White Simon Commission, sent from England to enquire into conditions in the colony. In the end of December 1929, the Congress held its annual session in the city of Lahore. The meeting was significant for two things: the election of Jawaharlal Nehru as President, signifying the passing of the leadership of Congress to the younger generation; and the proclamation of commitment to Purna Swaraj or complete independence.

 On 26 January 1930, Independence Day was observed, with the national flag being hoisted at different venues. Soon after the observance of this Independence Day, the state monopoly over salt which was deeply unpopular was made a target. Gandhiji hoped to mobilize a wider level of discontent against British rule. Gandhiji had given advance notice of his Salt March to the Viceroy Lord Irwin, who failed to grasp the significance of the action. On 12 March 1930, Gandhi began his walk from his ashram at Sabarmati towards the ocean. He reached his destination and made a hand full of salt and thereby breaking the law. In the wake of the Salt March, nearly 60,000 Indians including Gandhiji were imprisoned. As a need to end the chaos in India, the British government convened a series of Round Table Conference in London. The first meeting was held in November 1930, but without eminent Congress and other political leaders of India, thus rendering it an exercise in futility. State major contribution of Gandhiji in the spread of national movement. The major contributions of Gandhiji in the spread of the National movement, since his return to India were: He turned the attention of the national leader and supporters of the national movement to the fact that the nationalist movement was a representative of the Indian people. Gandhiji gave a new turn to the nationalist movement and made it a more people based movement. As he knew that only common masses could really fight for nation and send British back to their homeland. Gandhiji worked to bring about a joint struggle of both Hindu ad Muslims so as they could together fight against British oppression which he initiated when he brought together the Khilafat Movement with the Non Cooperation movement. Another contribution of Gandhiji was to introduce the unique way of protest that was Satyagraha and non cooperation. Gandhiji was aware that the only way to beat the British was through Satyagraha as any use of physical force might not be able to stand the repression of the British. The Satyagraha demonstrated to the world the almost flawless use of a new instrument of peaceful militancy. Along with political contribution, Gandhiji also took steps to remove caste inequalities, such as abolition of untouchability. He introduced programmes within the Congress to promote Indian traditional self-reliance such as charkha and use of Khadi. These activities promoted the age old Indian methods of economic uplifment. Gandhiji took up issues for his political movement, which were very close to the necessity of general masses. Non-cooperation was negative enough to be peaceful but positive enough to be effective. It entailed renunciation and self discipline. It was training for self rule." What were the positive aspects of the Non cooperation movement? The positive aspects of the Non cooperation movement were The Hindu and Muslim joined hands in an effort to work against the British misrule. This movement for the first time involved all levels of people. Students stopped going to schools and colleges run by the government. Lawyers refused to attend court. The working class went on strike in many towns and cities. According to official figures, there were 396 strikes in 1921, involving 600,000 workers and a loss of seven million workdays.

 The countryside was seething with discontent too. Hill tribes in northern Andhra violated the forest laws. Farmers in Awadh did not pay taxes. Peasants in Kumaun refused to carry loads for colonial officials. It was no longer a movement of professionals and intellectuals; now, hundreds of thousands of peasants, workers and artisans also participated in it. Who led the movement and what was its plan of action? The Non cooperation movement was led by Mahatma Gandhi .Gandhiji called for a campaign of "Non-cooperation with British rule. Indians who wished colonialism to end were asked to stop attending schools, colleges and law courts, and not pay taxes. They were asked to adhere to a boycott of all voluntary association with the British Government. What led to its culmination? In February 1922, a group of peasants attacked and torched a police station in the hamlet of Chauri Chaura, in the United Provinces killing many police men. This act of violence led Gandhiji to call off the movement altogether, as he was against any use of violence during the movement against the British.

Why was salt the symbol of protest? This is what Mahatma Gandhi wrote: The volume of information being gained daily shows how wickedly the salt tax has been designed. In order to prevent the use of salt that has not paid the tax which is at times even fourteen times its value national property is destroyed at national expense and salt taken out of the mouths of the people. The salt monopoly is thus a fourfold curse nature produces in abundance, the destruction itself means more national expenditure, and fourthly, to crown this folly, an unheard-of tax of more than 1,000 per cent is exacted from a starving people Why was salt monopoly considered as a fourfold curse? The salt monopoly was a fourfold curse due to following reasons: People were deprived of a valuable village industry. It involved reckless destruction of property produced by nature in large quantity. The destruction itself meant more expenditure on national level and Fourthly, an unheard-of tax of more than 1,000 percent was exacted from the starving people. What was the motive behind the Dandi March? The motive behind the Dandi March was to break one of the most widely disliked laws in British India, which gave the state a monopoly in the manufacture and sale of salt. Why Salt March was considered outstanding? Salt March brought Gandhi to world attention. It was the first national activity where women participation was in large number. Moreover, it was the Salt March, which forced upon the British the realisation that their Raj would not last forever and that they would have to transfer some power to the Indians.

Local newspapers in the United Provinces recorded many of the rumours that circulated at that time. There were rumours that every person who wanted to test the power of the Mahatma had been surprised: Sikandar Sahu from a village in Basti said on 15 February that he would believe in the Mahatmaji when the karah (boiling pan) full of sugar cane juice in his karkhana (where gur was produced) split into two. Immediately the karah actually split into two from the middle. What rumours were related to the miraculous powers of Gandhiji? There were rumours about Mahatma Gandhi that He was sent by the King of Britain to redress the grievances of the peasants. He had superior powers than local officials. He had powers equal to that of the English Monarch. People who opposed Gandhiji faced dire consequences and their stories became prevalent among the masses. How was Gandhiji viewed by the peasants? Peasants looked upon Gandhiji as a saviour who would protect them from high taxes and oppressive British officials. What was the reason behind Gandhijis mass appeal? Gandhijis ascetic way of living was the main reason of his mass appeal. He used to spin charkha; this helped him to break the caste barriers of the Indian society.

In response to Mahatma Gandhis opposition to the demand for separate electorates for the Depressed Classes, Ambedkar wrote: Here is a class which is undoubtedly not in a position to sustain itself in the struggle for existence. The religion, to which they are tied, instead of providing them an honourable place, Economically, it is a class entirely In these circumstances, it would be granted by all fair-minded persons that as the only path for a community, some share of political power in order that it may protect itself is a paramount necessity What do we mean by the term separate electorate? When was the demand for separate electorates for untouchables raised? It is a system of election to legislatures, which divides voters along the lines of their religion or ethnicity. It is designed to ensure that each religious or ethnic group can elect their own representatives. The demand for separate electorate for untouchables was raised in the round table conferences in 1930-32 by B.R. Ambedkar. Who opposed it and Why? The demand for separate electorates was strongly opposed by Mahatma Gandhi on the grounds that the move would disintegrate Hindu society. If the Dalits were given a separate electorate, it would alienate them from rest of the Hindus. Why did Ambedkar demand separate electorate for the untouchables? Ambedkar put forward various reasons for the demand of separate electorates for the Dalits such as:

 They were tied to a religion, which instead of providing them an honourable place in the society treated them as untouchables. They were entirely dependent on the high caste Hindus for their daily necessities. 10 marks What are the available sources of information on Gandhiji? State the limitations of those sources. There are different sources through which we can reconstruct the political and personal information about Gandhiji. Some of the significant sources are mentioned below: Contemporary literature: - Contemporary literature tells a lot about the personality and the political career of Mahatma Gandhi. There are many well researched books on Gandhiji by renowned scholars who have read the writings and speeches of Mahatma Gandhi and his contemporaries, including both his associates and his political adversaries. Such scholars publish books after archival research, and within the writings they distinguish between those facts that were meant for the public and those that were not. Many letters are written to individuals, and are therefore personal, but they are also meant for the public. The language of the letters is often shaped by the awareness that they may one day be published. Therefore, contemporary literature divulges a lot of facts about the life of Gandhiji. We must keep in mind that an author bases his writing on evidence and the availability of evidence could have easily affected the authors work. Gandhis Autobiography: Autobiographies give us an account of the past that is often rich in human detail. But here again we have to be careful of the way we read and interpret autobiographies. Writing an autobiography is a way of framing a picture about oneself. So in reading these accounts we have to try and see what the author does not tell us; we need to understand the reasons for that silence those wilful or unwitting acts of forgetting by the author. The personal reasons why he chooses to omit some facts and publish the others. In other words, a neutral view from the point of view of a scholar trying to read an autobiography needs to be the approach for a reader. Government records: Police diaries - Another vital source is government records, for the colonial rulers kept close tabs on those they regarded as critical of the government. The letters and reports written by policemen and other secret service officials were hidden at the time; but now can be accessed in archives. These records can easily inform one about the attitude of the government with regard to Mahatma Gandhi. Newspapers and Journals: A vital Source - One of the most important sources is contemporary newspaper, published in English as well as in the different Indian languages, which tracked Mahatma Gandhis movements and reported on his activities, and also represented what ordinary Indians thought of him. Newspaper accounts, however, should not be seen as unprejudiced. People who had their own political opinions and worldviews published them. These ideas shaped what was published and the way events were reported. There were many journals too that published facts about Gandhiji. Gandhiji regularly published in his journal Harijan, his own point of view on the state of affairs in the India. However, those were his personal views shaped on his understanding of the society and should be looked at from the historical perspective.

Write a note on Non- Cooperation Movement. Describe the results of sudden suspension of the Movement. The First mass movement launched under Mahatma Gandhi in 1920 had three demands to be redress. They were as follows: a) the Khilafat issue, b) the redressal of Punjab wrongs (Jallianwalla Bagh Massacre, c) the attainment of Swaraj. The whole nation was struck by the Jallianwalla Massacre what affected the feelings of Indian was not the massacre but the eyewash done by the British government. There was a popular discontentment growing among the people and it was more intensified when the Britishers also hurt Muslims feelings. Gandhi looked it as an opportune time to launch a mass movement as everybody was affected by the British cruel policy. Gandhiji met the two leaders of the Muslim community to begin a common struggle against the imperial rule. Programme of the Movement: Destructive programme: Surrender of titles and honorary offices, resignations from the nominated seats of the local bodies, refusal to attend any official and non official functions, gradual withdrawal of children from govt. school and colleges, boycott of British courts by lawyers and litigants, boycott of legislatures and of foreign goods. Constructive programme: Setting up of arbitration board to take the place of courts, founding of national school and colleges, promotion of Swadeshi, popularization of charkha and khadi, collection of one crore rupees for Tilak Swaraj fund, to introduce 20lakh charkhas into Indian household. In February 1922, a group of peasants attacked and torched a police station in the hamlet of Chauri Chaura, in the United Provinces (now, Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal). Several constables perished in the conflagration. This act of violence prompted Gandhiji to call off the movement altogether. No provocation, he insisted, can possibly justify (the) brutal murder of men who had been rendered defence less and who had virtually thrown themselves on the mercy of the mob. Significance of the Movement: It was the real mass movement with the participation of different sections of Indian society such as peasants, workers, students, teachers and women. It witnessed the spread of nationalism to the remote corners of India. It also marked the height of Hindu-Muslim unity as a result of the merger of Khilafat movement. It demonstrated the willingness and ability of the masses to endure hardships and make sacrifices. Results of the Suspension of the Movement: The sudden suspension of the Non-Cooperation movement also led to the demise of the Khilafat issue and break down of the precariously balanced Hindu-Muslim harmony. Shortly after the movement was called off communalism became rampant all over the country and serious riots broke out. In Kerala, an anti-Zamindar bloodletting was witnessed when Muslim Moplah peasants turned against Hindu landlords and moneylenders. The communal situation became far worse than it had been ever before during the years 1921-27.

Explain the main features of the Non-Cooperation Movement launched by Mahatma Gandhi? Mention the Movements growth and reasons for its withdrawal? The non co-operation movement aimed at bringing the government to a standstill, by withdrawing every support to administration. The Non-cooperation Movement was launched by Gandhiji. Its aims were the attainment of Swaraj, protest against the Jallianwalla Bagh massacre and redressal of the grievances of the Muslims. At the Congress session at Nagpur in December 1920, the Non Cooperation programme was adopted. Emphasis was laid on khadi instead of British-made textiles. The Non-cooperation Movement included within its ambit the surrender of titles and honours, boycott of government affiliated schools and colleges, legislatures, law courts and foreign cloth. In UP and Bengal thousands of peasants were aroused. In Punjab it led to the Akali movement and in Malabar the moplahs or Muslim peasants created a powerful anti-zamindar movement. In spite of its apparent failure, it ushered in a new era in the political life of the country. The national struggle, hitherto an arena for educated politicians now became an All India Movement. It used methods like Satyagraha and Non-violence which were hitherto unparalleled in the annals of history. The movement cut across lines of religion and caste and bound the whole nation in a common bond with a common goal-Swaraj. The people lost their fear of the British rule and gained tremendous confidence. It was no longer a movement of professionals and intellectuals; now thousands of peasants, workers and artisans also participated in it. Spread of the Movement: The Non-Cooperation movement evoked an unprecedented response throughout the country, particularly in western India, Bengal and North India.The Movement started on a poignant note, with Bal Gangadhar Tilak passing away in Bombay on the day the movement was launched. Bonfires of foreign cloth were made in various parts of the country. During this struggle, the principal weapon used against the Government was boycott of the legislatures, law courts and educational institutions, and importantly Jamia Millia Islamia and the Kashi Vidyapith were founded to provide educational lines. The Colonial rule declared the Congress and Khilafat Volunteer organizations illegal. Nearly 30,000 persons courted arrest within a year of the launching of the movement. After the annual session of the INC at Ahmedabad in December 1921, Gandhi sent a written ultimatum to the Viceroy threatening Mass Civil Obedience if the Viceroy did not decide to reverse the Governments repressive policies within seven days. Reasons for the Withdrawal of the Movement: At Chauri Chaura, a small town in Gorakhpur district, U.P, twenty-two policemen were killed after they had fired on a political procession.The Chauri Chaura incident convinced Mahatma Gandhi that the country was not yet ready for the mass civil disobedience. He prevailed upon the Congress Working Committee which met at Bardoli on February 12, 1922, to call off the movement. How did the Quit India Movement spread and what were its effects? State the events that took place after it, leading to the transfer of power.

Mahatma Gandhi decided to launch his third major movement against British rule after the failure of the Cripps Mission. This was the Quit India campaign, which began in August 1942. Although Gandhiji was jailed at once, younger activists organised strikes and acts of sabotage all over the country. Particularly active in the underground resistance were socialist members of the Congress, such as Jayaprakash Narayan. In several districts, such as Satara in the west and Medinipur in the east, independent governments were proclaimed. The British responded with much force, yet it took more than a year to suppress the rebellion. Quit India was genuinely a mass movement, bringing into its ambit hundreds of thousands of ordinary Indians. It especially motivated the youth who, left their colleges to go to jail. However, while the Congress leaders suffered in jail, Jinnah and his colleagues in the Muslim League worked patiently at expanding their influence. It was in these years that the League began to make a mark in the Punjab and Sind, provinces where it had previously had scarcely any presence. In June 1944, with the end of the war in sight, Gandhiji was released from prison. Later that year, he held a series of meetings with Jinnah, seeking to bridge the gap between the Congress and the League. In 1945, a Labour government came to power in Britain and committed itself to granting independence to India. Meanwhile, back in India, the Viceroy, Lord Wavell, brought the Congress and the League together for a series of talks. Early in 1946 fresh elections were held to the provincial legislatures. The Congress swept the General category, but in the seats specifically reserved for Muslims the League won an overwhelming majority. The political polarization was complete. A Cabinet Mission sent in the summer of 1946 failed to get the Congress and the League to agree on a federal system that would keep India together while allowing the provinces a degree of autonomy. After the talks broke down, Jinnah called for a Direct Action Day to press the Leagues demand for Pakistan. On the designated day, 16 August 1946, bloody riots broke out in Calcutta. The violence spread to rural Bengal, then to Bihar, and then across the country to the United Provinces and the Punjab. In some places, Muslims were the main sufferers, in other places, Hindus. In February 1947, Wavell was replaced as Viceroy by Lord Mountbatten. Mountbatten called one last round of talks, but when these too proved inconclusive, he announced that British India would be freed, but at the cost of division. The formal transfer of power was fixed for 15 August.