Class 12 NCERT History Chapter - 13

MahatmaGandhi and the Nationalist Movement

 Civil Disobedience and Beyond               

Introduction 

• Mahatma Gandhi has been regarded as the the father of the Indian Nation 
• Gandhi was the most influential and revered of all the leader who participated in the freedom struggle 

Aleaderannounces himself 

• In January 1915 , Mohandas karamchand Gandhi returned to India after spending two decade in South Africa 
• The historian Chandran Devanesan has remarked , south Africa was the making of the Mahatma .
• It was in South Africa he first focused the distinctive techniques of non violence protest known as Satyagraha
• On Gokhale 's advice he spent one year travelling around British India to known the land and its peoples .
• His first major public appearance was at the opening of the Bananas  Hindu University .
• The Opening of the BHU was an occasion for celebration , making as it did the opening of a nationalist university , sustained by India money and India initiative . 

The Making and Unmaking of non- cooperation 

• Mahatma Gandhi successfully organized Satyagraha at Champaran (bihar in 1917 )Ahmadabad and kheda in 1918.
• In 1919 Gandhi called for a century wide campaign against the Rowalatt act 
• In April 1919 , a British Brigadier ordered his troops to open fire on a nationalist meeting . more than four hundred people were killed it is known as the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
• It was the Rolatt Satyagraha that made Gandhi ji a truly national leader .Emboldened by its success , Gandhi called for a campaign of "non - cooperation "with british rule.

Knitting a Popular movement 

• Gandhiji hoped that by coupling non- cooperation with Khilaft ,India 's two major religious communities , Hindus and Muslims , could collectively bring an end to colonial rule .
• In February 1922, a group of peasants attacked and torched a police station in the hamlet of chauri chaura ,in the united provinces . 
• During the Non- cooperation movement thousands of Indians were put in jail , Gandhiji himself was arrested in March 1922, and charged with sedition .

A People 's leader 

• By 1922, Gandhiji had transformed Indian nationalism, thereby redeeming the promise he made in his BHU speech of February 1619. 
• In February 1921 , Gandhi was received by adoring crowds everywhere .
• Mahatma Gandhi was released from prison in February 1924 , 
• Gandhiji was as much much a social reformer as he was a politician 

The salt satyagraha A case study 

• In the end of December 1929, the congress held its annual session in the city of Lahore . 
• The meeting was significant for two thing :the election of jawaharlal Nehru as president , signifying the passing of the baton of leadership to the younger generation 
• On 26 January 1930 , Independence day was observed , with the national flag being hoisted  in different venues , and patriotic songs being sung.

Dandi

• On 12th March 1930 - Dandi satyagraha salt March 
• On 6th April 1930 broke the salt law 
• Across large parks of India of India peasants breached forest laws , factory workers went on the strike , lawyers boycotted courts and students refused to attend government run educational institutions .

Dialogues 

• 1930 - First round table conference - Gandhiji did not attend .
• 1931 - Gandhi - Irwin pact, 2nd Round Table conference - Gandhi attended but it failed
• In 1935 , a new Government of India Act promised some form of representative government .
• In 1937 , Provincial Election Congress formed ministries in 8 out of 11 provinces.
• In 1939, World War II broke out Individual Satyagraha 
• In 1940, Two National Theory put forward by Jinnah 
• In 1942 , Failure of cripps mission 

Quit India 

• In 9th August 1942 - Quit India Movement by Gandhiji , Gandhiji along with all prominent leaders sent to jail 
• In 1946 , cabinet mission - failed to get the congress and the league to agree on the federal system .
• In 16th August 1946 -Direct Action Day and communal riots in Bengal , Bihar , U.P and Punjab .
• In 1947 , Mountbatten was appointed as viceroy . 
• In 15th August 1947 - Formal transfer of power , announcement of partition and India got her Independence.

The last heroic days of Gandhiji 

• On 15th August 1947 Gandhiji was not at Delhi to witness the festivities .
• He was at Calcutta and undertook a 24 hour fast .
• Due to initiative of Gandhiji and Nehru congress passed a resolution on the rights of the minorities.
• On 26th January , Gandhiji spoke at his prayer meeting of how that day had been celebrated in the past as Independence day .
• After working to bring peace to Bengal Gandhi shifted to Delhi from where he hoped to move on to the riot - torn districts of Punjab .
• On 30th January 1948 Gandhiji was shot dead by nathuram Godse   .

Knowing Gandhi 

These are many different kinds of sources from which we can reconstruct the political carer of Gandhi and the history of the nationalist movement .

• Public voice and private scripts 
• Series of personal letters published by Gandhiji in his journal harijan 
• A bunch of old letters edited by Nehru .
• Fortnightly Report of the home department 
• from newspaper .