discuss the role of Gandhi in the national movement in 500 words
Answers
The Swadeshi Movement declined by 1907. There was also a split in the Congress in 1907 and Tilak was imprisoned and deported in 1908. Aurobindo Ghosh and Bipin Chandra Pal retired from politics and Lala Lajpat Rai left India for some time.
All these developments led to a decline in the nationalist movement. It remained dormant for a few years but was revived during the First World War. Annie Besant and Tilak started the Home Rule Leagues and the two wings of the Congress united in 1916.
The War also witnessed the Ghadar Movement started in the United States by some Indian revolutionaries which sought to overthrow the British rule in India. However, the most important development was the arrival of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who was later popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, from South Africa.
In South Africa, Gandhi had fought for the rights of the Indians against the racist regime. From 1919 to 1947, when India attained independence, Gandhi remained the foremost leader of the national movement.
Gandhi arrived in India on 9 January, 1915. Initially, he spent a year visiting various places in India to have an understanding of the situation. His political engagement started in the 1917-18 period when he took up the issues of Champaran indigo farmers, the Ahmedabad textile workers and the Kheda peasants.
These struggles witnessed his specific method of agitation, known as Satyagraha, which had earlier developed in the South African context and through which he was partially successful in achieving his goals.
In Champaran, which was in North Bihar, the indigo planters were forcing the peasants to grow indigo even when it was not profitable for the peasants to do so. In fact, the peasants were suffering losses by cultivating indigo in their most fertile lands. Gandhi was invited by the peasants to lead their struggle against the indigo planters who enjoyed the support of the colonial state. Gandhi went there to lead the struggle of the peasants and was successful to get them relief.
In Kheda district of Gujarat, most of the crops were damaged due to excessive rain. The peasants of Kheda demanded from the government that they should be allowed not to pay the revenue for that particular year. The government, however, refused. Gandhi started a Satyagraha movement on 22 March, 1918 and advised the peasants not to pay revenue. Many peasants participated in the movement. But the government refused to budge.
It was a test for the new method of agitation which Gandhi was trying in India. The agitation continued for some time. But Gandhi realised that it was not possible for the peasants to continue for long. Meanwhile, the government granted some concession to the poorer peasants.
The movement was then withdrawn. In Ahmedabad, Gandhi led the struggle of the workers for an increase in the wages due to rising prices during the War. After a protracted struggle, the workers were able to get 35% raise in their wages
Answer:
Mahatma Gandhi is perhaps the most widely recognized figure of the Indian Nationalist Movement for his role in leading non-violent civil uprisings. He first employed the non-violent approach in South Africa where he was serving as an expatriate lawyer. He was hurt and angry when he witnessed the discrimination and exploitation of coloured people under Whites rule. He organizes non-violent protests in the country which gained him fame and support from the people of South Africa. Unforgettable is his services which gave us freedom, the same are enumerated below.
• The Satyagraha Movement:-
One of his major achievements is in the year 1918 were the Champaran and Kheda agitations which are also called a movement against British landlords. The farmers and peasantry were forced to grow and cultivate Indigo and were even to force to sell them at fixed prices. Finally, these farmers pledged to Mahatma Gandhi which resulted in non-violent protest. Wherein Gandhiji won the battle. Kheda, in the year 1918 was hit by floods and farmers wanted relief from tax. Using non-cooperation as his main weapon Gandhiji used it in pledging the farmers for nonpayment of taxes.
• Khilafat Movement:
Gandhiji in the year 1919 approached Muslims, as he found the position of Congress was quite weak and unstable. Khilafat Movement is all about the worldwide protest against the status of Caliph by Muslims. Finally, Mahatma Gandhi had an All India Muslim Conference and became the main person for the event. This movement supported Muslims to a great extent and the success of this movement made him the national leader and facilitated his strong position in the Congress party. Khilafat movement collapsed badly in 1922 and throughout their journey, Gandhiji fought against communalism, but the gap between Hindus and Muslims widened.
• The Non-Cooperation Movement
The first of the Gandhi-led movements was the Non-Cooperation Movement lasting from September 1920 until February 1922. Gandhi, during this movement, believed that the British were only successful in maintaining control because the Indians were cooperative. If the residents of a country stop co-operating with the British, then the minority Britishers would be forced to give up. The movement gained popularity, and soon, millions of people were boycotting British-run or cooperative establishments. This meant that people left their jobs, removed their children from schools, and avoided government offices. The name Mahatma Gandhi became popular.
• The Dandi March, Civil Disobedience, and Salt Satyagraha
The abrupt ending of the Non-Cooperation Movement did nothing to stop the quest for independence. On March 12, 1930, protesters took part in the Dandi March, a campaign designed to resist taxes and protest the British monopoly on salt. Gandhi began the 24-day, 240-mile march with 79 followers and ended with thousands. When the protesters reached the coastal town of Dandi, they produced salt from saltwater without paying the British tax.
This act was accompanied by civil disobedience across the country. The Dandi group continued moving south along the coast, producing salt along the way. And many more