On the given political Map of India mark the places where the following sessions of the Indian National Congress took place:

(a) Calcutta

(b) Madras

(c) Nagpur

 

1. The First World War:

(i) First World War directly impacted the economy and social life of the people with a distinct political scenario.

(ii) Increased defence expenditure of Britain was financed by increased taxes levied on people.

(iii) During the war years prices doubled.

(iv) Villages were called to supply soldiers. This was called forced recruitment and caused widespread anger.

(v) In $1918-19$ and $1920-21$, crops failed in many parts of India, resulting in acute shortages of food.

2. The Idea of Satyagraha:

(i) Mahatma Gandhi returned to India in January $1915.$

(ii) He used the novel method of mass agitation called Satyagraha to fight against the racist regime in South Africa. He believed that the 'Dharma' of non-violence will unite the Indians.

(iii) In$1917$, Mahatma Gandhi travelled to Champaran in Bihar to inspire the peasants to struggle against the oppressive indigo plantation system.

(iv) In $1917,$Mahatma Gandhi organised a Satyagraha to support the peasants of the Kheda district of Gujarat. They were demanding for relaxation in revenue collection as they were affected by crop failure and a plague epidemic.

(v) In $1918,$ Mahatma Gandhi organised the Satyagraha movement in Ahmedabad amongst cotton mill workers. It was an industrial dispute. Workers were demanding pay hikes and better living conditions.

3. The Rowlatt Act:

(i) In $1919$, Gandhiji decided to launch a nationwide Satyagraha against the proposed Rowlatt Act $\left(1919\right)$ with a hartal in $6^{th}$April.

(ii) The act gave the colonial government enormous powers to repress political activities and allowed the detention of political prisoners without trial for two years. General Dyer was in command duty and Martial Law was imposed by the colonial government.

(iii) In ${13}^{th}$April, the infamous Jallianwalla Bagh incident took place. As a result, violence spread, and Gandhiji called off the movement.

(iv) At the Calcutta session of the Congress in September $1920$, Bapu convinced other leaders of the need to start a Non-cooperation Movement in support of Khilafat as well as for swaraj.

4. Reasons for Launching Non-Cooperation Movement:

(i) Mahatma Gandhi in his famous book Hind Swaraj ($1909$) mentioned that British rule in India would collapse within a year, if Indians refused to cooperate and Swaraj would come.

(ii) In the Congress session at Nagpur in December $1920$, the Non-Cooperation programme was taken up. The boycott of all colonial services, exams, foreign goods, and legislative councils.

(iii) The Non-Cooperation-Khilafat Movement began in January $1921$.

(iv) In the cities middle-class population took an active part in it. They boycotted the government-run institution. Thousands of students left schools and colleges to participate in the movement.

(v) Foreign goods were boycotted, liquor shops picketed, and foreign cloth burnt in huge bonfires

5. Rebellion in the Countryside:

(i) In Awadh, peasants were led by Baba Ramchandra against talukdars and landlords who demanded from peasants exorbitantly high rents.

(ii) Alluri Sitaram Raju of Gudem Hills led the tribal people of Andhra Pradesh, against the forest rule of the British.

(iii) Peasants had to do begar work at the landlord's farm without compensation, they joined the movement and demanded the abolition of begar system and social boycott of dominating landlords.

6. Swaraj in the Plantations:

(i) Inland Emigration Act of $1859$, stated that plantation workers were denied permission to leave the tea gardens and in fact, they were rarely allowed to go out.

(ii) On hearing about Non-Cooperation Movement, thousands of workers left the plantations, and headed home, they never reached their destination and were beaten up by police too. They thought Gandhi Raj came, and they will receive land in their own villages.

(iii) Tribals chanted Gandhi's name and were asking for Swatantra Bharat. The term Swaraj means different for distinct groups.

7. Towards Civil Disobedience:

(i) In February $1922$, Mahatma Gandhi decided to withdraw the Non-Cooperation Movement after the violence in Chauri Chaura.

(ii) Swaraj Party was formed by C.R Das and Motilal Nehru, within Congress to argue for a return to council politics, and they had their own way of keeping up their demands.

(iii) Simon Commission arrived in India in $1928$, it was greeted with the slogan ‘Go back Simon’, as there was no Indian in the Commission.

(iv) Lala Lajpat Rai participated in this peaceful protest, but he was assaulted by the colonial police.

(v) To please Congress and the Muslim League, Lord Irwin, announced in October$1929$, a vague offer of ‘dominion status’ for India. 

(vi) In December $1929$, Jawaharlal Nehru, was the President of Congress and the Lahore Congress formalised the demand of ‘Purna Swaraj’ or full independence for India.

8. Salt March and Civil Disobedience Movement:

(i) Mahatma Gandhi found salt as an influential item that could unite the nation because it was useful for all irrespective of class, caste, and gender.

(ii) On ${31}^{st}$ January $1930$, he sent an ultimatum to Viceroy Irwin stating eleven demands to be met before ${11}^{th}$ March. The demands were useful for all classes, so that they could connect with it too.

(iii) Mahatma Gandhi started his famous Salt March on ${12}^{th}$March$1930$ and broke the Salt law with his trusted volunteers, later many people joined them on $6^{th}$ April $1930$. Civil Disobedience Movement seeds were sowed.
(iv) On $5^{th}$ March $1931$, Gandhiji called off the movement and entered Gandhi-Irwin Pact. Gandhi went for Round Table Conference in Britain but was not satisfied with the negotiation and came back.

(v) Congress was declared illegal and Jawaharlal Nehru and Ghaffar Khan were in jail. Public meetings and protests were banned. Later, Bapu decided to relaunch Civil Disobedience Movement.

9. Participants saw the Movement Differently:

(i) Jats of U.P and Patidars of Gujarat were participating actively in the movement with their own agendas.

(ii) Many local workers and peasants joined the Socialist and Communist groups to raise their issues against exploitative landlords.

(iii) The participation of women was immense in the salt march, they came out of their domesticated life and fought for freedom. Some women also went to jail and still their presence was seen as symbolic in the party and were not appointed to higher positions.

10. Limits of Civil Disobedience Movement:

(i) Dr B.R. Ambedkar, who organised the Dalits into the Depressed Classes Association in $1930$ and demanded separate electorates for Dalits in Round Table Conference. Gandhiji was not happy with this demand.

(ii) Poona Pact in $1932$, gave reserved seats to schedule classes in provincial and legislative assemblies.

(iii) Dalits and Muslim political organisations in India were passive in their response to the Civil Disobedience Movement. After the decline of non-cooperation and Khilafat movement, Muslims were feeling strange.

10. Sense of Collective Belonging:

(i) Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay wrote ‘Vande Mataram’ as a hymn to the motherland. It was part of his novel Anandamath and widely sung during the Swadeshi movement in Bengal.

(ii) In Madras, Natesa Sastri published a massive four-volume collection of Tamil folk tales, The Folklore of Southern India.

(iii) In Bengal, Rabindranath Tagore wrote many short stories, poems and songs. It boosted the feeling of nationalism too.

(iv) Abanindranath Tagore painted the image of Bharat Mata. The devotion to image of Bharat Mata developed a new form of Nationalism.

11. Quit India Movement:

(i) The collapse of the Cripps Mission to India and crisis during the Second World War, led to major upheaval in India. This led to the foundation of the last major mass movement launched by Mahatma Gandhi, the Quit India Movement. These movements connected the distinct communities together.

(ii) The Congress Working Committee, in Wardha on $14$ July $1942$, passed the historic ‘Quit India’ resolution it states: immediate transfer of power to Indians and quitting India. 

(iii) On $8$ August $1942$, Congress and Gandhiji called for a non-violent mass struggle in all over country. Gandhi gave the famous ‘Do or Die’ speech during this phase only.

(iv) ‘Quit India’ call caused the state administrative machinery to a standstill in different parts of India. People left the colonial jobs, schools, they voluntarily gave up imported products.

(v) Quit India Movement can truly be called a mass movement as it brought together people from distinct communities together on the streets protesting against the British. Gandhiji channelised the different voices in one direction.