Swaraj in the Plantations

Under the Inland Emigration Act of 1859, plantation workers were not allowed to leave the plantation gardens without permission and after they heard of the non-cooperation movements, thousands came to leave the plantations without permission and headed back home. For the plantation workers of Assam, freedom meant moving freely and retaining links with the village they came from.

Towards Civil Disobedience

It is mentioned in the Nationalism in India class 10 notes that the non-cooperation movement was withdrawn in 1922 because Mahatma Gandhi felt that the movement was turning violent. Swaraj Party was formed by CR Das and Motilal Nehru. In the late 1920s, Indian politics was shaped by two factors. First was the worldwide economic depression and second, was falling agricultural prices.

In 1928, Simon Commission arrived in India and was greeted with “Go back, Simon”. In 1929, under Jawaharlal Nehru’s Presidency, Lahore Congress came to formalize the demand for “Purna Swaraj” or for the full independence of India, and in 26 January 1930 was declared to be celebrated as Independence Day.

The Salt March and the Civil Disobedience Movement

A letter was sent to the Viceroy Irwin by Mahatma Gandhi on 31 January 1930, stating eleven demands. The most stirring of all the demands was that of the abolition of the salt tax, which was consumed by both rich as well as poor. They stated that the demands have to be fulfilled by 11 March, otherwise, Congress will start the civil disobedience campaign.

The famous salt march was started by Mahatma Gandhi accompanied by 76 of his trusted followers from Sabarmati to Dandi. On the 6th of April, they reached Dandi, and violated the law, by manufacturing soil and marking the beginning of the Civil Disobedience Movement. In different parts of India, the salt law was broken, and foreign clothes were boycotted, peasants refused to pay revenue, forest laws were violated.

With the horrific incidents, Mahatma Gandhi decided to call off the movement and entered a pact with Irwin on 5th March 1931, which came to be known as Gandhi-Irwin Pact, with which Gandhiji consented to participate in Round Table Conference in London. It is mentioned in the Nationalism in India class 10 notes that the conference didn’t work out, Mahatma Gandhi relaunched Civil Disobedience Movement and continued for a year but by 1934 it lost momentum.

How Participants Saw the Movement?

Some active groups in the movement included the Patidars of Gujarat and the Jats of Uttar Pradesh who became ardent supporters of the Civil Disobedience Movement and were disappointed when the movement was called off in the year 1931. Poorer sections of the society like peasants, also participated in the radical movements, mostly led by Socialists and Communists.

The business interests of the society were organized into the Federation of the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries in 1927 and the Industrial and Commercial Congress in 1927. It is mentioned in the Nationalism in India class 10 History notes that they attacked colonial control of the economy and supported Civil Disobedience when launched first. In 1930 and also 1932, railways workers along with dock workers were also on strike.

The Limits of Civil Disobedience

Nationalism in India class 10 History notes describe that Dalits were not influenced by the idea of Swaraj. Mahatma Gandhi did organize satyagraha for the untouchables but they were more interested in different political solutions to the problems associated with the community and demanded reservation of seats in the educational sector and also for a separate electorate.

The Dalits were organized into Depressed Classes Association in 1930 by B.R. Ambedkar and clashed with Mahatma Gandhi at the second Round Table Conference by demand of separate electorates for the Dalits. Poona Pact of 1932, gave Depressed Classes reservations for seats in provincial and also central legislative councils, and after the decline of Non-Cooperation and the Khilafat movement, Muslims felt a little alienated from the urges of Congress due to the worsening of relations between Muslims and Hindus.

Muhammad Ali Jinnah was ready for giving up on his idea of a separate electorate, if there would be an assurance of reserved seats for Muslims in the Central Assembly and also representation in proportion to Muslim-dominated provinces. However, in 1928, at the All Parties Conference 1928, M.R.Jayakar of Hindu Mahasabha came to oppose such efforts.

Nationalism in India Class 10 Notes is about the concept of Nationalism during the Indian Independence Movement, which was fought against the colonial British Raj. In this chapter, we will study some important changes in the 1920s and movements like the Non-Cooperation movement and Civil Disobedience Movements. The Nationalism in India CBSE class 10 History chapter 2 notes will seek to develop an understanding of how the different social groups participated in the movement.

For easy access to the students, we have tried to compile CBSE Class 10 Social Science Notes which consist of the four subjects: Geography, History, Political Science, and Economics, in a single source. Students are advised to go through the entire article to learn more about Nationalism in India.