India’s Independence Day is on August 15. Nationalist movements fought for this day to happen over 75 years ago. Achieving Independence from the imperial rule of the United Kingdom required an adventurous political and social journey. Freeing the Indian people from imperial power was a long-term sacrifice given by many Indian nationalist movements. These political groups had to make a stand and show a united front. The British colonial masters controlled a large portion of the earth’s territory. Raising awareness of the inhumane oppression faced by Indians required these nationalist movements to reach every sympathetic voice in the world.
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Summary of Indian National Movement Phases
As detailed in history, the Indian National Movement experienced a wide array of political stages. To achieve Indian sovereignty, Nationalist parties had to struggle for Freedom. These struggles were formed as a combination of Political, Socio-Cultural, and Economic factors. The timing and severity of these factors are often seen as the leading cause of Nationalism.
Origins of the Nationalist Movement
The Indian National Congress first began its operations in December 1885. This movement marked its beginning with a meeting in Bombay city. They chose this location because, during this period, the British Indian troops were engaged in combat in Upper Burma. The British Indian empire was determined to increase its rate of expansion. Their leaders focusing on this helped ensure that the institutional seed of the Indian national movements was sown. The Indian nationalist movement began to grow from the provincial level. They laid their foundation at the grassroots of Indian Nationalism and its identity. This group formed as a direct protest to the Crown rule in Bombay, Bengal, and Madras.
The consolidation of the British empire’s rule and the spread of Western civilization at the time threatened Indian National identity. To save this crucial aspect of their society, there was an urgent need to promote a subjective feeling of kinship or affinity. People of Indian descent were mobilized to defend their sense of unity, cultural norms, traditional institutions, and racial heritage.
There were two turbulent national mainstreams when we consider the Indian National movements. These existed covertly as the British administration outlawed their establishment. At the time, the Indian National Congress was the most prominent organization, albeit unofficially. Historically, this movement is often credited with the birth of India. The second mainstream nationalist movement was for those of the Muslim religion. Its organizational structure emerged from the Muslim League, which ceased operations in 1906. This massive political structure would later form the nation of Pakistan.
When India had completed its mutiny period, there were many young Indians eductaed by the British system . These individuals often went on to join the legal, journalism, and education sectors of the economy. This occurrence wasn’t shocking as the universities in Bombay, Bengal, and Madras were established in 1857. This initiative was established by the East India Company. This organization was seeking to foster the introduction of English education in India. The goal was to glorify British culture, history, norms, and identity. This effort to diminish the Indian national identity was met with resistance by one of their bright students. Surendranath Banerjea, who lived from 1848–1925, received an unfair and dishonourable discharge from the system. This move led the leader to become loyal to the active Indian nationalist agitation. He was a lecturer at Calcutta college and then proceeded to edit The Bengalee. This famous Indian nationalist then went on to found the Indian Association in Calcutta. In 1883, he was a prominent figure in Indian nationalist movements and convened the inaugural Indian National Conference in Bengal.
Events of the Indihjan National Movement – 1947
Revolt of 1857
The first-ever fully acknowledged war for Indian Independence was in 1857. This assault began on May 10 in the city of Meerut. This attack constituted the first full-scale rebellion against the East India Company and the British Monarchy.
The revolt failed to achieve its direct power objectives; however, indirect goals were achieved. Despite not gaining control of Indian land, the revolution impacted the public and energized the Nationalist Independence Movement in India. It was a violent revolt that was mainly led by Mangal Pandey, who is widely remembered for firing the first shot on a British officer.
Swadeshi Boycott Movement
When the 20th century emerged, British lawmakers instituted the partition of Bengal. This heavy-handed response was initiated to weaken the unity of the nationalist movements. One of the original Indian nationalist movements was the Swadeshi Boycott Movement. This group established their operations in 1903 as a reaction to the unjust dilution of Bengal. They officially declared their organization in July 1905.
Home Rule League Movement
The urgency for indigenous Indian people to self-govern was familiar rhetoric by many nationalist movements. Various freedom activists joined together to form a league that worked towards achieving sovereignty by distributing information using newspapers, posters and pamphlets.
Khilafat Non-Cooperation Movement
This historically famous show of resistance is often noted as a crucial phase in the Indian freedom struggle for sovereignty from the British.British soldiers openly mistreated and disrespected the Khalifa. The Khalifa is a significant figure in the Muslim religion as he is their spiritual leader. This event caused great anger among the Indian and Muslim communities.Dilapidated infrastructure and deteriorating economic conditions in the country had caused frustration among the Indian people. When citizens complained about these events, they were often met with violence. Major incidents occurred, such as the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre.