Class 10 History - Chapter 2
Nationalism in India (Complete Detailed Notes)
1. The Impact of the First World War (1914–1918)
The war created a new economic and political situation in India, leading to extreme hardships for
the common people:
• Defense Expenditure & Taxes: The war led to a huge increase in defense expenditure which
was financed by war loans and increasing taxes: customs duties were raised and **income
tax** was introduced for the first time.
• Price Rise: Prices of essential commodities doubled between 1913 and 1918, leading to
extreme hardship for the common people.
• Forced Recruitment: Villages were called upon to supply soldiers, and the forced recruitment
(forced conscription) in rural areas caused widespread anger.
• Crop Failure and Epidemic: In 1918-19 and 1920-21, crops failed in many parts of India,
resulting in acute shortages of food. This was accompanied by an **influenza epidemic**.
According to the census of 1921, 12 to 13 million people perished as a result of famines and
the epidemic.
2. Mahatma Gandhi and the Idea of Satyagraha
Mahatma Gandhi returned to India from South Africa in **January 1915**. In South Africa, he had
successfully fought the racist regime with a novel method of mass agitation, which he called
**Satyagraha**.
• Core Philosophy: The idea of satyagraha emphasised the power of truth and the need to
search for truth. It suggested that if the cause was true, if the struggle was against injustice,
then physical force was not necessary to fight the oppressor. Without seeking vengeance or
being aggressive, a satyagrahi could win the battle through non-violence by appealing to the
conscience of the oppressor.
Early Local Satyagraha Movements in India:
• Champaran (Bihar), 1917: Gandhi travelled to Champaran to inspire the peasants to struggle
against the oppressive indigo plantation system.
• Kheda (Gujarat), 1917: He organised a satyagraha to support the peasants of the Kheda
district, who were affected by crop failure and a plague epidemic and could not pay the
revenue, demanding that revenue collection be relaxed.
, • Ahmedabad (Gujarat), 1918: Mahatma Gandhi went to Ahmedabad to organise a satyagraha
movement amongst cotton mill workers demanding a hike in wages.
3. The Rowlatt Act (1919) and Jallianwala Bagh Massacre
• The Rowlatt Act (1919): This Act had been hurriedly passed through the Imperial Legislative
Council despite the united opposition of the Indian members. It gave the government
enormous powers to repress political activities, and allowed **detention of political prisoners
without trial for two years**.
• Rowlatt Satyagraha: Mahatma Gandhi wanted non-violent civil disobedience against such
unjust laws, which started with a hartal (strike) on 6 April 1919. Rallies were organised,
workers went on strike in railway workshops, and shops closed down.
• Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (13 April 1919): On this day, a large crowd gathered in the
enclosed ground of Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar. Some came to protest against the
government’s new repressive measures, while others came to attend the annual Baisakhi fair.
Being from outside the city, many villagers were unaware that **Martial Law** had been
imposed by General Dyer. Dyer entered the area, blocked the exit points, and opened fire on
the peaceful crowd, killing hundreds. His declared objective was to 'produce a moral effect'
and strike terror into the minds of satyagrahis.
4. The Khilafat Movement and Non-Cooperation Alliance
• The Khilafat Issue: The First World War had ended with the defeat of Ottoman Turkey. There
were rumours that a harsh peace treaty was going to be imposed on the Ottoman
emperor—the **Khalifa**, who was the spiritual head of the Islamic world. To defend the
Khalifa’s temporal powers, a Khilafat Committee was formed in Bombay in March 1919 by
young Muslim leaders like the brothers **Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali**.
• The Alliance: Gandhiji saw this as an opportunity to bring Hindus and Muslims under the
umbrella of a unified national movement. At the **Calcutta session of the Congress
(September 1920)**, he convinced other leaders of the need to start a non-cooperation
movement in support of Khilafat as well as for swaraj.
• Why Non-Cooperation? In his famous book Hind Swaraj (1909), Mahatma Gandhi declared
that British rule was established in India with the cooperation of Indians, and if Indians refused
to cooperate, British rule in India would collapse within a year and swaraj would come. The
movement was finally adopted at the **Nagpur session of Congress (December 1920)**.
Nationalism in India (Complete Detailed Notes)
1. The Impact of the First World War (1914–1918)
The war created a new economic and political situation in India, leading to extreme hardships for
the common people:
• Defense Expenditure & Taxes: The war led to a huge increase in defense expenditure which
was financed by war loans and increasing taxes: customs duties were raised and **income
tax** was introduced for the first time.
• Price Rise: Prices of essential commodities doubled between 1913 and 1918, leading to
extreme hardship for the common people.
• Forced Recruitment: Villages were called upon to supply soldiers, and the forced recruitment
(forced conscription) in rural areas caused widespread anger.
• Crop Failure and Epidemic: In 1918-19 and 1920-21, crops failed in many parts of India,
resulting in acute shortages of food. This was accompanied by an **influenza epidemic**.
According to the census of 1921, 12 to 13 million people perished as a result of famines and
the epidemic.
2. Mahatma Gandhi and the Idea of Satyagraha
Mahatma Gandhi returned to India from South Africa in **January 1915**. In South Africa, he had
successfully fought the racist regime with a novel method of mass agitation, which he called
**Satyagraha**.
• Core Philosophy: The idea of satyagraha emphasised the power of truth and the need to
search for truth. It suggested that if the cause was true, if the struggle was against injustice,
then physical force was not necessary to fight the oppressor. Without seeking vengeance or
being aggressive, a satyagrahi could win the battle through non-violence by appealing to the
conscience of the oppressor.
Early Local Satyagraha Movements in India:
• Champaran (Bihar), 1917: Gandhi travelled to Champaran to inspire the peasants to struggle
against the oppressive indigo plantation system.
• Kheda (Gujarat), 1917: He organised a satyagraha to support the peasants of the Kheda
district, who were affected by crop failure and a plague epidemic and could not pay the
revenue, demanding that revenue collection be relaxed.
, • Ahmedabad (Gujarat), 1918: Mahatma Gandhi went to Ahmedabad to organise a satyagraha
movement amongst cotton mill workers demanding a hike in wages.
3. The Rowlatt Act (1919) and Jallianwala Bagh Massacre
• The Rowlatt Act (1919): This Act had been hurriedly passed through the Imperial Legislative
Council despite the united opposition of the Indian members. It gave the government
enormous powers to repress political activities, and allowed **detention of political prisoners
without trial for two years**.
• Rowlatt Satyagraha: Mahatma Gandhi wanted non-violent civil disobedience against such
unjust laws, which started with a hartal (strike) on 6 April 1919. Rallies were organised,
workers went on strike in railway workshops, and shops closed down.
• Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (13 April 1919): On this day, a large crowd gathered in the
enclosed ground of Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar. Some came to protest against the
government’s new repressive measures, while others came to attend the annual Baisakhi fair.
Being from outside the city, many villagers were unaware that **Martial Law** had been
imposed by General Dyer. Dyer entered the area, blocked the exit points, and opened fire on
the peaceful crowd, killing hundreds. His declared objective was to 'produce a moral effect'
and strike terror into the minds of satyagrahis.
4. The Khilafat Movement and Non-Cooperation Alliance
• The Khilafat Issue: The First World War had ended with the defeat of Ottoman Turkey. There
were rumours that a harsh peace treaty was going to be imposed on the Ottoman
emperor—the **Khalifa**, who was the spiritual head of the Islamic world. To defend the
Khalifa’s temporal powers, a Khilafat Committee was formed in Bombay in March 1919 by
young Muslim leaders like the brothers **Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali**.
• The Alliance: Gandhiji saw this as an opportunity to bring Hindus and Muslims under the
umbrella of a unified national movement. At the **Calcutta session of the Congress
(September 1920)**, he convinced other leaders of the need to start a non-cooperation
movement in support of Khilafat as well as for swaraj.
• Why Non-Cooperation? In his famous book Hind Swaraj (1909), Mahatma Gandhi declared
that British rule was established in India with the cooperation of Indians, and if Indians refused
to cooperate, British rule in India would collapse within a year and swaraj would come. The
movement was finally adopted at the **Nagpur session of Congress (December 1920)**.
