Swaraj
Party
Swadeshi Movement was a popular strategy for eradicating the British rule and for improving the economic conditions of the country. The concept of Swadeshi as explained by Mahatma Gandhi is employment of unemployed or semi-employed people by encouraging village industries and the in general trial was towards building a non-violent society. Thus, the main policies of the Swadeshi Movement included boycotting all types of British products and the restoration of all domestic products. The popular upsurge of 1905 was unprecedented. But of course it did not emerge from nowhere. Head planners of Swadeshi Movement were Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai, Bipin Chandra Pal, Aurobindo Ghose and Veer Savarkar. The writings and speeches of Bal Gangadhar Tilak and his associate had done much to prepare the way. Tilak reached out to the masses through popular festivals. He transformed the traditional Ganapati Utsav into a public celebration where patriotic ideas could be spread. Later he inaugurated a Shivaji festival for the same purpose. In 1906 Bengal honoured the great Maratha as a national hero.
There were many other factors behind the growth of `the new spirit in India`. One was a generalized awareness that Britain was the cause of the country`s poverty. Three books published in 1901. The names of the books can be mentioned as Dadabhai Naoroji poverty and un-British rule in India, R. C. Dutt`s economic history of India, and William Digby`s ironically titled `prosperous` British India. All of the three books showed with a mass of detail that how Britain`s policies had destroyed India. India was the country with once flourishing economy. At the same time the true face of European imperialism was being revealed. The belief in the supremacy of the imperial powers` military was being challenged. In the year 1896, Ethiopia defeated an Italia Army. Few years` later Boer guerrillas proved themselves the equals of England`s finest troops. But most exciting of all was the miracle of Japan. After a rapid modernisation begun in 1868, the island country proved itself superior not only to its giant neighbour China but also to Russia. Russia was one of the great European powers at that time. Japan`s victory in the Russo Japanese war in 1905 seemed to mark the end of the domination of Europe over Asia to many Indians.
The day the Partition of Bengal went into effect on 16th of October, 1905. This was observed in Bengal as a day of mourning. No cooking was done, and shops and marketplaces were closed. In Kolkata, thousands walked barefoot in silent processions to a mammoth meeting where the cornerstone of a federation hall, monument to `united Bengal`, was laid. The ceremony of Raksha Bandhan was given a new turn, where the yellow thread that the people tied to one another`s wrists symbolised the brotherhood of each to all.
The Swadeshi movement quickly gathered force in the country. Bonfires of British cloth demonstrated the peoples` determination not to rely on foreign products. The sale of English goods fell dramatically as `Bombay mills` worked overtime to meet the demand for Swadeshi textiles. It became a matter of pride to wear coarse dhotis woven on local handlooms rather than fashionable Manchester cottons. Student volunteers encouraged people to use Indian products. Popular enthusiasm was sustained by songs written by Rabindranath Tagore and others. Vande Mataram by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee became the national anthem. Further, the Swadeshi movement gave tremendous inputs to Indian industries. Beginnings were made in the manufacturer of Swadeshi salt, sugar matches and other products. On a larger scale, the movement gave a stimulus to Prafulla Chandra Roy`s Bengal chemical works. This action encouraged Jamshedji Tata to open his famous steel plant in Bihar. At the same time, Indian labour took its first real steps towards organisation. A series of strikes in Kolkata and other places demonstrated that the workingman was growing weary of exploitation.
Swadeshi Movement was described by Mahatma Gandhi as the soul of self rule in the country.
Solution:Gandhiji
was released from jail in 1924. He and his close followers, such as C.
Rajagopalachari and Rajendra prasad, occupied themselves with the constructive
programme. Such as hand-spinning on the charkha, uplift of the harijans or members
of the depressed classed popularization of temperance, and so forth. But not
all the congressmen were willing to abandon political action. In 1922 a group
had formed around Motilal Nehru and C. R. Das that wished to enter the
government`s legislative councils and wreck them front within. They were
opposed by the `no-changers` who insisted that the 1920 programme, which called
for the boycott of council elections, should not be altered. At the Gaya congress in December
1922, matters came to a head. The `no-changers` prevailed, but early the next
year the `pro-changers` formed their own party. This party was at first known
as the congress-Khilafat Swaraj party and later simply the swarajya or swaraj
party.
Motilal
Nehru The new councils were inaugurated in 1921. The non-congress parties which
had entered them had not been successful in influencing government policy. And
eventually diarchy proved to be a failure. Provincial minister could not act
effectively even in `transferred` subjects because the new safeguards made the
governors more autocratic even than before. Only the Montford reform showed
that the British were still unwilling to grant responsible government.
C.
R. Das and Motilal Nehru decided that the way to combat this situation was to
enter the provincial legislative councils. Central legislative assembly carries
out a policy of `uniform, continuous and consistent obstruction, with a view to
make government through the assembly and councils impossible would force the
British to grant real reforms.
In
a special session of congress held in Delhi
in September 1923, a compromise between no-changers and pro-changers was
reached. The former would continue with the constructive programme, whereas the
latter could contest the upcoming elections. Gandhiji gave his blessings to
this arrangement.
Rowlatt
Act
In the year 1919, the British Government passed a new rule called Rowlatt Act,
under which the Government had the authority and power to arrest people and
keep them in prisons without any trial if they are suspected with the charge of
terrorism. The government also earned the power to refrain the newspapers from
reporting and printing news. The Act was ill famed as `Black Act` by the people
and Indians revolt in protest against the Rowlatt Act.
The
positive aspect of reform by British Government was subjected to severe
sabotage by the Rowlatt act of 1919.The act was named after the recommendations
made in the previous year to the Imperial Legislative Council by the Rowlatt
Commission. The Rowlatt Commission was appointed to investigate the `seditious
conspiracy` of the Indian people. The Law passed empowered the Viceroy
Government with extraordinary power to stop all violations by silencing the
press, confining political activists without trial and arresting any individual
suspected of sedition and treachery and arresting individuals without any warrant.
A nationwide protest was raised by calling a Hartal (cessation of work).
Mahatma
Gandhi Mahatma Gandhi was extremely agitated by enactment of Rowlatt Act. He
was extremely critical about the act and argued that everyone cannot be
punished for isolated political crime. The Act resulted in extensive outrage of
political leaders as well as the common public and Government adapted more
repressive measures to dominate the Native people. Gandhi and other leaders of
national Congress found it futile to take the measure of constitutional
opposition and thereby called a `hartal` where Indians suspended all the
business and fasted to show their hatred for the British legislation. However,
the success of the Hartal in Delhi was dominated
as the tension raise high and resulted in riot in Punjab
and other provinces. Gandhi found that Indians were not ready yet for the
protest in the path of `Ahimsa` (non-violence), which was integral part of
Satyagraha and the Hartal was suspended.
Swadeshi
movement
Swadeshi Movement was a popular strategy for eradicating the British rule and for improving the economic conditions of the country. The concept of Swadeshi as explained by Mahatma Gandhi is employment of unemployed or semi-employed people by encouraging village industries and the in general trial was towards building a non-violent society. Thus, the main policies of the Swadeshi Movement included boycotting all types of British products and the restoration of all domestic products. The popular upsurge of 1905 was unprecedented. But of course it did not emerge from nowhere. Head planners of Swadeshi Movement were Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai, Bipin Chandra Pal, Aurobindo Ghose and Veer Savarkar. The writings and speeches of Bal Gangadhar Tilak and his associate had done much to prepare the way. Tilak reached out to the masses through popular festivals. He transformed the traditional Ganapati Utsav into a public celebration where patriotic ideas could be spread. Later he inaugurated a Shivaji festival for the same purpose. In 1906 Bengal honoured the great Maratha as a national hero.
There were many other factors behind the growth of `the new spirit in India`. One was a generalized awareness that Britain was the cause of the country`s poverty. Three books published in 1901. The names of the books can be mentioned as Dadabhai Naoroji poverty and un-British rule in India, R. C. Dutt`s economic history of India, and William Digby`s ironically titled `prosperous` British India. All of the three books showed with a mass of detail that how Britain`s policies had destroyed India. India was the country with once flourishing economy. At the same time the true face of European imperialism was being revealed. The belief in the supremacy of the imperial powers` military was being challenged. In the year 1896, Ethiopia defeated an Italia Army. Few years` later Boer guerrillas proved themselves the equals of England`s finest troops. But most exciting of all was the miracle of Japan. After a rapid modernisation begun in 1868, the island country proved itself superior not only to its giant neighbour China but also to Russia. Russia was one of the great European powers at that time. Japan`s victory in the Russo Japanese war in 1905 seemed to mark the end of the domination of Europe over Asia to many Indians.
The day the Partition of Bengal went into effect on 16th of October, 1905. This was observed in Bengal as a day of mourning. No cooking was done, and shops and marketplaces were closed. In Kolkata, thousands walked barefoot in silent processions to a mammoth meeting where the cornerstone of a federation hall, monument to `united Bengal`, was laid. The ceremony of Raksha Bandhan was given a new turn, where the yellow thread that the people tied to one another`s wrists symbolised the brotherhood of each to all.
The Swadeshi movement quickly gathered force in the country. Bonfires of British cloth demonstrated the peoples` determination not to rely on foreign products. The sale of English goods fell dramatically as `Bombay mills` worked overtime to meet the demand for Swadeshi textiles. It became a matter of pride to wear coarse dhotis woven on local handlooms rather than fashionable Manchester cottons. Student volunteers encouraged people to use Indian products. Popular enthusiasm was sustained by songs written by Rabindranath Tagore and others. Vande Mataram by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee became the national anthem. Further, the Swadeshi movement gave tremendous inputs to Indian industries. Beginnings were made in the manufacturer of Swadeshi salt, sugar matches and other products. On a larger scale, the movement gave a stimulus to Prafulla Chandra Roy`s Bengal chemical works. This action encouraged Jamshedji Tata to open his famous steel plant in Bihar. At the same time, Indian labour took its first real steps towards organisation. A series of strikes in Kolkata and other places demonstrated that the workingman was growing weary of exploitation.
Swadeshi Movement was described by Mahatma Gandhi as the soul of self rule in the country.
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