IASbaba ILP SET4 Block 2 Modern History Modern History. Part 1 ( )

Transcription

1 Modern History Part 1 ( ) Have you ever wondered how we have defined the different ages in History? As in how do we call a history, Ancient or medieval or Modern? Every age is characterized with a significant change, whether it is in the form of a new discovery or a change in economic state, political structure or philosophy. For example, Neolithic age is differentiated from Mesolithic age by domestication of plants. i.e. in Neolithic age agriculture started. Similarly, ancient history and medieval history is differentiated by the political changes that the world saw. Since these changes came at different times in different parts of the World, the change of a phase in history is different for different geographical regions. According to world history, the modern history starts from 15 th C AD with the start of Renaissance period when new thoughts and ideas enlightened the world. With India, the case is totally different. In India, the modernization did not come as a gradual process, but it came as a shock. This is one of the reasons why our society is still unique. We are modern yet traditional. In India, modern history starts roughly from 18 th century, with the advent of Europeans. They brought new modern ideas of freedom, democracy, fraternity etc. which deeply influenced the modern Indian thinkers. They also brought new economic trend of commercializing almost everything from manufacturing to agriculture. Scientific ideas and discoveries also reached India and that made us realize that with the contemporary system of governance we were centuries back from the world. The advent of Europeans in India and how with power struggle British became supreme contender of power in India is nicely covered in NCERT so we are not covering that part in the Value Add here. Our coverage will start from Revolt of 1857, the last powerful but failed attempt to restore the old form of governance. Page 1

2 Revolt of 1857 Revolt of 1857 was like the climax of an era which changed everything in India. To understand this climax let s have a short recap of the previous episodes.. :P Previously in Modern India. In 1498, Vasco de Gama, a Portuguese voyager landed on Indian soil. This was the European discovery of India. Well in order to understand, we can put it this way that it was our discovery of white men too. :P That was the day, when we were swayed by the fairness and opened our doors to Europeans. This finally lead to the discovery of fairness creams.. but this was much later. Soon, under the leadership of Portuguese General, Albuquerque, Portuguese captured Goa and became the center of Portuguese power in India. Soon Europeans realized that India was indeed Sone ki Chidiya (Golden Bird). They were stunned by seeing the Indian prosperity. The factors of the emergence of nation states, renaissance and reformation, agricultural and industrial revolution, new economic doctrine of mercantilism, competition between nation states for breaking the mercantile monopoly of the merchants of Venice and Geneva over seaborne trade, and a great advance in navigational technologies like compass gave strong impetus for geographical discoveries leading to the finding of new worlds and new sea routes. As a consequence of the above factors, a new route to the east via the Cape of Good Hope was discovered. This led to the European monopoly over the seas and the advent of Europeans into India in search of trade and commerce in spices, which were essential requirements of their food habits. Owing to the rivalry of European powers, India became the actual theatre of conflicts by the middle of the 18th century. Vasco De Gama: Died on Christmas eve in 1524 in India, of Malaria. Page 2

3 Routes Taken by Vasco De Gama Soon English, Dutch and French also started trading with India to have their share of profits. After the Portuguese, the Dutch also wanted to have their share in the trade with India. In 1602, the Dutch East India Company was established. The rising Dutch power was looked as a threat by the British and a truce was concluded between them in 1619 but it did not last long. By 1795, the British expelled the Dutch from India totally. You need to remember that this trade was highly beneficial for India. India s balance of trade was positive. And Indian exports of spices and textiles had captured the world market. Indian manufacturers and artisans gained huge profits. India became an arena of European politics and to gain supremacy in India, these forces frequently fought. This led to the famous Carnatic Wars fought between the Dutch and the English in India. (You must have read about them from NCERT.) There were three wars. The third war was conclusively won by the English which lead to almost monopoly of British in India. Meanwhile the central Mughal power started to decay and many feudal lords and Nawabs under Mughals declared themselves independent or atleast started behaving like one. To gain power they started taking European help to settle local quarrels. They used to hire European troops in local battles. Page 3

4 (Note: A European troop doesn t mean that only European soldiers were fighting. European troops had majority of Indian recruits who were trained on European style.) Soon it was realized that Indian Battalions were no match for a handful of trained and disciplined European soldiers. Every local ruler wanted European soldiers to fight on his side and was ready to pay whatever price the company demanded. From this the concept of Subsidiary Alliance originated. Many historical records tell that it was introduced by General Dupleix of France but in its final form it was shaped by Lord Wellesley. Many books tell that it was introduced by Lord Wellesley. Whatever be the case, for exam we will follow Lord Wellesley. Subsidiary Alliance: Wellesley came to India with a determination to launch a forward policy in order to make the British Empire in India into the British Empire of India. The system that he adopted to achieve his object is known as the Subsidiary Alliance. Lord Wellesley: Known as the Akbar of East India Company He also called himself The Bengal Tiger. But now we know that only DADA (aka Saurav Ganguly) is Bengal Tiger. So I refuse to mention this fact in my Value Add. Page 4

5 The predecessors of Wellesley concluded alliances with Indian princes like the Nawab of Awadh and the Nizam of Hyderabad. They received subsidies from the Indian rulers for the maintenance of British troops, which were used for the protection of respective Indian states. Wellesley enlarged and consolidated the already existing system. Main Features of Subsidiary Alliance 1. Any Indian ruler who entered into the subsidiary alliance with the British had to maintain a contingent of British troops in his territory. It was commanded by a British officer. The Indian state was called the protected state and the British hereinafter were referred to as the paramount power. It was the duty of the British to safeguard that state from external aggression and to help its ruler maintain internal peace. The protected state should give some money or give part of its territory to the British to support the subsidiary force. 2. The protected state should cut off its connection with European powers other than the English and with the French in particular. The state was also forbidden to have any political contact even with other Indian powers without the permission of the British. 3. The ruler of the protected state should keep a British Resident at his court and disband his own army. He should not employ Europeans in his service without the sanction of the paramount power. 4. The paramount power should not interfere in the internal affairs of the protected state. (Note: They forgot to mention a colon P i.e. :P after this clause as it was a joke. You all must have seen the movie Lagan. So there is no need to explain this fact. If you have not, you need to realize that there are more important things than UPSC. Do watch it first.) Benefits to the British Wellesley s Subsidiary System is regarded as one of the masterstrokes of British imperialism. It increased the military strength of the Company in India at the expense of the protected states. The territories of the Company were free from the ravages of war thereby establishing the stability of the British power in India. The position of the British was strengthened against its Indian and non-indian enemies. Under the system, expansion of British power became easy. Thus Wellesley s diplomacy made the British the paramount power in India. Page 5

6 Negative impact of the Subsidiary System on Indian Princes The immediate effect of the establishment of subsidiary forces was the introduction of anarchy because of the unemployment of thousands of soldiers sent away by the Indian princes. The freebooting activities of disbanded soldiers were felt much in central India where the menace of Pindaris affected the people. Further, the subsidiary system had a demoralizing effect on the princes of the protected states. Safeguarded against external danger and internal revolt, they neglected their administrative responsibilities. They preferred to lead easy-going and pleasure seeking lives. As a result misgovernment followed. In course of time, the anarchy and misrule in several states had resulted in their annexation by the British. Thus, the subsidiary system proved to be a preparation for annexation. Furthermore, the British collected very heavy subsidies from the protected princes and this had adversely affected their economy. Page 6

7 Subsidiary Alliance at a Glance! IASbaba ILP SET4 Block 2 Modern History Page 7

8 Doctrine of Lapse: Under this doctrine the British arrogated to themselves the right to veto the succession of an adopted heir, and instead, to annex the territory concerned, although the adopted successor and his heirs were usually allowed to keep their titles and a substantial annual allowance. States annexed under this doctrine include: Satara (annexed 1848) Jaitpur (annexed 1849) Sambalpur (annexed 1850) Baghat (annexed 1850) Udaipur (annexed 1852) Jhansi (annexed 1853) Nagpur (annexed 1854) Karauli (annexed 1855) You need to remember, that Awadh was not annexed by Doctrine of Lapse. The Nawab of Awadh by Ousted by the British by giving a reason of poor administration. Some books have given that it annexed by DoL, that is an incorrect fact. Before 1857, there were two wars that acted as a milestone to establish English as the supreme power in India: Battle of Plassey Battle of Buxar Page 8

9 Battle of Plassey: IASbaba ILP SET4 Block 2 Modern History 2017 British (Robert Clive) Vs Siraj ud Daula( Nawab of Bengal) Venue: Plassey (Bengal) Background: It was a test match with 2 innings. In first inning Siraj ud Daula gave a big lead but in the second inning British came very strongly and won the match. In 1956, there was a conflict going on between British and French companies in Bangal. And in order to protect themselves, both the companies started their fortification. This fortification annoyed Siraj Ud Daula. Since both of them were his subjects he ordered them to break the fortification. French obliged but British denied. In order to teach them a lesson, Siraj ud Daula attacked and gave a crushing defeat to British. During this attack the Black hole episode took place. Note: Read about this Black hole tragedy. The British retreated to the sea. There they waited for Robert Clive to arrive on an island. Robert Clive made a treacherous plot to defeat Siraj ud Daula. He got into a secret pact with Mir Jafar (Siraj s uncle and commander of one of his battalions.). He promised Mir Jafar the throne of Bengal. In 1757, the battle of Plassey took place where a very small British army defeated the 40,000 strong Nawab s Army. It is said that it was hardy a battle as Siraj s troops under Mir Jafar did not march forward. Siraj was chased and later apparently killed by his own people and Mir Jafar was made a puppet Nawab. British East India company got loads of gift from the Nawab and a farman to carry on tax free trade. Page 9

10 Painting shows Robert Clive meeting Mir Jafar after the Battle of Plassey Outcome: Battle of Plassey established British as a strong power and it provided them a constant source of income from the richest state of India, Bengal. Page 10

11 Battle of Buxar: IASbaba ILP SET4 Block 2 Modern History 2017 Despite Mir Jafar s gifts and rewards, British were not satisfied with him and replaced him by Mir Qasim. Mir Qasim was an able administrator and tried to free himself from the clutches of the Englishmen. This behavior was disliked by the British and the conflict led to three battles. Mir Qasim was defeated and he fled to Awadh to take help of Nawab of Awadh, Shuja ud Daula. Nawab of Bengal and Nawab of Awadh got into an alliance with the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II, who despite the deteriorating Mughal empire was perceived as the central authority of India. These combined forces met with British force at Buxar. Result: As expected, the combined army of the three was no match for the disciplined English army which comprehensively won. Outcome: It was a morale booster for British and it established British as the super power. British got the Diwani of Bengal from the Mughal emperor. i.e. now they got the right of administration and taxation. This battle practically started the British rule in India. Page 11

12 There were several other prolonged wars like Anglo Maratha War, Anglo Mysore war etc. which are nicely covered in the NCERT s and previous VAN. So with this recap, lets come to the climax episode. The revolt of 1857! Page 12

13 REVOLT OF 1857 Causes Economic o Destruction of traditional Indian Economy o Ruin of agriculture by draconian land reforms o Annexation of princely states = no patronage for artisans = destruction of Indian handicrafts o Loss of status for Zamindars = ashamed to work = anger against British Political o Aggressive policies of Subsidiary Alliance, Doctrine of Lapse o Rampant corruption and exploitation especially at lower levels of administration (police, local courts etc) Page 13

14 IASbaba ILP SET4 Block 2 Modern History 2017 Army o o o o Restriction on wearing caste specific clothing and items. Eg. turban Forced to travel overseas, which was forbidden in Hindu tradition Unequal pay for Indian sepoys + racial discrimination and subordination Newly introduced Enfield rifles had beef fat coatings (trigger point) Socio-Religious o Racial discrimination towards native Indians (Theory of White Man s Burden) o Religious propagation by the Christian Missionaries o Reforms like Abolition of Sati, Widow-Remarriage Act, Women s Education were seen as interference in the traditional Indian Society o Taxation on mosques, temples etc Outside Influences o Crimean Wars Page 14

15 o Punjab Wars o First Afghan War o The British suffered serious losses in these wars = psychological boost for Indians Important Leaders Mangal Pandey Soldiers Bahadur Shah Zafar Zeenat Mahal Bakhtawar khan Nana Sahib Tatya Tope Azimullah Maharaj Kunwar Singh Khan Bahadur Khan Begum Hazrat Mahal Maulvi Ahmadullah Place Barrakpore Meerut Cant. Delhi Delhi Delhi Kanpur Kanpur Kanpur Arrah (Bihar) Bareilly Lucknow Faizabad Failure of Revolt o Restricted to northern India. Lack of unity as modern nationalism was yet to born in India o Certain classes did not join Big Zamindars, Rulers etc (These zamindars were the new zamindars who were appointed by the British. Since they derived their power from British authority, they were loyal to British.) o Modern educated Indians viewed the revolt as backward and violent + they hoped British Rule would bring modernization of Indian Society o Indian soldiers were poorly equipped o Revolt was poorly organized + no coordination Page 15

16 o No long term perspective and political goals Impact of the Revolt o First war of independence (As per V D Savarkar). Symbolically important o Changed dynamics of British Rule forever. Transfer of administration to British Crown + Abolition of the Company Rule o Era of annexation and expansion ended. Princely states were promised partial autonomy while remaining under British protection o British policy of Divide and Rule would dominate future events (to weaken Hindu- Muslim unity showcased in the Revolt of 1857) Note: For every event the outcome is most important for the examination point of view. Especially for mains. The Revolt of 1857 gave a severe jolt to the British administration in India and made its reorganization inevitable. The Government of India s structure and policies underwent significant changes in the decades following the Revolt. Changes in Administration: By the Act of Parliament of 1858, the power to govern India was transferred from the East India Company to the British Crown. The authority over India, wielded by the Directors of the Company and the Board of Control, was now to be exercised by a Secretary of State for India aided by a Council. Provincial Administration: The British had divided India for administrative convenience into provinces, three of which- Bengal. Bombay and Madras- were known as Presidencies. The Presidencies were administered by a Governor and his Executive Council of three, who were appointed by the Crown. The other provinces were administered by Lieutenant Governor and Chief Commissioners appointed by the Governor-General. Local Bodies: Financial difficulties led the Government to further decentralize administration by promoting local government through municipalities and district boards. Local bodies like education, health, sanitation and water supply were transferred to local bodies that would finance them through local taxes. Changes in the army: The Indian army was carefully re-organised after 1858, most of all to prevent the recurrence of another revolt. Firstly, the domination of the army by its European branch was carefully guaranteed. The proportion of Europeans to Indians in the army was Page 16

17 raised. The European troops were kept in key geographical and military positions. The crucial branches of artillery, tanks and armored corps were put exclusively in European hands. The Indians were strictly excluded from the higher posts. Till 1814, no Indian could rise higher than the rank of a subedar. Secondly, the organization of the Indian section of the army was based on the policy of divide and rule so as to prevent its chance of uniting again in an anti-british uprising. A new section of army like Punjabis, Gurkhas and Pathans were recruited in large numbers. Relations with princely state / native states or British attitudes towards the Indian princes after the Revolt of 1857: After the Revolt of 1857 the British reversed their policy towards the Indian states. Most of the Indian princes had not only remained loyal to the British but had actively aided the latter in suppressing the Revolt. Their loyalty was now rewarded with the announcement that their right to adopt heirs would be respected and the integrity of their territories guaranteed against future annexation. The experience of the Revolt had made them decided to use the princely states as firm props of British rule in India. Change in administrative policies: The British attitudes towards India and consequently, their policies in India changed for the worse after the Revolt of While before 1857 they had tried, however halfheartedly and hesitatingly, to modernize India, they now consciously began to follow reactionary policies which were reflected in many fields. (a) Divide and Rule; After the Revolt of 1857 the British increasingly continued to follow their policy of divide and rule by turning the princes against the people, province against, caste against caste, group against groups and above all, Hindus against Muslims. Immediately after the revolt their suppressed Muslims, confiscated their lands and property on a large scale, and declared Hindus to be their favorite. After 1870, this policy was reversed and an attempt was made to turn Muslims against the nationalist movement. The Government cleverly used the attraction government service to create a split between the educated Hindus and Muslims. The Government promised official favor on a communal basis in return for loyalty and so played the educated Muslims against the educated Hindus. (b) Government attitudes towards educated Indians: The official used to favor the educated Indians before 1857 but their attitudes changed after the Revolt because some of them have began to use their recently acquired modern knowledge to analyse the imperialistic character of British rule and to put forward demands for Indian participation in administration. The officials became hostile to the educated Indians when the latter began to organise a nationalist movement among the people and founded the Indian National Congress. Page 17

18 (c) Government attitudes towards the zamindars: After the revolt, the British changed their attitudes towards the zamindars and landlords to use them as a dam against the rise of popular and nationalist movement. The lands of most of the talukdars of Awadh were restored to them. The zamindars and landlords were now hailed as the traditional and natural leaders of the Indian people. Their interest and privilege were protected and they, in turn, became the firm supporters of British rule in India. Page 18

19 The revolt can be summed up with the following mindmap: Page 19

20 PRE-1857 REVOLT UPRISINGS Page 20

21 Civil Rebellion Led by deposed rajas and nawabs and impoverished Zamindars, landlords etc. Major cause = Rapid changed introduced by British Economy, administration and land revenue system (in less than 30 years land revenue doubled) No part of the enhanced revenue was spent on the development of agriculture Zamindars were replaced by new men of money Prevalence of corruption at lower levels of judiciary, administration and police Ruin of Indian artisan and handicraft industry due to free imports and heavy tariffs on exports of Indian finished goods Patronage to priestly class came to an end + British policies seen as an attack on Hindu religion. Tribal Uprising Tribal uprisings were the most violent and bloody amongst all. They were charged by emotions and superstitious beliefs like foreign bullets cannot kill them. They were usually targeted against the outsider Landlords and money lenders who were directly perceived as the enemy, rather than the British. Loss of land, influx of Christian missionaries in tribal areas Placed restriction on access to forest produce Santhal Revolt 1854: Page 21

22 o Lived in areas between Bhagalpur and Rajmahal (known as Daman-i-Koh) o Main grudge was against the outsiders o Called the outsiders as dikus - Zamindars, police, courts o British declared Martial Law and crushed them ruthlessly Kols of Chotanagpur o From Munda Rebellion o Munda Tribe, Jharkhand o o Birsa Munda was the leader Page 22

23 Peasant Movements IASbaba ILP SET4 Block 2 Modern History 2017 In order to increase their profits, the British government changed the agricultural revenue system. The policies followed by them can be represented as follows: Page 23

24 The exorbitant rate of revenue made the peasants impoverished. The negative thing was that the money received as the revenue was siphoned out to England and very less amount was invested in agriculture to improve the crop and land condition. This triggered a vicious circle of poverty where peasants were dependent on money lenders, who again charged a very high rate of interest. This distress of peasants resulted in many revolts. Indigo Revolt Bengal o Planters forced peasants to get into shoddy contracts causing great loss to peasants o Forced to use the best lands and got paid a price below Market Price. o Famous slogan je rakhak te bhakak o Got support from Bengali middle class and lawyers o Finally, Ryots won and Indigo plantation was wiped out when government issued a notification in 1860 that peasants cannot be compelled Page 24

25 o Features of the movement cooperation, organization and discipline of the peasants complete unity among Hindu and Muslims, role of Intelligentsia o Neel Darpan Deen Bandhu Gupta s play which portrayed the movement Fig: Cover page of Neel Darpan o Reasons for success awareness of law on part of the peasants o Shortcoming aim was limited to personal grievances Bengal Tenacy Act o Passed in 1885 as a direct outcome of the peasant movements o Aim = to protect tenants from worst practices of Zamindari o Defined rights of Zamindars and the peasants Effect of American Civil War o Cotton exports dried, prices crashed o Also government increased the prices by 50% Weakness of Peasant Movements o Lack of adequate understanding of colonialism o Their protest still occurred in the old society order lacking the concept of an alternate society o But in 20 th century, peasant discontent was merged with the larger National Movement Page 25

26 Post 1857 Revolts: IASbaba ILP SET4 Block 2 Modern History Page 26

27 SOCIO-RELIGIOUS REFORMS Problems in Indian Society Indian society in the 19 th century was caught in the vicious web of religious superstitions and religious abundance. Priests exercised overwhelming control over the minds of the people. Their monopoly over scriptural knowledge and ritual interpretation gave them a deceptive character Eg. Women even went to the extent to offering themselves to priests for their carnal pleasures Depressing conditions of women o Birth of girl child looked down upon o Practice of sati o Child marriage o No education for girls Another was the factor of Caste: o It created a system of segregation, hierarchy on the basis of birth o The rules of caste hampered social mobility o Fostered social division o Sapped individual initiative o Humiliation of untouchability Conclusion Rejecting such practices as against human dignity, the reform movement sought to create a social climate for mobilization, referring to golden past, traditional, yet devoid of such malaise. Features of Socio-religious reforms: The persistent theme of the reforms was developing rational scientific temper among the Indian masses. Whether it was interpretation of Vedas by Brahmo Samaj (Raja Ram Mohan Roy) or medical reasoning against child marriage given by Akshay Kumar Dutt, the reforms were aimed at cleansing the Indian society of the mal-practices that had gradually crept in the society. The influence/impact of socio-religious reforms can be understood in two spheres: Page 27

28 Religion o The reforms sought to remove idolatry, polytheism and priestly monopoly o Translation of religious knowledge into vernacular languages to set free the masses from the bondage of priests o Simplification of ritual practices Social o Caste Ranade, Dayanand, Vivekananda denounced the caste system Dayanand said he deserved to be a Brahmin who acquires the best knowledge and character and an ignorant person to be classed as a shudra Jyotiba Phulbe (Maharashtra) and Narayan guru were two relentless critics of the caste system Narayan Guru said one religion, one caste, and one God for mankind o Women Child marriage, sati, abandonment of widows was prevalent Ishwarchand Vidyasagar gave special emphasis on widow remarriage Raja Ram Mohan Roy also championed women s cause Conclusion The reforms were not blind imitation of western cultural norms. The reforms were aiming at modernization rather than westernization Impact of Reforms The cultural-ideological struggle represented by the socio-religious movements was an integral part of the evolving national consciousness. It was instrumental in bringing about the initial intellectual and cultural break which made a new vision of the future possible. Second, it was part of the resistance against colonial cultural and ideological hegemony. Out of this dual struggle evolved modern cultural situation new men, new homes and new society Page 28

29 A Quick glance of the Socio Religious Reforms: Page 29

30 FOUNDATION OF INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS Foundation of INC was not a sudden event or a historical accident. It was the culmination of a process of political awakening that had beginnings in 1860s and 1870s and took a defining step in 1880s. Following were the reasons: 1. The new political thrust between 1875 and 85 was emergence of young intellectual nationalists. They formed broad based associations like the Indian Association in 1876 by Surendranath Banerjee and Anand Mohan Bose. 2. Rise of Nationalist Press which was to play a dominant role in connecting and igniting masses in coming times. Eg. The Hindu, Tribune, Kesari. (find who started them) 3. Indians had gained experience from a large no of agitations organized in the preceding decade massive agitation for Indianization of civil services Opposition of Afghan War (II ) by Lord Lytton Agitation against the Vernacular Press Act 1878 (trying to curb the freedom of press) 1883 agitation in favor of Ilbert Bill which allowed Indian judges to try Europeans The earlier efforts failed because they were not coordinated on an all India basis. On the other hand Europeans had always acted in unity. Thus, it is clear that foundation of Congress was the natural culmination of the political work in previous years. By 1885, a stage had reached by which certain basic tasks or objectives had to be laid down and struggled for. Also, these objectives could only be fulfilled by coming together by coming together of political workers in a single organization Page 30

31 Demands of the Nationalists: Indian National Congress: 1885 No reduction of import duties on textiles No expansion in Afghan and Burma Right to bear arms Freedom of press Reduction of military expenditure Reduction of taxation on land Higher expenditure on famine relief Indianization of Civil Services Right of Indians to judge Europeans (Ilbert Bill) Objectives of Congress: 1. First objective was to weld Indians into a nation, to create a new identity Indian. Only then a National Movement can be initiated 2. Secondly, to create a common political platform around which political workers in different parts of the country could gather and work Note: Initially Congress strictly confined itself to political issues of National importance. As Dadabhai Noaroji said we are met together as a political body to represent our political aspirations 3. Internalization of the nuances of political democracy and educating people towards the same. That s why from beginning Congress was organized as a Parliament 4. To develop and prolong an anti-colonial ideology Mistakes of Congress: Early Nationalist failed to understand the true nature of Colonial State. They did not organize mass movements Were accused to be cut-off from the masses Achievements of Congress: In congress s defense, they did carry out an ideological struggle against the British Did the preparatory work of initiating a struggle Page 31

32 Gave Indian people a common platform to put forward their grievances Gave a direction to the Indian agitation against the British rule In G.K s words our achievements are bound to be small and disappointments frequent. But our work will be given to future generations who will serve India by their successes. Page 32

33 ECONOMIC CRITIQUE OF COLONIALISM The economic critique was the most important contribution to the development of National Movement in India by the Moderates. Intellectuals in the first half of 19 th century had adopted a positive attitude, thinking British rule would help modernize India Post 1860, social development failed to live upto hopes Dadabhai Noaroji, MG Ranade and RC Dutt amongst prominent critiques of the colonial rule Understood the essence of British Imperialism lay in subordination of the Indian Economy to the British Economy Explained the three aspects of British rule through trade, industry and finance Colonialism moved from naked plunder to more sophisticated draining through free trade and foreign capital investment meant to further the interest of the British at the expense of Indian resources Dadabhai Noaroji made poverty his special subject and emphasized that Indian poverty was a manifestation of British colonial policies. He published Poverty and un-british rule in India For Dadabhai, foreign capital was exploitation of Indian Resources and a means for political subjugation of the country. They cited examples of other colonies and the impact of British policies They highlighted the progressive decline of Indian Handicrafts. From being the largest exporters of handicrafts, India became a net exporter of Manchester cloth in a matter of decades India became a land of raw material and import of manufactured goods ably supported by liberal import polices and stringent export policies They also pointed out how physical infrastructure and especially Railways which were not laid to suit the Indian Needs. Hence, it led to a Commercial Revolution and not Industrial one in India The policy of free trade, on one hand completely decimated Indian handicrafts, it also put the infant and under-developed Indian industries in a disastrous and unfair competition with British Manufactures They criticized the exorbitant taxes which were regressive and instead pitched forward the idea of progressive taxation and import duties on products consumed by rich people Page 33

34 Drain of Wealth Theory Dadabhai Naoroji The focal point of Nationalist critique put forward by Dadabhai Naoroji. Large part of India s capital and wealth was being transferred or drained to Britain in the form of salaries and pensions of British civil and military officials working in India, interest on loans taken by Indian government, profits of the capitalists in India and expenses of Indian government in Britain The drain was the basic cause of India s poverty RC Dutt made the drain a major theme in his Economic History of India. He compared the drain to rain in Britain using Indian waters The drain theory incorporated all threads of nationalist critique of colonialism The drain theory made the exploitative character of British policies visible and could be easily grasped by the peasants and the masses Hence, drain theory helped in arousing people and later became the main staple of Nationalist political agitation Page 34

35 Impact: The critique helped in undermining the hegemony of foreign rulers over Indian minds, a feeling that British were the Mai-baap of the common people in India It corroded popular confidence in the benevolent character of the British Tilak in Kesari, Sachidanand Sinha in Indian People and Dadabhai hammered home the point through repeated articles until the masses fully understood the exploitative character of the British The theory refuted the White Man s Burden theory given by British Economists Conclusion: The nationalist of 20 th century were to rely heavily on the main theme of economic critique of India and stage powerful mass movements. Page 35

36 INDIAN PRESS Hickey's Bengal Gazette was an English newspaper published from Kolkata (then Calcutta), India. It was the first major newspaper in India, started in It was published for two years. Founded by James Augustus Hicky, a highly eccentric Irishman who had previously spent two years in Jail for debt. Newspapers of the time Kesari and Maharatta by Tilak Bengalee by Surendranath Banerjee Amrita Bazar Patrika by SK Ghosh (If you were wondering what ABP news is, it s Amrita Bazar Patrika.) Voice of India under Dadabhai Noaroji Sudharak under GK Gokhale Later Young India and Harijan by Gandhi Influence of Press: During the initial phase of freedom struggle ( ) the press was the chief instrument for carrying out politicization, education and formation of national ideology when the national movement had not yet resorted to mass agitation. The Congress accomplished its work through press only. Its resolutions and proceedings had to propagate through press only. Interestingly, nearly one third of Congress members were journalists. All political leaders (pick names from above) channeled their agitation through newspaper writings. Page 36

37 Influence of press extended far beyond its literary subscribers. A newspaper in remote villages would read out by a reader to tens and hundreds of people. Conclusion Nearly all political controversies of the day were conducted through the press, every act of the government subjected to sharp criticism. Fittingly the motto of Indian Press was Oppose, Oppose, Oppose as recounted by Lord Rippon in his time. Vernacular Press Act 1878 Indian Press had become highly critical of Lord Lytton administration during 1870s. The Act which applied only to Indian language newspapers, provided for confiscation of printing press, paper and other material if the government believed it was printing seditious material. The conditions imposed were: No government employee can edit any newspaper without prior permission of the government. The editor as well as the publishers and the other associated persons will be arrested if any newspaper published in native language, reports anything against the British. The equipment and machineries will also be seized. Many people called it Gagging Act as it tried to strangulate the voices of the press. Large scale protests started against this act. It was repealed by Lord Rippon in Page 37

38 SWADESHI MOVEMENT ( ) Introduction With the start of Swadeshi Movement at the turn of the century, the Indian National Movement took a major leap forward. Women, students and a large section of the urban and rural population of Bengal and other parts of India became actively involved in politics for the first time. Reason It was started to oppose the Partition of Bengal by Lord Curzon ( ) Real motive of partition of Bengal was political. Bengal was the nerve centre of Indian Nationalist Movement and the partition was aimed at dividing the population on communal lines and destabilizes the movement. According to the British, the partition was being done for administrative convenience as the province is too big. Features of the Movement: Unprecedented participation of the masses Large no of protest meetings, active role of press. Nationalist leaders protested through newspapers and journals such as the Bengalee by Surendranath Banerjee Big Zamindars who were British loyalists till now joined the movement Page 38

39 moderate techniques of petitions, speeches, public meetings and press campaigns were held. Moderate methods failed as partition was announced in Extremist Mode o Seen first time in Indian Freedom Struggle o Boycott Resolution boycott of foreign goods (Manchester cloth and Liverpool Salt). The value of British cloth fell by 10 times in Bengal o In Calcutta strike was declared, people took to streets, singing Bande Mataram. o Picketing of shops selling foreign goods by students and women o People tied Rakhi to each other as a mark of unity BG Tilak took the movement to different parts of the country especially Poona and Bombay. Lala Lajpat Rai took it to Punjab Importance on Self-Reliance o Meant re-asserting national dignity and confidence o Economic Regeneration of villages and reaching out to masses o Social reforms and campaign against social evils such as caste system, dowry, child marriage etc. o Promotion of Swadeshi Education. Bengal National College was founded with Aurobindo Ghosh as president. In the same time National Council of Education was also established o Setting up indigenous mills in textiles, soap and match factories etc. Swaraj became the aim (also adopted by Congress in 1906) Conclusion The movement was able to draw for the first time a large section of society into active participation especially women. Emergence of Extreme Nationalists The movement brought forward the differences between extreme Nationalists like Lal, Bal, Pal, Aurobindo Ghosh and the moderates. The extremists wanted to take the movement to the rest of India while moderates were not willing to do so yet. It would later lead to Surat Split in Acquired a dominant role in the movement New forms of mobilization and techniques of struggle Unlike moderates, Swaraj was to be achieved by converting the movement into a mass protest with full scale non-cooperation and passive resistance Boycott was extended to government schools and colleges, courts, titles and government services Page 39

40 Why the movement failed? The revolutionary character of the movement drew harsh measures from the government such as bans on public meetings, processions and press. Students were expelled, fined and beaten up The Congress split weakened the movement. Also the large part of the country was still averse to the idea of extremist measures as means of protest and hence didn t participate actively The Extremists couldn t sustain the momentum. Tilak was given a 6 year sentence. Ashwini Kumar Dutt and Lala Lajpat Rai were deported. Bipin Pal and Aurobindo Ghosh retired from active politics Therefore, the entire movement was rendered leaderless and eventually died Although the movement exhibited all Gandhian techniques of mass movement but it lacked an effective organization and party structure. It failed to convert these techniques into actual, practical political practice Congress Session Calcutta Aim of Congress = Swaraj for India Swaraj mentioned for the first time. Meaning not defined yet Page 40

41 CONGRESS SPLIT By 1907 the Moderate Nationalists had exhausted their historic role. The emergence of Swadeshi and Boycott Movement brought a wave of mass movement that demanded a change in ideology of the Nationalist Movement. Reasons for failure of Moderates: Were considered elitist even by Indians Did not have faith in the common people Restricted themselves to political issues and did not entertain specific social issues Their methodology of legal pleading and articulation was beyond the average uneducated Indian of the time Did not participate in the Swadeshi and Boycott Movements Conclusion: Hence they were not able to keep pace with the events. They failed to meet the demands of the new age movement Policy of Carrot and Stick British policy makers felt that the moderate led Congress could be easily finished because it s weak but the British became critical of the Nationalist Movement after Swadeshi and Boycott movement. Their aim was now to isolate the extremists. Lured moderates by presenting the idea of Morley-Minto Reforms (Lord Minto) Moderates agreed to cooperate and got disconnected from S and B movement The Extremists wanted to extend S and B. This led to Congress split at Surat session in 1907 Impact of the Split Both sides got it wrong. Moderates led by Pherozshah Mehta hoped their dream of sharing political and admin power would come true. They couldn t see that British negotiated because of the fear of the Extremists Extremists did not see that Moderates were their natural defense line and as a result were brutally suppressed. Page 41

42 Tilak was jailed for 6 years. Aurobindo Ghosh gave up active politics and took up religion. BC Pal temporarily retired from politics and Lala Lajpat Rai went to the US for an extended stay The spirit was gone from the movement and it entered a dull phase which was to last till the WWI came around Best Wishes IASbaba Copyright by IASbaba All rights are reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of IASbaba. Page 42