CBSE Class 10 History - 3 || Nationalism in India || Full Chapter || By Shiksha House

The year 1857 marked the first significant revolt against British rule in India, known as the Sepoy Mutiny, which spread across northern and central India but failed due to lack of coordination. Despite its failure, it was the first step towards Indian independence, fostering a realization of national identity fueled by shared suffering under colonialism.

The entry of India into World War I escalated opposition to British rule. Increased taxes and forced recruitment for the war effort created widespread hardship, intensified by crop failures, famines, and an influenza outbreak. This harsh situation spurred the Indian nationalist struggle as Mahatma Gandhi emerged, unifying diverse social groups with principles of non-violence.

Mahatma Gandhi introduced the concept of 'Satyagraha,' which emphasized non-violent resistance and moral appeal over brute force, leading successful movements in Champaran, Kheda, and Ahmedabad. These movements challenged British policies, advocated for peasants and workers, and solidified Gandhian methods of peaceful protest as potent tools against colonial oppression.

The Rowlett Act, empowering British authorities to detain political opponents, sparked widespread protests in 1919. Gandhi led a peaceful satyagraha, which was met with violent repression, culminating in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre where British troops killed numerous unarmed civilians. This massacre intensified nationalist sentiments and necessitated a broader movement.

Following the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, Gandhi proposed the Non-Cooperation Movement to unite Indians against British rule, focusing on boycotts of foreign goods and institutions. Although initially successful, the movement waned due to lack of alternatives to British goods and services, highlighting the challenges of sustaining a mass movement under economic strains.

The non-cooperation movement intersected with various regional uprisings, such as peasants protesting oppressive taxes and tribals in Andhra Pradesh aspiring for self-governance. These groups, however, sometimes took violent paths, diverging from Gandhi's nonviolent ideals. Plantation workers in Assam mistook the movement's objectives, seeking escape from British-imposed servitude.

Although diverse groups participated, many misinterpreted 'Swaraj' as an end to personal sufferings rather than a collective national goal. The 1922 Chauri Chaura incident, where protestors burned a police station, led Gandhi to withdraw the movement due to its deviation into violence, revealing the limits of maintaining strategic nonviolence among diverse grievances.

The global economic depression and the exclusion of Indians from the Simon Commission fueled discontent, leading to protests. The Congress split over strategies, with some leaders forming the Swaraj Party aiming for reforms through councils. Gandhi redirected his focus to pragmatic issues like the oppressive salt tax, launching the Salt March as a symbolic resistance against colonial policies.

The civil disobedience movement of 1930 broadened the scope of protest by challenging specific oppressive laws, but faced brutal repression from the British. Gandhi's temporary agreement with the British at the Round Table Conference disappointed many and led to a decline in momentum, as disparate groups interpreted 'Swaraj' in varied, often conflicting ways.